Experience needed for travel nursing?

Specialties Travel

Published

Hello

I am considering travel nursing. I have 5 years experience in a pediatric outpatient clinic at a hospital, but no inpatient experience. How difficult would it be to travel with this level of experience? Any thoughts, advise?

Thanks

lkpdx

Specializes in Emergency Medicine.

Start with the helpful tips in this category:

https://allnurses.com/travel-nursing/helpful-tips-nurse-238992.html

Next is do a simple search. Yours is a common question and there are many threads about experience.

Now, that said. I will comment about where you are and where you need to be.

Your experience is limited to outpatient and if you're comfortable there you might find a comparable position in travel and do fine. The problem I see right away is that you haven't had many experiences apart from the outpatient clinic.

If you're trying to get into a PEDS hospital I will tell you you need not do it as a traveler. All travel contracts will want you to "hit the ground running" with maybe one or two days orientation. You MUST be proficient in the area you're working and very comfortable with your skill sets in order to assimilate well to new environments, new protocols, new computer systems... new everything. You do this each and every time you travel and that's about every 13-weeks. There IS a little stress involved. It's not for everyone.

The other thing about traveling in general is that hospitals need nurses to fill in a schedule that is usually wrecked. Workloads are difficult and staff shortages are all-too-common. You are contracted to fill in and expected to be exceptional in extraordinary circumstances. It's very rare that a hospital is bringing in a traveler because "Sally" got knocked up last fall and is downloading soon going out on maternity leave. You have to be quick and competent.

Listen, traveling can be fun. It can be rewarding. Many travelers out there and more are needed. Get a little more experience first or it will burn you. It's hard to put a time value or to quantify "how much" experience is needed. If you're not comfortable in what you do it won't work. Just my :twocents:

Specializes in Paramedic,ER, House Supervisor, OR, CVOR.
Hello

I am considering travel nursing. I have 5 years experience in a pediatric outpatient clinic at a hospital, but no inpatient experience. How difficult would it be to travel with this level of experience? Any thoughts, advise?

Thanks

lkpdx

The answer to the above is up to you and what type of job you expect as a travel nurse. If there is a need for a Nurse in a Pediatric Outpatient Clinic, you most likely would be very qualified. 5 years of experience should have provided you with enough varied events to not get flustered with anything that walked into the door. Of course that could depend on the size of clinic, how many Dr's. you were involved in the clinic and the number of people you worked with. Do you think you can go into the hospital where the clinic is located and just start working on the Med/Surg floor? How about jumping into the ER and being able to function after a couple days of "orientation"? If you do then you have the answer, now you have to sell it to someone else. Most places want at least a year of experience in your selected field of nursing. Some will consider other nursing experience but not many. Good luck with your search and I hope you enjoy your first travel experience as much as I did, many a year ago..

Rod

Specializes in Neuro, Critical Care.

hate to be a downer but...it would be hard. literally you get MAYBE 2 days training and if you are lucky nice co workers to help you out. Your skills have to be sharp and you have to hit the ground running..its fast paced usually and you are on your own!

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