What to Consider About Being a Travel Nurse

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There are many advantages to working as a travel nurse. It is an excellent opportunity for some, but that does not mean it is right for everyone. You need to meet requirements before you can become a travel nurse. Therefore, you must understand the requirements before you embark on a career as a travel nurse. In addition, you should have an awareness of whether or not you meet the requirements.

Points to Consider

Most travel nurse agencies do not offer paid time off. If you choose to take time off, you will not be paid during that time. You may make enough money while working that this does not impact you, but it is essential to know before you sign up. As a travel nurse, you are considered temporary. This makes it easier for an employer to terminate an assignment. You may find that your assignment ends earlier than it was supposed to, and you have to find another assignment. Every new assignment you receive will have some amount of onboarding. There will be aspects of the job that are new to you and will take some time to learn.

Qualifications for a Travel Nurse

The agency for which you are a travel nurse may have its own qualifications, but the location also has the qualifications they require. For example, they may require that you have a certain number of years experience as a registered nurse (RN). They may also require that you have a specialty in a particular area.

Experience

Hospitals, specifically, are working to bring nurses into their organization quickly and with as little resources as possible. They are looking for individuals that can acclimate quickly to the environment to become a functioning part of their team. This also means they do not want to spend a large amount of money on orientation and training. In short, they want someone that has significant experience. The amount of experience they require changes with each location and needs. A hospital that is desperately in need of nurses may lower its experience requirement. In contrast, if there are a high amount of applicants, they may increase the years of experience they want. A typical standard is one year of experience within the past three years.

Education

There has been a significant push for hospitals to hire those with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Many hospitals state that research has shown that a higher nursing education level results in better outcomes for the patients. Hospitals have not requested that their travel nurse has a BSN, but it is possible that it’s coming.

Certification

Many travel nurse jobs require that you have certifications. These may vary depending on the specialty required. It would be best if you considered having all of the certifications available in your specialty. This ensures that you have everything you need when it comes to meeting job requirements. In addition, this increases the opportunities that are available to you.