As a nurse, what better way to develop your skills and expand your horizons than to travel around the country (or the world) and work in two to three different places in a year’s time? All this is possible when you get into travel nursing. Travel nurses get the best opportunities because they work on short-term assignments for various medical facilities (not just for a hospital but other medical settings outside the hospital). Because of this, travel nurses can work with different kinds of people and work in different kinds of environments, making their job a lot more exciting and potentially fulfilling. Travel nursing is a great opportunity, both for those who are just beginning their career or those who need a career change.
Reviewing qualifications
Whether you are an LPN or RN, you are potentially qualified to become a travel nurse. To obtain a travel nursing job, you first need to review your qualifications. Make sure that your resume is updated and error-free. Make copies of your license and other relevant certifications and important documents. Most facilities will prefer nurses who have had at least one year of experience working in a fixed traditional medical facility setting. You should also look into the fields that have the most demand for travel nurses, typically emergency areas and critical care. You will have a great advantage if you specialized in these fields, as you will be a more viable job candidate to employers.
Assessing your wants and needs
List your desired travel destinations and work opportunities and the amount of agency support that you think you need. Take note that there are travel nursing opportunities inside the country as well as abroad. If you wish to work abroad, assess the risks before taking the plunge. Also decide how much you want to work and travel and how many assignments you are willing to take in a year. You will also be free to choose when not to work. However, make sure that you will be able to budget your finances well and have enough for an entire year of on-and-off work. Typical travel nursing assignments range from a few months to a whole year.
Attending nursing job fairs
Once you’ve fixed all your documents and qualifications and have determined what you really want to get out of this opportunity, you can then attend nursing job fairs. These events are the perfect way to get in touch with recruiters and medical facilities, and send out your resume to many potential employers or recruiters at one time. Take travel nursing brochures from different companies for future reference, and which you can later on research online. You can also ask medical facility personnel what their preferred travel nursing agencies are so that you can compare and contrast to assess what suits you best.
Contacting travel nurse agencies
Once you’ve gotten a feel of the travel nurse market, you can choose your top agencies of choice and research more about each one of them. You can contact these agencies and ask about specific requirements and restrictions. This is also a good way of assessing their level of service. Choose the one that is most suitable with you and arrange a meeting.
