how much time before I can travel

Most companies and most hospitals want two years for ICU positions, though there are some that will take you with only one. My advice for what it's worth, one year isn't enough. Travellers without enough experience are a nightmare to work with.

2 years is probably a good length of time for experience before you travel anyway just because the orientation is so short and the hospital nurses expect you to know your stuff before you get there.

I'm just starting to look into traveling and some of these hospitals want 3 years experience. I know that the shortest amount of time is 1 year, but it all depends on what the hospital wants. The travel companies will try to place you somewhere with 1 year. To tell you the truth, unless you are totally comfortable with your nursing skills after 1 year, you probably should wait a bit to travel. I have 5 years under my belt and I know that I'm still going to have issues....I'm sure everyone does. But if you are determined, do it. I'm sure that new nurses have to learn very fast when traveling. I'm still amazed at the opportunities that we have as nurses. Good luck to you.

Hi Brooke1984,

I would get two solid years under my belt. During this time take every class your hospital offers and increase your knowledge by reading etc.

I agree with the previous poster. You definitely need at least two years experience and take every educational offering you can. When you travel your orientation can be anywhere from two days to two weeks. So, you really need to be confident in your skills. While I am sad that I wait three years before I finally started to travel, I am glad that I had that time to become more comfortable with my skill and knowledge level.

I am just finishing up one year in the neruoiCU. I dont feel ready yet. we have tons of travelers and I know they have a ton of experience before become travelers and I see them struggle in our unit. I would only travel in my specialty if I went with less than 2 years exp