How to Become a Travel Nurse
As you may already know or suspect, travel nursing is a great opportunity for nurses. Travel nursing gives you the opportunity to travel to places you’ve always wanted to visit and test out new facilities before signing long-term contracts. It also let’s you learn new skills, visit families and friends, increase your pay substantially, and gives you greater flexibility at work. Many nurses have expressed that they saw travel nursing in their future at one point in their career. But most nurses are unsure of how to become a travel nurse. Don’t worry, you’re not alone! We’ve all been confused about how to jump into this field!
Before we get started, you must understand what the term “travel nurse” means.
Travel nurses travel around the United States 13 weeks at a time, helping the nation’s hospitals provide excellent patient care while enjoying all the incredible things the United States of America has to offer. You might think of travel nursing as just a buzzword or a short-lived trend – but it is so much more than that and actually provides an essential service to healthcare facilities. With staffing shortages in healthcare settings all across the country, travel nurses help healthcare facilities meet all of their necessary staffing needs. This service is particularly important during seasonal spikes like Flu Season, during times where coverage is needed like leave of absences or maternity leave, or just to ensure their staffing ratios stay up to standards.
Requirements for Becoming a Travel Nurse
While there’s no exhaustive list of qualifications to be a traveling nurse, there are a few requirements that travel nurse recruiters will look for in an application. The most obvious, of course, is an active Registered Nurse license. Generally, travel nurse recruiters will look for at least one year of experience as an RN. While there are exceptions, most hospitals want to know that you have been tried and tested before taking you on for a travel nursing assignment. Before you apply, make sure to gather all the needed materials like any licenses or certifications you may have to bolster your resume. Some recruiters will want to see specific expertise, especially if you are applying for a specialty floor or unit. Certifications for these types of expertise are also encouraged.
Education and Training Requirements
Of course, you need to pass your NCLEX exam after nursing school (4 year, BSN program optimal) and become a Registered Nurse through your State Board of Nursing. You need 1 year of recent experience in the specialty you wish to travel in. Even with a nursing degree and a passing grade your NCLEX exam, the 1 year of experience is non-negotiable. The reason for this requirement is that health care facilities expect travelers to step in and perform right away. Hospitals need Travel nurse positions because of short staffing in some facilities which creates bonuses or higher pay incentives. Hence, hospitals expect travel nurses to be experienced and “ready to go.” 99% of nurses asking how to become a travel nurse get stuck on experience.
Licensure and Certification Requirements
For licenses, you’ll need to include:
- The license type (i.e. Registered Nurse, Medical Assistant, etc.)
- State where license was issued
- Whether it’s a multi-state or compact license
- The license number
- The license’s expiration date
For certifications, include:
- The name of certification
- The certificate’s expiration date
- Certification number (if applicable)
Additional Qualifications and Skills
If your specialty requires further skills or qualifications those will be essential to keep up to date and active as a Travel Nurse. These can include: BLS, PALS, ACLS, etc.
Find Travel Nursing Jobs
Types of Travel Nursing Assignments
If you’re trying to decide where to go for your first assignment, we recommend Compact States. There are currently 29 states participate in the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC). Acquiring a Compact State Nursing License gives you the accessibility to work in all 29 Compact States without obtaining a completely different license.
If you want higher pay, check out the west coast! According to a Nurse Earnings research study performed by Medscape, California still wins the race with average RN earning at $98K per year. Northeast and northwest came in at second and third, with average earnings at $85K and $84K respectively. (Side note: California is not part of the eNLC so if you’re looking to go there make sure you give yourself ample time to get your license. There have been reports of the CA BRN taking up to 3-4 months to process licenses).
The Role of Travel Nurse Staffing Agencies
Now that you’ve got the qualifications and decided where you want to go, you can start researching travel nursing agencies in Wanderly. Once you’ve narrowed down your choices–start conversations with the recruiters. Choose the recruiter who is honest and will proactively listen and cater to your personal needs and preferences. This is an important step in ensuring yourself a satisfying travel assignment.
Submit a profile through Wanderly
After you’ve decided on an assignment with your recruiter, it’s time to submit a profile. Different facilities require different documentation and it used to be that all agencies would ask for various documentation from you to submit you for your assignment. This profile generally includes a resume, application, skills checklist, performance evaluation, and past clinical references. Wanderly saves this information for you to easily submit whenever you’ve found your dream pay package.
