Anyone start out as a travel nurse?

[sdb]

I am just wondering if many people go into nursing with hopes of being primarily a traveling nurse. I know you need a couple years of good experience under your belt, but has anyone taken this route? I graduated with a BA in history and English and could not find a job, so I am back in school working on my ADN. My interest is in traveling and seeing the world. I want to be a nurse of course, but this was not my original goal. I am allured to travel nursing more than being a staff nurse. Did anyone start off as a travel nurse and how long did you travel, before you settled in one place to raise a family. My husband has the same career objectives as me and like me is stuck with BA and nothing to do with it, so is pursuing nursing too. Has anyone else started off in the travel nursing. What were your experiences?

[sunnyjohn]

We had an initial adjustment period, but not with nursing. We were newlyweds in a new country, but luckily made some good friends quickly. Our first contract was in a 99 bed hospital, orientation was a week long, and everything seemed pretty straight forward. It was a med/surg position. From there we worked for 13 weeks in a nursing home, which was fine, and then contracted at a rural facility and extended. The rural facility was great since nurses do so many different things there.

Overall, it was a good experience as a new grad, and we were always asked to stay.

Would you start that way again?

[markjrn]

Would you start that way again?

I think that it depends on the company and the hospital. I wouldn't work in downtown L.A. or anything like that.

A new traveler needs to be extra careful these days, I think, because it's become a money game, and alot of the time the best interests of the nurse are not priority. Just MHO.

[suzanne4, RN]

Me and DW had the intention of traveling while still in school, and actually started off our careers as travelers. Now normally, companies require 1-4 years experience to travel, but we had two companies persuing us before we had even graduated or written the NCLEX.

So, we had the intention to travel, and we started off traveling.

Did you sign for a thirteen week contract, or the one year?

Being from Canada it is easy to get hired by an agency to start, but in the US it is quite difficult. Were you given a full orientation, or just the two to three days that travelers normally get?

[markjrn]

Did you sign for a thirteen week contract, or the one year?

13 week, if memory serves me correctly.

Being from Canada it is easy to get hired by an agency to start, but in the US it is quite difficult.

Actually, I have spoken with travelers who have found their experience to be just the opposite. I'm working with an ICU nurse right now who is dealing with all of this and quite frustrated. I got my first contract while living in Canada (of course), and got all subsequent contracts while living in the US.

Were you given a full orientation, or just the two to three days that travelers normally get?

For my first contract I received a one week orientation. For the next, and most others, I received a 3 day orientation.

[suzanne4, RN]

You were quite lucky and probably had excellent training as a student. Most new nurses that I work with would not be able to be on their own in just one week.

But I have also always just worked specialty areas............and you need more that one week before you can safely be on your own as a new grad. :)