What is travel nursing?
Travel nursing is when registered nurses (RNs) go across state lines on temporary assignments to provide healthcare to patients. As a travel nurse, you have the ability to work wherever and whenever you want. The travel nurse lifestyle is full of flexibility, but you need to make sure you’re up to the challenge. Assignments are typically 13 weeks but they can be more or less than that depending on the need and location.
Because you won’t be an employee, you won’t have to deal with the drama and management concerns that can affect your fellow coworkers. However, because you aren’t a part of the regular staff, you will need to be comfortable working on different units and with a variety of new co-workers as you land new assignments.
Travel nurses need to be comfortable with adapting quickly to new environments and be able to settle into new facilities and units much sooner than if you were working as an employee. Travel nurses are in demand because they have so much experience working in a variety of settings. As a travel nurse, you may quickly become a valuable resource for your coworkers due to your experience working in different facilities.
Can new grads be travel nurses?
Not at first. Most healthcare facilities require nurses to have at least a year or two of experience working with patients before you work for them as a travel nurse. Gaining a year of experience not only is a great starting point for travel nursing, but also sets up a good foundation for your career as a travel nurse. Here are some tips to follow as you’re starting out your nursing career so that you’re prepared for travel opportunities:
Gain Experience
Before working as a travel nurse you’ll need to make sure you have the basics down. This includes gaining experience with electronic medical records, communicating effectively with doctors and other members of the care team, and being able to multitask and prioritize patient care. All of these skills will help you when you’re working as a travel nurse and need to be able to hit the ground running with little orientation.
Consider Nursing Specialties
It might be a good idea to gain some experience in a general medical unit before entering a specialty for nursing. However, some facilities are willing to take on new graduate nurses in special areas such as labor and delivery, or ICU. The specialties in high demand can change, but in general, these areas might be a good idea to look into when you begin travel nursing:
- Labor and Delivery
- Emergency Department
- Neonatal ICU
- Cardiac Cath Lab
- Intensive Care Unit
- Burn Unit
Research Relevant Nursing Certifications
Besides having your basic life support certification, some specialties require you to have further certifications. This may include Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), or a certification in a chosen area of specialty, such as an oncology nurse certification. Some of these can be researched and looked into now. Depending on where you work as a new nurse, you may be able to work toward these certifications soon after you start your new job.
Leverage the Power of Networking
Just because you aren’t able to work as a travel nurse yet doesn’t mean you can’t start hanging out with other travel nurses. Maybe you have a travel nurse working on your unit or you know someone currently working as one. Consider joining social media networking groups where other travel nurses gather.
There’s no better place to figure out the ins and outs of travel nursing than talking with the people who are in the field. You can find out the pros and cons, where the best places to work are, and tips for working with travel agencies. Plus, your fellow travel nurses will be the ones you will want to lean on when you start your own career.
Are there travel nursing agencies for new graduates?
Not exactly—as mentioned previously, nurses typically must have at least one or two years of experience before they break into the travel nursing field. However, there are plenty of travel nursing agencies, including Barton Healthcare Staffing, that help nurses with experience and an interest in traveling with finding travel nursing opportunities.
When an experienced travel nurse applies to one of the positions on BHS’ job board, a personal recruiter will reach out to better understand your work preferences, experience, and skills.
After your recruiter vets your background, they will add you to our vast network of providers. They will look out for positions that match your experience and skill level and run them by you as they come up. Once you’ve found an assignment, your recruiter will coordinate an interview between you and the facility you’d be working at.
If the facility chooses to take you on as a travel nurse, our teams will work to obtain any necessary licenses and certifications you might need. Our travel team will also coordinate all travel and lodging arrangements for your travel nursing assignment.
Unsure if the travel nursing life is for you? Contact the Barton Healthcare Staffing team today to learn more from our experts!
Editor’s Note: This article was originally written by Risa Kerslake, RN, in February 2022, and was updated by Mike Connors in April 2024 to reflect updated information.
