Travel Nursing

suzanne4, RN · Mar 31, 2008

They would be permitted to travel with you, but be aware that many agencies as well as hospitals want to see two years of experience before they will accept you. This is also to your advantage.

Would recommend that you get some local agency work in your area to see if you can just drop in and handle what ever comes your way. Remember that as a travel nurse, you are expected to have all of the skills already and be able to function without any orientation, other than where the bathroom is, the computerized charting if they have it, or things similar.

LadyNASDAQ · Apr 5, 2008

You want at least 3 years for most companies. Two isn't going to get you into most hospitals. My advice is stay staff, really hone your skills because some hospitals aren't easy to work in and you need the experience before you plunge in.

When you do go to different hospitals pick the big medical centers so you get even more experience. You still need to learn more and you can. Most hospitals want you to have background and then they'll hire you as a traveler. You want to then make friends fast and ask questions. Beofre you work with equipment and meds you don't know, you ask before implementing these.

fizz2Nurse · Apr 6, 2008

Lots and lots of places will take you with just a year experience, just be prepared to not have as much discretion in assgnments or make the top pay.

Be prepared for it to be very stressful for you when you face new things and new policies. Be prepared to have to be at your very best at all times and never be afraid to ask a thousand questions a shift.

Some of that never changes.... but then, you will learn a ton very fast and you get to travel and usually make a lot more than a staff position will pay you for only having a year experience.

As to living arragements... take the private housing and arrange for the dog due to pet rules. Only tell them about the BF if he's subject to pet rules, or does he earn his own keep? Otherwise it's none of their concern. If it's still a problem, take a stipend for housing and do your own housing.

I'm a proponent of travel/agency early on... we need more nurses that demand what they want and refuse to just take what they give you as staff. Smaller facilities also let you do and learn more, which is a good way to get exposed to all aspects of nursing. Often a big facility will peg you as one specialty. The smaller rural hospitals often use you as the "everything" nurse. You end up being the ER/ICU/MS/LTC/OB nurse that learns Tele. Good for the long run.

Enjoy!

KatieBell · Apr 6, 2008

I have now been out of nursing school and working as an RN for almost 1 year (it will be one year in June), and I am getting more and more curious about travel nursing. I want to see the country and gain more experience as a nurse. I am not married but I would love to bring my boyfriend and my dog along. I am wondering if he would be allowed to live with me in whatever housing they provide, (or do we have to be married?).

BF can travel with you, but be aware if he isn't working he will probably get bored, unless he is a self starter.

Travel nursing is not really the best way to gain experience. I just finished a contract at a small hospital. I worked with another traveler. In my last week, I was pulled out of triage to start Dopamine and levofed on a patient because the other traveler didnt know how. The charge then confessed to me that she had been assigning that traveler to triage the entire time because she felt the traveler didnt have the critical skills. The other traveler had been in a very low acuity ER for years and this was her first travel assignment. I had been at a Level One, so this was sort of a break for me. She didnt gain experience, instead, she got a lackluster recommendation and was not asked to extend. I have seen some travelers do well in learning situations for them but really, not that many. Hospitals don't want to hire someone they have to teach, you get paid more to simply walk in and perform, not be oriented to something you have not done before. Yes there will always be some new and different things (Last assignment, sternal IO caths for me, ick), but your basic skills needed should be very solid. (When the agency sends you a skills checklis, the majority 90% of it you should be able to check off "Highly proficient" without any qualms. I am sorry, I just have a thing when people say they want to travel to gain experience, as most hospitals want a traveler to bring experience....

I hope everything works out for you!

Medic15251 · Apr 6, 2008

Lots and lots of places will take you with just a year experience, just be prepared to not have as much discretion in assgnments or make the top pay.

I agree that there are lots of assignments and companies for those with one year of experience, however I disagree that pay is affected. Experience will make you look more favorable to a potential hospital, but it has little affect on pay rate as far as traveling goes. The travel company bills the hospital x amount and then the traveler is paid a percentage of that regardless of experience.

fizz2Nurse · Apr 7, 2008

I agree that there are lots of assignments and companies for those with one year of experience, however I disagree that pay is affected. Experience will make you look more favorable to a potential hospital, but it has little affect on pay rate as far as traveling goes. The travel company bills the hospital x amount and then the traveler is paid a percentage of that regardless of experience.