Get Licensed
This is probably the most intimidating aspect of how to become a travel nurse. But many agencies offer free licensure help and licensing reimbursement if you sign their contract! This type of assistance can be crucial! It’s especially crucial for first-time travelers to start their first assignment on time. There can be an overwhelming number of steps in the licensure process. In addition, you need to complete various medical exams and required certifications before your first assignment.
Networking with Potential Employers
After your recruiter submits your profile for a specific job, the interview is usually mandatory. Your recruiter may send you samples of interview questions, so be sure to prepare in advance. Let your interviewer know that you’re experienced and flexible. Many Nurse Managers are more likely to offer a job to nurses who are willing to be flexible and have a positive attitude that reflects a caring motive.
You can ask your interviewer anything related to your specific shift at the hospital, and we recommend asking questions as it shows your commitment and understanding of your role within their system. For example, what is the nursing culture in the unit or what is the nurse to patient ratio? Note: do not ask questions regarding your pay packages. Your interviewer is not in charge of handling pay packages and nobody wants to hire a nurse that comes across as “in it for the money”.
Contracts
Once you’re accepted, it’s time to sign a contract. For many first-time travelers signing a travel nurse contract can be scary. Be sure to communicate with your recruiter, ask questions of your contract and responsibilities, and read it carefully.
Some important policies and clauses that should be expertly reviewed in your contract include Guaranteed Hours Policy, Pay Breakdown, Insurance, Contract Cancellation Penalties, and the Non-Competitive Clauses.
Preparing for a Travel Nursing Assignment
It is important to understand the expectations of the facility you will be working in. Ask questions, communicate with your recruiter and manager, and get to know your facility and technology. You will also want to prepare for the logistics of traveling such as housing and transportation. Determine where you will live, how you will get there, and how you want to get around once you are on assignment.
Packing and Housing
You already know how to become a travel nurse. Now, all you need is a place to live! Pack your things and find temporary housing! There are two methods of housing for travel nurses: agency housing and travel stipends. Decide which one you want, choose your housing (with the help of your recruiter if you need assistance), pack, and start your beautiful journey!
Tips for Success as a Travel Nurse
Adapting to new environments and cultures
Be sure to lean on your coworkers and resources available to you to make friends and see your new city while on assignment. You’re going to have to be proactive: join groups, join recreational leagues, ask around, and go out on your own. It might be shocking at first, but there are tons of social media groups for travel nurses out there for you to find community. Try Facebook, Medventure, and MeetUp to get started.
Developing strong communication and organizational skills
You will want to stay as organized as possible with everything being brand new at your facility. Over communicate with your team members and don’t keep anything to yourself. You have support, use it.
Staying flexible and adaptable in different work setting
Things are going to get hectic, and personalities may clash. Stay flexible and adaptable to the way each new facility likes to run their unit.
Taking care of yourself and managing the challenges of the job
Be sure to schedule time for yourself and prioritize self care. This will all be very new, and you deserve to have yourself taken care of. Be patient and gentle with yourself. You’re learning at all times.
Become a Travel Nurse with Wanderly
Wanderly is your one-stop-shop for all of your nursing job search needs. Set up an account by linking your registration to your email, Google account or LinkedIn. Build your profile by adding your resume, certifications, and experience all in one place. The best part? You only have to do it once. That means you don’t have to update and collate your information every single time you apply to a travel nurse placement through Wanderly.
The Wanderly Healthcare Job search tool allows you to browse by agency, specialty, location or pay. Not sure where to start? Wanderly has resources to help you decide which opportunity is right for you. Our live anonymous chat feature allows you to talk with experts who can guide you in the right direction.
Check out Wanderly’s other resources as well! Especially when looking for your first placement, you might not be familiar with the different agencies recruiting nurses. Luckily, you can compare the agencies on Wanderly before you apply.
Now you’ve done your research and it’s time to start applying. Since you’ve already set up your full profile on Wanderly, applying to travel nursing positions is as easy as a couple of clicks!
Becoming a travel nurse is one of the most rewarding, exciting and lucrative decisions a healthcare professional can make. Whether you are trying out a new city or knocking off a bucket list item, your new life awaits with a new opportunity to grow professionally. Your Wanderly journey doesn’t end once you accept your first travel nurse assignment. Wanderly is here to help you plan your next assignment and has resources to help you throughout your travel nursing career.
Now that you’ve become a travel nurse, you can find answers to all of your questions on the Wanderly Blog from the best cities for travel nurses, how to navigate a new city without a car, and tips for bringing a pet along for the ride on your next travel nursing adventure!