Five Prerequisites for Becoming a Travel Nurse
By Melissa Hagstrom, contributor
If you are a nurse looking for a career that provides a flexible schedule, great pay and benefits, and the freedom to explore the country, then travel nursing could be the ideal opportunity for you. But how do you get started?
A successful travel nursing experience begins with ensuring you have the skills and requirements in place to embark on this rewarding career path.
First things first… it all starts with experience.
1. Clinical experience
“It depends on each facility, but the very basic requirements to get an application on file is a minimum of one year of continuous clinical experience in a specialty,” said Stacy Johnson, senior recruiter with NursesRx, an AMN Healthcare company. Although different specialties, units, locations and hospitals may have requirements that vary from this baseline, once you are nearing one year of experience you can begin applying with travel nurse agencies.
It’s important to note that for some specialties like psychiatric and rehabilitation nursing, the minimum experience required can be as high as two years.
2. Travel company and recruiter
Once you have the required clinical experience, it’s time to start researching travel nurse agencies and the recruiter who will work with you. When choosing a company, nurses may want to verify that they are stable, Joint Commission-certified and large enough to have plenty of contracts in a variety of locations. Facilities most often turn to established companies for their nurse staffing needs, and, as a result, these travel nurse agencies have the largest array of assignments.
Do your homework: talk to other nurses, research online and ask around.
“They have done so many surveys and interviews with nurses, and the reason they say people continue to travel with a particular company is because of the recruiter,” Johnson said. She explained it’s essential to look for a recruiter who is trustworthy, available and has an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the industry and the overall travel nursing market. “Make sure they are an expert and someone who will guide you in the right direction.”
3. State licensure
Obtaining your nursing license in another state is a process you can start before you even have a travel assignment secured. If you have states in mind where you would like to work, you can start the application process early. Some states, like California, New York and New Jersey, can take several weeks, while other states may take only a few days to process your licensure application.
RELATED: A Primer for Getting Your Nursing License in Another State
“Some are ‘walk through states’ where you can actually walk into the board of nursing and be issued a license right there,” Johnson said. The licensure process can also be streamlined if you live in one of the 25 states that currently participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact, which essentially lets nurses practice in any member state. Your recruiter can offer advice on the licensure process and timing, regardless of where you want to go.
Once you have an assignment in place, your recruiter and agency will work with you and the nursing boards to finish the licensing process. NursesRx even has a dedicated licensing department to help you along the way.
4. Flexibility/open mind
Just as important as your clinical skills and experience is your ability to be flexible and adaptable. This is undoubtedly among the most important prerequisites to success as a travel nurse.
Johnson advises her travel nurses to be open to new adventures and new ways of doing things, and to not close any doors when it comes to different locations and types of facilities. “Go into this with a positive attitude and open mind. I tell them to be a sponge and soak up all of the information and ideas they can.”
Although you may have your heart set on an assignment in California or another state, don’t let a great assignment in another location pass you by. Most assignments are only 13 weeks, making it easy to try new places and gain new experiences that you may not have considered before.
5. References, skills checklist and more
Professional references are a key part of the application process and it is important to have them lined up before you can be considered for a job, Johnson explained. “The references are the clinical aspect of things,” she said. “For example, we verify nurses’ employment with the hospital because we are Joint Commission-certified. We make sure that the jobs we are looking into for them mirror the experience that they already have.” Nurses usually need a minimum of two to three solid references.
In addition to references, potential travel nurses will need to fill out a skills checklist, which is a self-assessment of their clinical skills. With these two things in place, you can normally begin having your recruiter research travel nursing jobs for you. Once you accept an assignment, your recruiter and agency will help you take care of all additional compliance pieces such as drug screens and immunizations.
Updated 2/13/17
More questions about becoming a travel nurse? Visit the FAQ section on TravelNursing.com.
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