anyone start travelling with ~1 yr experience?

nsFAMU · Mar 20, 2007

I'm not canadian but I started my first assignment Feb 8th and I had exactly 1yr and 2 days experience. So far its going well. The hospital I came from had paper charting but this hospital does EVERYTHING on the computer. I had 1 day computer training and one day with a preceptor (who only had 1 yr experience herself). The biggest problem so far is locating supplies and learning things like CT comming to get a patient VS. me having to take them.

ltvixen · Mar 20, 2007

wow sounds great! would you mind if i asked you what type of nursing you do and what agency you are with?

nsFAMU · Mar 20, 2007

I'm in the ER and I'm traveling with American Mobile. I know the are a part of the "Evil Empire" but I signed with about 5 companies and my recruiter, Nick, worked the hardest to get me an assignment. He is also the recruiter of one of my friends, she reffered me. Neither of us have had any problems so far. My pay is kind of low at this facility but my friends pay is pretty good. The only thing I dont like is the biweekly pay because most companies pay weekly.

ltvixen · Mar 20, 2007

did you start out as a new grad into the er? that is what my original plan was, but it's essentially impossible to do it where i live, and because of bills i couldn't wait around to start the whole nclex/america process with no income coming in. so im committed to stay here until ~next september. But i do still want to get into the er asap, and that is where i'm doing my final placement (yay starting next week for 5 long busy weeks!)

thanks again for your help

nsFAMU · Mar 20, 2007

Congrats....Yes I started out in the ER and there were about 5 other new grads that started with me. My ultimate plan after graduation was to move to another city and work in this excellent pediatric hospital but I also had to wait and save up money so I understand that! My plan is to do an assignment in California and then make the move.

piperknitsRN · Mar 21, 2007

I started travel nursing after eight months as a staff nurse on a cardiac telemetry stepdown floor. I am on my third assignment, presently, and will have been a nurse for 2 years in June.

However, I do not recommend it for everyone. You have to be able to adapt, and "pick up and run" with the travel assignment with as little as one shift on the floor. You are expected to be a seasoned nurse, and most people aren't after one year of nursing; I took the plunge only after being encouraged by other staff nurses to do so, and in retrospect, it was a huge gamble that fortunately for me, paid off well.

Learn what you can in a staff position, and make sure you are exposed to a wide variety of situations--or at least very comfortable in your area of expertise--before you start travel. You may be expected to float quite a bit during your assignment, and even if you aren't, it can be very stressful to be responsible for patient care, a new-to-you charting system, physicians, and staff who may or may not be receptive to you as a traveler. Every hospital and unit has its own policies and procedures, not to mention culture. You must, as a traveler, be inherently adaptable and able to accept that standards of care you were used to--or not--at your staff hospital are not those of your travel facility.

As a general rule of thumb, I would not recommend travel nursing to anyone until s/he has had at least two years of nursing as staff, minimum. Even if any agency is willing to sign you on with less than a year's experience--and many are--most hospitals that use travelers are not willing to accept nurses with less than a year's experience as staff.

Travel can be very rewarding if you are well-prepared and like change and challenges. I think you will know if travel is right for you after you've spent some time on the floor as staff, but do give yourself adequate time to feel "comfortable" as a new GN and RN.

Good luck to you in whatever you choose to do!