How to Become a Travel Nurse
Are you interested in a nursing career and want complete guidelines and steps to become a travel nurse? Then you are perfectly at the right place.
Travel nurses are one of the most sought-after nurses in the nursing profession, this is because they perform a lot of roles and responsibilities in maintaining patient health and also the healthcare system.
Working as a Travel Nurse offers many opportunities to qualified registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical or vocational nurses ( LPNs or LVNs) and also enables them to combine their nursing with a passion for travel.
If you desire to gain new experiences, meet new people, visit new places, and continue to develop an understanding of healthcare in other communities, then becoming a travel nurse will be the perfect nursing career for you.
As a travel nurse, you will have the privilege to work in any of the following healthcare sectors:- hospitals, emergency rooms, urgent care facilities, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, rehabilitation centers, hospices, community health centers, and other health organizations.
Travel Nursing is a very interesting nursing profession, to find out how you can become a travel Nurse, make sure to read this content till the end.
How to Become a Travel Nurse
Just like any other medical and nursing profession, becoming a registered nurse doesn’t happen overnight, it requires passing through various stages and processes.
To become a traveler you must fulfill the following criteria.
Obtain a Nursing degree.
To become a travel Nurse, you must earn an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from an accredited nursing program.
An Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) offers you the fastest pathway to start your career as a travel nurse and can be completed within 20-24 months.
However, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) takes four years to complete but provides students with a higher level of training and clinical experience leading to a broader employment opportunity.
On average students undergoing their BSN program complete about 120 credits as a part of their program.
Pass the NCLEX-RN exam.
After obtaining your nursing degree (ADN or BSN) from an accredited institution, you have to write the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) organized by the National Council of State of Boards of Nursing before you can be allowed to practice as a Nurse.
The NCLEX exam is a computer-adaptive test that takes up to six hours and covers nursing practice, conditions and statements, how the healthcare system works, legal and ethical issues, and patient communication and education.
Before registering for the NCLEX exam, ensure you review the NCLEX bulletin to gain insight into the test plan.
Obtain Licensure
To become a travel Registered Nurse, you need to be licensed in the state where you intend to practice through the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC).
The National Council of State Board of Nursing initiated the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) to allow nurses to hold multi-state licenses that are allowed in NLC participating states. This allows you to work in participating states without having to obtain additional licensure.
Gain Work Experience
Before fully becoming a travel nurse, you need to gain a lot of work experience in the nursing profession. You need to become certified in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) before being assigned to a travel nursing agency.
Some healthcare contracts require you to have at least two years of experience in the nursing specialty in either surgical, neonatal, critical care, pediatrics, trauma, or clinical nursing with many different specialties.
Find a Staffing Agency
The last step you need to take to become a travel nurse is to find a reliable staffing agency.
A staffing agency helps fill employment gaps by providing nurse placement to hospitals and other medical centers. Nurse Staffing agencies help you secure contracts and offer relatively high wages and good benefits.
Before working with a travel nurse staff, ensure you research its reputation to determine if the contract it offers meets your expectations about available locations, type of assignments, salary, and benefits, and travel housing arrangements.
Pros of Travel Nurses
Being a travel nurse offers you the following benefits.
High salary and Nursing pay
Travel nurses earn higher salaries compared to others in the nursing profession as they are often needed to fill critical staffing positions in the healthcare sector within the country.
According to recent reports from HealthJob, the average salary of a travel nurse is approximately $2,486 per week.
Flexibility
As a travel nurse, you will have the flexibility to choose when and where you want to work. You can even schedule vacation time around your nursing assignment and spend time with your family and loved ones.
You can also choose the location for future assignments based on your upcoming plans.
Professional Development
By taking up a travel nurse assignment, you can take a travel nurse career to a new height. You can gain valuable experiences and knowledge by working in a different range of clinical settings from large clinic hospitals to rural clinics.
You will learn a lot and relate with professionals who will inspire your career.
Networking
As a travel nurse, you will have the opportunity to work with a variety of experts and professionals from different backgrounds and specialties. This will help in reshaping your career as a travel nurse.
The Adventure of Travel
If you are someone who loves traveling, then becoming a travel nurse provides you with the opportunity to achieve your dreams. You will have the opportunity to travel to different countries while getting paid for your nursing duties.
Cons of Travel Nurses
Despite the numerous benefits that being a travel nurse offers, it still has a lot of disadvantages. Some of these disadvantages include
Inconsistent Earnings
Travel nurses may receive inconsistent salaries in their contractual positions based on various factors such as location, job specifications, and employer. This inconsistent salary May affect their budget and financial plans.
Go through frequent job searches and interviews.
When your contract expires as a travel nurse, you can seek an extension of your contract or find a new nursing position, this will require you to search for nursing jobs and face numerous interviews.
Constant Travels
If you are considering a career as a travel nurse, you may move frequently from one location to another in the discharge of your nursing duties.
This may be very stressful and uncomfortable for you especially if you don’t like traveling and are moved from one comfortable location to an unconditioned location when performing your nursing role.
Final Thought
If you fulfill all the steps listed above successfully, you will become a certified travel nurse and kick-start your travel journey while on your nursing duties.
The processes and steps involved in becoming a travel nurse are quite easy and simple compared to other stationary nursing careers.
With a maximum of six years( four years of nursing degree program plus an additional two years of work experience), you can become a registered travel nurse.
Aside from the financial rewards that being a travel nurse brings, it also gives you access to
- Working with doctors, nurses, and other Healthcare professionals to develop care plans
- Teaching patients and families about disease prevention and overall wellness
- Assessing and diagnosing patients
- Administering medícation and fluids
