Traveling with Friends, and Getting Started
By Aaron J. Moore, RN, MSN
January 23, 2012 - Q. I'm looking forward to starting traveling as an ICU RN in June, going with my roommate who is also an ICU nurse. Do you find that people traveling as pairs have a harder time finding jobs? Also, we would like Boston to be our first assignment but I have heard that you need your BSN or prior travel nursing experience to get a job there. Do you know if this is true?
A. Great idea about travel nursing; it’s really the best job in world, I think. There is no other job like it. I always used to tell my wife, it’s like being on vacation for years on end. ICU nurses usually have no problem getting jobs; there is always a high demand for those with critical care expertise.
And traveling as a pair can also be a good idea. I met many couples and friends who traveled together. They did sometimes have problems getting jobs together on the same unit, but not usually in the same city. I would recommend against choosing a smaller city to travel to at first. The larger institutions also have more opportunities for travelers and are more likely to have two openings at the same time.
Traveling together has so many perks. For starters, it takes the anxiety out of moving to a new place alone. You always have a friend nearby. Also, having someone who is going through the same process as you is helpful: driving, finding the hospital, applying for the state licensure, having someone to talk to during orientation, etc.
When my wife and I traveled we always had the understanding that the first month was our time to explore and act like tourists in our new city. By the second month you make friends and have lots of other people to hang out with and show you new things. I’m not saying traveling alone is bad, but I think if you ask most people they would say it’s nice to have someone you know close.
At the same time, being a traveler makes you one of a group. Most of the places I traveled to had other travelers who hung out together and where really helpful to new people.
Do make sure and let your recruiter know your intentions. When you travel with someone it does make things a little trickier when it comes to landing jobs in the same place. The schedule may be your only problem. Most managers don’t have a problem hiring friends and couples, but they do ask that you be flexible in your schedule. That means you may not always work the same shifts or days of the week. But that can have an upside, since it can be nice to have a day to yourself and get some stuff done.
Boston is a cool place to travel. In fact, the whole East Coast is awesome to visit and work in. When looking at jobs at big facilities, you are right, they do often choose BSN or prior travelers over new travelers. This is just the way of the travel world. Just remember that on your next assignment you won’t be the rookie traveler any more.
I really loved starting out in a smaller hospital, though. My recruiter recommended it and I thought, now why would I step back into a lower acuity ICU? Well, he was right, and it really prepared me for all the other jobs I got later on.
Being a traveler is different than being a staff nurse, and facilities can expect a lot out of you. Starting in a less-than-ideal job isn’t bad, though. Like I always say, “I could do any job for three months!” Get your feet wet, then look for that dream job.
Also, just because you can’t find your dream job right away doesn’t mean you can’t live in your ideal location. That is the benefit of traveling to large cities: lots of hospitals. You may not start in the trauma ICU, but take that med/surg ICU job in the suburbs and build a résumé.
I will say from experience that the more you travel, the easier it is to get jobs. After about five assignments my résumé spoke for itself and the managers rarely asked me any question except for, “When can you start?”
Travel nursing is a fairly easy business to get into if you find the right recruiter and company. So start looking and stop dreaming about traveling. Take a risk, find an adventure and live the dream as a travel nurse.
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