9 Steps To Become A Travel Nurse

By Hina Kamadia

If you go to a website that belongs to a nurse recruitment company, they will have a similar article to this one. But one of the first things they will tell you is to choose a company to work with.

WRONG!

Step 1. Decide where you want to travel. This will dictate which company you go with.Are you looking to live in a large city or small town? East or west coast? Maybe even Hawaii or Alaska? Your location plays a large role in your next decisions.

Step 2. Decide what you want from your travel company.What benefits do you want? Do you require private housing or is a roommate ok? Do you want your housing paid or 100% or will you pay for part of it? Do you want your insurance to start the day you start with the company or is it ok to wait one month after you start working?

All these are benefits that the travel companies play with the get the best package for themselves. If the travel company can get you to pay for something, it will. If you say no, they will pay for it rather then lose you as a client.

Step 3. Research travel companies online.Some companies like American Mobile are very large and have lots of assignments all around the country. So do their sister companies: Medical Express, Preferred Healthcare, Nurses RX, Grady Peyton, and NurseChoice. Other smaller travel companies specialize in one geographic area: like California, or Hawaii.

Step 4. Get these companies to contact you.Filling out their application will mean getting calls and emails from several of the companies. They are almost desperate to have you as a client.

Or you can just contact one or two that you really like, but remember, if one company can do something, the others can as well. Except when it comes to assignments. The larger companies typically have more contracts with more hospitals which means more assignments to choose from.

Step 5. Talk to the recruiters.You want a recruiter that you get along with, is knowledgeable, and that you can trust. This person will be your lifeline while you are traveling. If this person is not responsive now, while they are still trying to get you as a client, they will not be responsive when they have to work for you.

Since you already have your destination choose, hare this with all the recruiters and make them give you a list of all available assignments that they have.

Step 6. Compare all the assignment including pay and scheduling. Also compare the recruiters and company benefits. Choose the company that best offers what you want.

Step 7. Fill out all the forms for the travel company (there are a lot). You also need to apply for a license in the state you are traveling to.

Step 8. Once you are ready to go, you must interview with the hospital you have chosen to work at. They will decide if they want you and you decide if you want them. If it is a yes from both sides, you are ready to go.

Step 9, Get your housing assignment from your travel company, and get all your affairs in order and go!

The Requirements To Work As A Travel Nurse

By Hina Kamadia


Typically, to work as a travel nurse, you need at least one year of work experience as a nurse in an acute care hospital setting. However, the more experience you have in a variety of areas, the more options you have in choosing the hospital and the city you may want to live in.

For example, if you like pediatrics, and you would like to do an assignment in Jacksonville, FL, it is possible that there may not be a position open in Jacksonville for Pediatrics. However, if you have some experience in pediatrics intensive care unit or neo-natal intensive care unit or even nursery, there is a higher chance that you will be able to find a job in those areas. If you have worked in only one area, you can still surely find a job, but it may not be the area you prefer. However, the more experience you have and the more familiar you are with other units, the easier is it to get the job most suitable for you because you will have more job opportunities to choose from.

In addition, often times, hospitals require travel nurses to float to other units when in need. Although they will provide the orientation to those units, it makes it easier for you to adjust when you have experience in more than one area. The more accommodating you are and the more comfortable you are in various areas, the more in demand you are by the hospital as well. Often times, after the first assignment, the hospital may even offer you another 13 week assignment, if you choose to stay.

Apart from the basic requirements to be a travel nurse, it is also important that you have the ability to adjust in a different environment and enjoy change. It is important that you are flexible, friendly and enjoy making new friends and trying new things. If you do not like constant change from city to city, you can also do local traveling where you stay in the same city but go to different hospitals for assignments.

In addition to having a positive attitude and the openness to change, there are few other things you will need to make sure your travel experience is all you want it to be.

1. Apply for the state license as soon you know where you want to go. That should be your first priority.

2. Pack lightly- take only what you need.

3. Be organized with all your documents: license, certifications, health records, and vaccinations, contracts with agencies, travel expenses and receipts you may need for travel reimbursements.

4. Have all the driving directions: to the apartment, to the hospital, etc.

5. Knowing what you want, where you want to go and how to negotiate with your recruiter and your hospital.

6. You will need a way for someone to take care of your stuff back home.

7. If you are planning on doing a few assignments, it might be a good idea to have mail forwarding service. This way you can have a permanent address and they will forward your mail wherever you go and you will not have to change your address every time you move.