Anyone start out as a travel nurse?

suzanne4, RN · May 5, 2005

You are unable to start off in travel nursing.......you should really have a good two years of experience under your belt before even attempting it. Sure there are companies that would hire you after 6 months experience but run as fast as you can from them. It is your nursing license on the line. Remember that you will not get an orientation, other than a few hours or couple of days at the most, and are then expected to be fully functional. In many areas of nursing, you do not even begin to feel comfortable until you have actually worked for one year...............

Being in nursing school, and completing it, then working in the real world, are actually two very different things.........your learning curve only begins when you start your first real-job orientation........

Spend more time getting the experience that you need, then go from there.

sdb · May 5, 2005

I knew this. I have full intention of gaining experience first. At least 2-3 years, but in the long run I would like to travel. I was just wondering if many people started off with intentions of traveling...

nyck76 · May 5, 2005

LOL. Here is a message to nursing students or newer nurses, don't tell us that you are nursing students or newer nurses. If you do, you will be given a lecture about why you shouldn't consider this travel nursing til you have 2 years of exp and usually won't get your question answered (Or so I have noticed).While I do agree the more years the nurse the better, it is not impossible to start after 1 year and no matter where you are it is your license on line. I try to take a more friendly approach than motherly. If you don't want to get the lecture, don't tell us how new you are.

Now to answer your question. When I became a nurse I just new I wanted to go to Florida eventually (I am orginally from Illinois). When I got done, there was a friend of mine who really wanted to do travel nursing. After working in Illinois as an staff RN for 1 year I posted a resume on Monster for a position in St.louis. Suddenly all these travel companies started calling me and it sounded like fun. My first assignment was in a hospital right outside of STL. I loved it and I stayed for a year. Since you already know this is what you want to do when you get out of school I think it is a plus. While you are in school and doing clinicals, think about what kind of nursing you want to go in for the long term. If you have the time, try to work like per diem as a tech in that type of nursing while in school, it will give you an advantage and helps to make sure that is what you want ( so you don't waste time in your actual career in it if you don't like it). Or even a short summer internship can be a big helper. After you finish school then you have seen first hand what will be expected of you in the "Real World" and your 1st year will get started great.

Now everyone is different, but I started travel nursing after a year, but my speciality is ICU and that is where I worked right out of school. I had a ADN just like you and just finished my BSN. I have been traveling for 4 years now and have been just fine. If when you and your husband take your first assignment, try a medium sized facility (200 -500 beds). I find these are the best to start if you have only a year prior because the floating tends not to be in areas so different from your speciality, the staff tends to be more of a family, but the hospital still has technological advances so you get more experiences. If it is a real small hospital, you tend to float to everywhere because there are not as many nurses in each speciality. In a bigger facility, you get lost in the crowd and they do expect alot of you. I like all sizes of facilities, but I think if you a newer travel nurse the med. sized facilities are easier to start in. If this is what you want to do I think you will be fine because you will take the time to learn everything you can in that 1st year of working because you know it will be a challenge after that. And you will never know it anyway, you will just get wiser with time. LOL. Hope my babbling answers your question and helps you. Good luck to both of you! :)

sdb · May 5, 2005

Thanks so much for your responce. It was very helpful.

telemetrynurse · May 6, 2005

Hi Iam considering a travel assignment in california. I will be traveling with my two boys, therefore I will be looking for a nice summer camp for them.Can anyone tell me about some descent areas in california to work, salaries and summer camps? Thanks in advance. any information will help.

Veela101 · May 7, 2005

Hi Iam considering a travel assignment in california. I will be traveling with my two boys, therefore I will be looking for a nice summer camp for them.Can anyone tell me about some descent areas in california to work, salaries and summer camps? Thanks in advance. any information will help.

I would suggest either the suburbs of a larger city, or a more rural town (Bakersfield, Stockton, Modesto, Grass Valley). Here's why - the big cities in CA have horrendously high housing costs (regardless of whether you get company housing - believe me, you will feel this), few camps and more for young boys to get in trouble doing... Salaries depend on the company you work for really from what I hear. I myself like places that pay good stipends or per diems rather than having a super high hourly taxed wage - that's just a personal preference. Northern CA rates beat S. CA by a mile - but the SF Bay area is expensive too... Do you have a company you are going with? If not, I can suggest a place I've heard of that my girlfriend likes - she's with them now (I went staff a while ago but am toying with the idea again.)

telemetrynurse · May 7, 2005

I would suggest either the suburbs of a larger city, or a more rural town (Bakersfield, Stockton, Modesto, Grass Valley). Here's why - the big cities in CA have horrendously high housing costs (regardless of whether you get company housing - believe me, you will feel this), few camps and more for young boys to get in trouble doing... Salaries depend on the company you work for really from what I hear. I myself like places that pay good stipends or per diems rather than having a super high hourly taxed wage - that's just a personal preference. Northern CA rates beat S. CA by a mile - but the SF Bay area is expensive too... Do you have a company you are going with? If not, I can suggest a place I've heard of that my girlfriend likes - she's with them now (I went staff a while ago but am toying with the idea again.)

:Melody: Thanks alot for the info Veela101. You mentioned a company your friend like, can you give me the name? I am a novice therefore any company with a great reputation ( or bad) would help. Again thanks.

GrnHonu99, RN · May 9, 2005

LOL. Here is a message to nursing students or newer nurses, don't tell us that you are nursing students or newer nurses. If you do, you will be given a lecture about why you shouldn't consider this travel nursing til you have 2 years of exp and usually won't get your question answered (Or so I have noticed).While I do agree the more years the nurse the better, it is not impossible to start after 1 year and no matter where you are it is your license on line. I try to take a more friendly approach than motherly. If you don't want to get the lecture, don't tell us how new you are.
Good point! im a nursing student too, i always wanted to be a nurse and i always wanted to travel, when i heard that the two could be incorporated i was stunned and elated to say the least..ive asked quite a few questions only to get the "lecture" lol...i understand though and totally appreciate the advice from those who have been there..its hard sometimes bc your question sometimes gets overshadowed..im actually looking forward to getting my 1-2 years experience, im just excited to start working somewhere, ill be here for atleast a few years after i graduate as my fiancee has to finish up his degree ...so im just so excited that here in a few years ill be able to travel like ive always wanted too.. like i said im still a student so im not too sure what i may specialize in, im leaning towards peds but you know how things tend to go lol...so we'll see..
so where has everyone been that they loved? im just getting some ideas at the moment, i have heard people say theyve been in Hawaii and heard that a lot of ppl loved Seattle...ive heard some bad things about TX but im open to anywhere, id love to go to NYC and the west coast..ive always lived in the midwest so i think those places would be great...

markjrn · May 29, 2005

I knew this. I have full intention of gaining experience first. At least 2-3 years, but in the long run I would like to travel. I was just wondering if many people started off with intentions of traveling...

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.

sunnyjohn · May 29, 2005

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.

How did it Work out? starting of as a traveller?

markjrn · May 29, 2005

How did it Work out? starting of as a traveller?

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.