Interested in travel nursing. need advice

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Specializes in ER , telemetry.

Hi all. Im new to this. I have always wanted to do travel nursing but never did. i ended saying where i was for 12 years. Now i would like to venture and finally try it out. any pointers? what companies are good? how do you get around once you're at your travel assignment? rental car? etc

i am interested in hawaii, california and colorado.

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Hello Wanderlust. I have traveled to Hawaii and Arizona. The key is getting your first offer and then ... the sky's the limit!

I won't mention specific agencies on an open forum, but feel free to PM me.

Shop around with at least three for pay and benefits comparison. Choose the recruiter you work with carefully.. some are more knowledgeable than others, which effects YOU greatly.

Some states are a snap to get a license, others can take weeks. Your agency should reimburse you for all those fees, your travel expense, your apartment , and all or some of your rental car costs. I had very nice condos to live in . Make sure your return flight home is paid!!!!

You will be interviewed by the facility on the phone, so brush up on that technique. Your temp position will give you minimal training...Usually a brief hospital orientation , then 3 days on the unit... and you are expected to function at the same level as any staff nurse on site.

Good luck, aloha, bon voyage....

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Specializes in ER , telemetry.

hi been there,done that!

after reading, it seems that completing the 1st assignment is key. i live in NJ and wondered if it would be at an advantage to take a "travel job" here as my 1st.

how long does it take for agency to reimburse you the fees, travel expenses. is it usually in a good time frame?

i wanted to go to hawaii or colorado or out west but worried how i'd get around. what did you do. where is your home state?

i've worked for an agency in the past so i am aware of how fast they orient but it has been several years since i did that. i would just be concerned with computer/documentation orientation. these days it is so important to make sure that your documentation is straight.

thank you again for responding :)

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With 12 years of experience, that first assignment should be fairly easy. First time travel assignment in your area is a great idea... usually has to be 50 miles from your home to qualify. I'm in Michigan .

What is your specialty?

Depending on your agency, the rental car is party of fully compensated. Hawaii was a little different, some nurses just buy a beater to use while they need it and sell it when they leave, they call it island cars.

Reimbursement was about 2 weeks after they received the receipts, or first paycheck.

Yes, electronic documentation is probably the most challenging part of agency/travel. I got just enough training to learn the basics and it was learn as you go. I managed to learn my first EHR on my first travel assignment, so it's doable.

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Specializes in ER , telemetry.

My specialty is ER for 5 years and tele 7 years before that.

a beater car huh? i hear you need a car in hawaii for sure.

did you island hop when you were there?

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Er is a prized specialty in travel , as well as tele. I wouldn't worry about a car. I just rented one and wrote it off.

Buying and reselling a beater would be cheaper.. and is done all the time on the islands.

Didn't hop.. no ferries any more ..and the flights are outrageous.

See my other post here...

The housing is up to the agency. The pay is reflected by the rate the facility is willing to pay.

Don't let an agency give you the song and dance that it it "such a desirable area to travel to".

I made $42/ hour.. earned sick and personal time and lived in a condo in Waikiki.

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Specializes in ER , telemetry.

Been there, done that.

how can i write you w/o being on open forum?

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Specializes in ER , telemetry.

yes i did tele 7 years then wanted to do travel nursing. i then realized that i would be more marketable if i did ER. I now have 5 years under my belt. so its good to hear what u just said.

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Specializes in NICU.

Hey WanderlustGoddess, I am a NICU nurse from NJ(south jersey) and getting ready to travel. The places that you are interested in are at the top my hit list as well!! Are you still looking into traveling? If so, we should totally buddy up!

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Specializes in ICU.

Hey Delianelson, I'm an ICU nurse from SC. Just got my first job in Oregon about 20 miles from CA border. I found it difficult to get my first assignment but Oregon is looking for nurses bad right now. The assignment is 10 weeks March 21- May 29th. If you are interested in buddying up let me know! It's my first assignment. Then want to go some place warm like Hawaii or Virgin Islands.

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When I did my travel several years ago they offered a rental car and it didn't change my pay rate. I think the key is talking to several companies before settling on one. Find a recruiter that calls you back right away and you can trust. You have a good specialty with experience so you should have no trouble finding what you want! Don't settle.

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