Well I would respectfully disagree since assignments like the recent ones in Billings that paid in excess of $50 per hour regular time were not open to people with less experience. The were adamant about this. Some hospitals that have exceptional rates on the west coast have restrictions as well when it comes to traveler experience.

In most cases no, you're absolutely right. But lesser experience will equate with not being able to select the higher paying contracts.

If you check out some of the high pay short term assignments - they also tend to require more experience.

The absolute determining factor usually still lies with the contracting nurses ability to negotiate rates and their assignment flexibility.

bagladyrn, RN · Apr 7, 2008

I'm going to have to disagree with the poster who recommended a smaller rural hospital for newer, less experienced nurses. I've heard this misconception from multiple sources. This is exactly where you need more experience and confidence because you frequently are THE nurse, you have no more experienced resources to call upon as you do in a larger facility, and generally don't have all the other depts. in house if you work the off shifts. Add to that that even though it may be a lower acuity hospital, it can take some hours to transfer critical patients and guess who has to handle them until transfer - without the staff or equipment.

Get your experience before you start to travel and don't jump into anything beyond your capabilities when you first start to travel.

Medic15251 · Apr 7, 2008

Let me clarify. For the jobs the traveler with one year of experience that he/she is qualified for, pay is not affected. My point was that you are not paid extra in traveling for each year of experience you have as you are as a staff nurse. For every travel job that requires 2-3 years experience there are probably 10 that do not.

suzanne4, RN · Apr 7, 2008

I agree that there are lots of assignments and companies for those with one year of experience, however I disagree that pay is affected. Experience will make you look more favorable to a potential hospital, but it has little affect on pay rate as far as traveling goes. The travel company bills the hospital x amount and then the traveler is paid a percentage of that regardless of experience.

The hospitals just do not accept them so they are not going to go to the higher paying facilities in most cases. Pay is affected as they are not accepted for these positions.

But you are correct, the pay is the same for those that get chosen for that facility. We are just seeing more and more facilities wanting two years of experience and up.

Medic15251 · Apr 8, 2008

The hospitals just do not accept them so they are not going to go to the higher paying facilities in most cases. Pay is affected as they are not accepted for these positions.

You are assuming that all the higher paying jobs want 2-3 years experience. This is not the case. In fact, many of the higher paying jobs are less selective because they have an immediate need.

An example of this would be a northern state in the winter. Few people desire to go to a cold snowy climate in the middle of winter. The hospital would then put out a need for a traveler and pay good because of the immediate need and the lack of job prospects due to the cold weather. It would be silly to further alienate potential employees by requiring 3 years of experience. Why not take a competent nurse who has 1 years experience?

KatieBell · Apr 8, 2008

You are assuming that all the higher paying jobs want 2-3 years experience. This is not the case. In fact, many of the higher paying jobs are less selective because they have an immediate need.
An example of this would be a northern state in the winter. Few people desire to go to a cold snowy climate in the middle of winter. The hospital would then put out a need for a traveler and pay good because of the immediate need and the lack of job prospects due to the cold weather. It would be silly to further alienate potential employees by requiring 3 years of experience. Why not take a competent nurse who has 1 years experience?

I dont know Medic, I understand your example, and I partly agree with it, but usually those winter states get all the Skiiers, and can pretty much dictate all sorts of things. A contract in Steamboat springs this year had a start date of December 22nd, and they filled it. Had 8 applications with people willing to start on that date.

I really think places really only ask for years of experience when they need it. Its not about alienation, its about getting the right fit. If they know the traveler may be the only RN on duty for hours say on night shift, they must have someone with more than one years experience. If they want a traveler that will function as Charge, again, its better to ask for more than one years experience...best to ask for someone with charge experience.

And I'll say that a traveler with only one year experience will be competing with those with more experience if they do want to do to some of the more popular assignment areas. However, after one or two assignments with good reviews, no one will care....