Haven't worked in 1 1/2 years but would like to travel. Questions on how to do that.

[Shinnichi, ADN, RN]

(I tried asking on reddit but I haven't gotten any replies so I figured I'd try here.)

Hi all,

I've got 3 1/2 years experience med-surg (and I guess it was a med/tele floor? Several pts were on tele monitored by techs), including 1 year charging nights. I also have 6 months ortho, but that was a PRN job. However, I quit working in July 2020 d/t to pregnancy and the uncertainty of COVID and I haven't worked since. I'd like to travel to help pay off debt, but I have questions.

- Anyone have any experience with being out of work for awhile and then being able to be hired for contracts?

- My compact license app is pending, currently I only have an Alabama license. Since I'm waiting on that, would getting my titers drawn, tb test, etc, be helpful? I'm also getting my BLS renewed.

- Does anyone have experience working away from their small child? I have 2 kids, but one is 13 so that's not as much of an issue, but the other is currently 16 months and I've been his primary caregiver.

[Guest1030824]

I am in the same situation. I have reached out to recruiters and agencies and they all told me to get at least 6 months to a year of floor nursing so that I can travel. 

[NedRN]

The issue is "recent" experience. Pretty sure there is a JC standard required of JC certified agencies as no matter how critical the need, they routinely turn down otherwise qualified travelers. So you may be stuck with getting a staff job first. Consider it a travel assignment and not permanent!

No to getting physical clearance now until you have the recent experience done. But be sure to get copies of your intake physical, in particular titers as they never expire. Since you will have health benefits as a staff nurse, get a script for all the titers you could need, and get a nice clean lab printout without cluttering them up with basic blood work. TB clearance is only good for one year.

ACLS would be an asset on your credentials list, and may be required in many tele environments. Also, a California license is a good thing to have as they consistently have high paying assignments. Yes, housing costs are also higher, but you can still come out ahead with good selection. Worth applying now as it can take a while (not a compact state). I wouldn't bother with pre-applying to NY or NJ without an interest in working in those also often high paying states. But those states can take a while too and both have disadvantages to work there. While I find those states interesting, in 25 years of travel, I've never bothered.