How to Become a Travel Nurse in The USA

Travel nursing has a lot of attraction to those who want to work in the healthcare industry. It provides benefits, including the opportunity to travel, a competitive salary, and career flexibility. Additionally, it’s a great chance to learn new skills, challenge yourself, and positively impact the lives of your patients.

What is it like to be a traveling nurse?

As a travel nurse, you may think of exotic locations, but that’s not always the case. Instead of working for a single hospital, you’re a travel nurse when you’re contracted through a nursing staffing agency. As a result, you have the option of working anywhere from a hospital in your city to one across the nation. Travel nursing doesn’t have to include long-distance travel; you may choose when and where you work.

Experience is the most crucial need to become a travel nurse. Before applying for travel nursing jobs, most nurses must have two years of experience working as registered nurses in a hospital setting. Before embarking on a career in travel nursing, nurses should possess the following qualities:

• In-depth knowledge of the medical field
• The ability to lead
• Ability to adapt to new situations
• Flexibility
• Excellent verbal and written communication abilities
• Someone who is very skilled in finding answers to issues.
• Reliability
• Inquiry-based reasoning
• Infatuation with an Unknown Organization
• Empathy Able to work well in a group

Even while an associate’s in nursing (ADN) can suffice to meet the minimum qualification of becoming a travel nurse, most agencies and employers prefer candidates who have a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN). Basic and advanced cardiac life support certifications are often required as well. Most certificates aren’t necessary for entry-level professions, although some are beneficial when looking for work in a certain field.

7 Steps to Become a Travel Nurse in 2022

A new phase in your profession may be amazing, nervous, and promising, particularly when you’re transitioning to travel nursing professions that can take you across the country. The process is broken down into seven simple stages to get you started on this path that offers job advancement, personal independence, and countless experiences. Here are the seven steps on how to be a travel nurse.

Check out the travel nursing companies

Investigate trustworthy travel nursing agencies; there are a lot of possibilities out there, so in addition to searching the Internet, ask your nursing colleagues for advice. The Joint Commission’s accreditation signifies that a company meets a national set of quality criteria and is dedicated to excellence in nurse staffing, so seek a well-established organization with this certification. It’s also a good idea to make sure that the organization you’re considering has strong links with the nation’s best healthcare institutions and provides a wide variety of travel nursing positions around the country.

Earn a bachelor’s degree.

Before becoming a travel nurse, a Bachelor of Nursing degree is required. The most typical way to become an RN is a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, which teaches students the basics of nursing theory and critical technical skills. Anatomy, mental health, microbiology, pharmacology, public health, pathophysiology, and other science-based courses are required of nursing students.

Become a registered nurse (RN)

A year as an RN will help nurses prepare for a career in travel nursing. Experience is highly sought after for travel nursing positions and may help ambitious applicants stand out. If you want to stand out from the crowd, get hands-on experience in high-demand fields like intensive care, labor, delivery, or the operating room.

Apply for a job

Most organizations allow you to apply online, and if you have particular queries, you may call a recruiting consultant. (It should be noted that the experience requirements for nurses vary by specialty and company and may range from a few months to two years.) While just applying does not guarantee you a job with the organization, a recruiter must begin matching you with travel nurse positions. You will be asked to provide documentation of your qualifications, such as a copy of your license.

Hire a recruiter to assist you with your search

Following your application, a recruiter will contact you. The interaction between a travel nurse and a recruiter is important, and this relationship will become one of the most crucial aspects of your career as a travel nurse. Don’t be afraid to ask many questions; the recruiter is your career counsellor and your sounding board and champion, so pick someone you can trust with your professional and personal aspirations.

Defining your desires 

The next step is to find out where you’ll be heading after choosing your recruiter and agency. Keep an open mind as the first piece of advice. Determine the locations and states you’d want to see (maybe five or ten) so that your recruiter can start searching for the perfect travel opportunity for you. A specialized healthcare institution can be a good place for you to obtain experience. 

certifications

If you’re a nursing applicant, certifications may help you stand out since they show your expertise in certain areas. Numerous certificates are recognized by the federal government, including the following.

• Dialysis Nurse who has earned her license (CDN)
• Care Management, Coordination, and Transitions (CMCT)
• certification (CCCTM)A certified post-anesthesia care provider (CPAN)
• Registered Nurse with Nephrology Certification (CNN)
• The Operating Room of a Certified Nurse (CNOR)
• Accredited Registered Nurse in Medical and Surgical Care (CMSRN)