College try in travel Cath lab

[owen1234]

Hello,

I am a Cath lab nurse of 3.5 years with a background experience in the cvicu and CVOR. I’ve worked in two different Cath labs: one of them being a EP, Cath, and IR without neuro lab; while the current lab is strictly cardiac caths and peds.

I was planning on traveling internationally in October but thanks to covid, it’s no longer happening. My current full time job will not allow me to cancel my vacation of 2.5 weeks. I have gotten too involved in politics and I’m starting to hate my current job. Would it be crazy to do a Cath lab assignment near by during those two weeks to see if I can make it as a travel Cath lab nurse? If I travel and it goes well, I’ll put in my notice in my other job. If the travel gig blows up in my face, I can just finish my vacation and continue working as if nothing happened.

thoughts?

Thank you for your input!!

[NedRN]

Two week assignments are rare and you wouldn't want one anyway for your first experience. Instead, see if you can find a hospital nearby that will hire you for per diem without a lot of required shifts. You will do fine as a cath lab travel nurse, but at least doing per diem will give you a taste of a different culture and give you confidence.

I'm OR, and I did that before traveling because I had no idea if my skills would translate to other hospitals (only ever had one staff job). Travel was easier back then with paper charting and much less bureaucracy (no fingerprinting for example).