Quick tips: How to Apply for Travel Nursing Jobs
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By Leigh Morgan, Contributor
If you're an experienced nurse looking for something new, consider expanding your horizons with a travel nursing career. Travel nurses have the opportunity to travel around the country, complete short-term assignments and get paid handsomely for their knowledge and expertise. Keep reading to learn more about how to apply for travel nursing jobs and experience all the benefits travel nursing has to offer.
Working With a Travel Nursing Company
The first step in becoming a travel nurse is to find a reputable company to match you with the right jobs. Travel Nursing career specialists work hard to find you assignments that align with your career goals. When you work as a travel nurse, you get to decide where you want to work and when you want to work. It's never been easier to become a travel nurse.
The application process
When you're ready to apply for travel nursing jobs, be prepared to provide enough information for the company to verify your credentials and match you with jobs that are truly a good fit for your interests. The application requirements vary from company to company, but you should expect to provide your personal information, professional credentials, work history and educational history.
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Personal Information
At the beginning of the application, you'll need to provide basic information such as your legal name, telephone number and mailing address. Some travel nursing companies also require you to rank each nursing specialty in order of most preferred to least preferred. This is your chance to make it clear that you love working in labor and delivery but you'd rather stay away from oncology and orthopedics, for example.
Professional Credentials
Make sure you know your nursing license number, as you will be asked to provide it during the application process. If you have any specialty certifications, be sure to mention them in your application. A specialty certification demonstrates your commitment to the nursing profession, and it also validates your knowledge and experience, according to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
Work History
When you fill out your application, be prepared to list each employer's name, the positions you held and any relevant achievements. You may also be asked to provide the names of previous supervisors and the addresses and telephone numbers of each employer on the list. If you have the opportunity to submit a full CV, consider including a list of presentations and publications, as recommended by Los Angeles County Human Resources.
Education History
If you have a nursing diploma from a hospital-based training program, list the name of the hospital and the year you graduated. You'll provide similar information if you have a BSN or MSN: the name of the college or university you attended, the type of degree you completed and your graduation year. You may also be asked to provide your grade point average (GPA).
Working with a recruiter
Now that you know how to apply for travel nursing jobs, it's important to understand what it's like to work with a recruiter. You could look for travel nursing jobs on your own, but to do so would be a mistake. Working with a recruiter, sometimes called a career specialist, is a must if you want to save time and find the right position.
Once you submit your application, you can expect to receive regular calls or emails from your recruiter to inform you of current openings and find out if you are interested. If one of the assignments appeals to you, your career specialist will finalize the details and make sure everything is in place before you start the job.
Once you know how to apply for travel nursing jobs, the best thing you can do to build a rewarding career is work with a company that has experience helping travel nurses find short-term assignments. You can move the process along by staying in touch with your recruiter and making sure you respond quickly to any requests for additional information.