How Soon to Start?

[BrandNewBabyNurse]

Hi AN friends!

I'm really thinking about starting a travel stint next spring - probably looking at doing 3 assignments between spring 2018 and early 2019. It's such a tough choice because I really love the job I have now (NICU in a large Level IV children's hospital unit) but I just feel like I'm too young to have this job be "it" forever. I totally see myself returning to my current city/job, but I really need to get some adventure in my life. I love traveling, and even though I've read plenty of horror stories about travel nursing, I think (for me) the perks outweigh the downfalls.

My concern is that I have no idea when to really start looking? I'm scared of getting hounded by recruiters for the next 7 months, but I also want to give myself plenty of time because this is all brand new to me. If I want to start my first assignment in April, when should I start really digging into the job search? I have a pretty clear cut idea of what I want (NICU in a city in the PNW) and I'm willing/able to search for a while before the right spot comes up. But how far out do hospitals book contracts?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!!

Thanks!

[NedRN]

These days, perhaps most assignments are ASAP. But it is still possible to get contracts for months in the future. Some hospitals have ongoing needs, and in your field, children's hospital start bulking up in the fall. Since finding good recruiters entails a good bit of work, start now and spread your calls out.

To avoid recruiter calls, do not sign up for any online service. They promise things like one application for all the best agencies, or post your resume and let agencies call you. Once your contact info is out there, it is out there forever.

The agency brand is fairly unimportant for travelers success compared to have a good relationship and communications with recruiters. Like any relationship, this is highly individual, so you need to talk to lots of them to find a few good fits for you. I recommend caller ID blocking, and only giving your number to a recruiter when you are 70% sure you will want to work with them. I once called a few agencies from my parent's home without giving any of them a number, but my parents are still getting calls 10 years later from agencies looking for me from caller ID.

You have a steep learning curve ahead of you, and if you talk to enough agencies, you will soon be able to sort out the BS from the truth and ask the right questions. Some agencies/recruiters will be reluctant to share information about real jobs (you will be interested in how many actual NICU assignments are open and where), and compensation until you do a lot of paperwork. Drop them, not worth wasting your time. They might have a good assignment for you, but the work required to get there is long, and again your contact info is out there. Recruiters that are reluctant to share information may be less than open after you have signed up as well.

Human nature means you will always see more horror stories than success stories. The reality is they are fairly rare so it is unlikely to happen to you. Try to get past the negativity you might read, but still take away any useful lesson. Sometimes you can learn how to avoid a potential problem.

One issue you might have is most NICUs will not give the most acute babies to travelers. No matter how good you look on paper, they don't know or trust you for some time. There are exceptions, one being that sometimes the traveler has more depth than staff and the charge recognizes you are best for a particular baby. Just relax and enjoy easy cases.