LPN Travel Nursing

[empathy101]

Hey Everyone,

This is my first post and question on this site. I hope some LPNs have some info for me. I am scheduled to graduate in March 2015 in Florida. I will then plan to take the NCLEX & once I pass, I will then take the phlebotomy course. I would like to go into agency work as a hospice nurse that works mostly in Pt's homes. I would also like to do travel nursing to Seattle, WA as well. So here are my questions:

1. Any current hospice LPNs have advice and can recommend different FL agencies that are great to work for in FL.

2. Does anyone know how a LPN license can transfer/work as a travel nurse in the Seattle, WA area?

3. I am looking for recommendations for national agencies AND is it possible to work as a travel LPN? (If I am able to work in Seattle part time, I wouldn't mind doing nursing homes and such.)

4. Finally, any advice for a student LPN getting ready to graduate?

Thank you all for the ones that take the time to read this and offer any & all advice...it's greatly appreciated.

[NedRN]

You can work in other states by applying for a new state license by reciprocity using your existing state license (when you get it). Yes, there are travel LPNs, but not a lot of assignments. Travel contracts are only full time, 13 weeks in length usually. If you want part time work, you are better off negotiating with the actual employer.

[empathy101]

Thank you, NedRN, for your response. In the case of reciprocity, do you know where I can find info on having a license through Florida & being able to work in Washington & Minnesota through reciprocity? Any and all info is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[NedRN]

Google board of nursing for the states you want to go to. On board sites, you are looking for LPN licensure by endorsement or reciprocity. Once you find that, you can either look at the application or look at frequently asked questions about how to get an LPN license in that state when you hold a license in another state. Some states offer temporary licenses that allow you to practice until your permanent license is ready - states vary in how long licensure takes and the websites often do not give enough information - you may have to call the board for additional details.

I don't know of a good resource that lists the information you need for each state. PanTravelers has a board resource that details what it takes to get an RN license in every state by endorsement, cost, CEUs, time, temp, and renewal costs. It would be great to have such a resource for LPNs too, but with so few travel LPNs compared to RNs, it would be a real labor of love for a site to offer it. There are some education sites easily found by Google that detail CEUs required by every state to obtain or renew your LPN license.

For cost and time to obtain a specific, generally your agency should be able to give you the basics. After all, if they are going to promise an employer that they can supply you, that includes getting you licensed. Most agencies will rebate some of the costs of licensure, but perhaps not all of them. Boards of nursing are generally asking for a background check and some agencies may not reimburse you for that (but they should). All states will ask that you verify at least one nursing license (in your case it will be Florida the first time you seek another license), and some may ask for all licenses ever held. Most states use Nursys to verify licenses, an online site, so that is pretty easy unless you really start to collect a lot of licenses. But again, an agency may not reimburse that cost, nor the cost of any CEUs that might be required (heads up, you may need some specific CEUs for your initial or renewal FL license - they require them of RNs).

Here are a couple other thoughts to chew on: 24 states are part of a licensure compact where if you reside in anyone of those states, you can practice in all of the other member states on just one license. As it happens, neither Florida or Washington are part of the compact so unless your plans change, that won't affect you. The other issue is tax benefits. All agencies offer tax free housing and a daily stipend for meals if you qualify. Fundamentally, you need to have a home you maintain and return to regularly to qualify. You can read much more about tax homes on both PanTravelers and TravelTax and the issues are the same for all healthcare travelers. Just something to keep in mind as you are arranging your career!

I can't advise you about local agencies, but for LPN travel, you are probably best off with the largest agencies such as Cross Country (Florida based not that really matters much for national travel), and American Mobile. I suspect you might do even better finding appropriate jobs for you by contacting local registries (as in Seattle) for travel contracts as they will do more LPN business locally than the national agencies. They may not provide the tax free benefits like the national agencies though.

My advice for a new LPN graduate is don't stop with the education! Carry on as quickly as you can to RN (or another degreed profession). Many more jobs at much better pay. It is rare for me to meet an LPN/LVN at acute care hospitals on my travels so your options appear to be limited from my perspective.

[empathy101]

Thank you, NedRN,...although my thanks is months overdue, I appreciate all your advice.