ER experience - can I do med surg travel jobs?

[rubyagnes, BSN]

Hi,

I have 2.5 years RN experience in a very busy ER in West Baltimore City + 2 years inpatient psych RN experience at a busy hospital in East Baltimore City. I've been wanting to travel for a while, and was wondering if there are other positions besides ER and psych I may be qualified for... would general med/surg be possible for a nurse with my experience? Ratios in the ER were usually 3:1 sometimes 4:1, I've had multiple intubated patients at the same time + been on the go team throughout the same shift. Ratios on the psych unit have been up to 7:1 but are often 4-5:1 + teaching psychotherapeutic groups and doing rounds with the teams. Anyway, long story short, I feel l've done a lot so far in my nursing career and want to be open to all new travel experiences that are within my skill set.

Thanks in advance!

[Swellz]

But you haven't done med-surg. It's very different than what you do in the ED and in psych, although obviously you will have a lot of skills that overlap. Travelers need to be independent the minute they walk in the door, which is why experience in whatever specialty is desired/required.

With your psych and ER experience, I'm sure you will be able to find plenty of travel positions. Just because it's still in psych and ER doesn't mean it won't be a different experience. Different kinds of hospitals (teaching vs non-teaching, for profit vs not, large vs critical access) in different environments (urban vs suburban vs rural) will all provide you with a wide variety of experiences.