Is 63 too old to start traveling?

[getoutnride, BSN, RN]

I made a career change from engineering to nursing. I would like to get into travel nursing beginning in 2021. By that time I will have two years experience on a busy Med Tele floor at a level 1 trauma hospital. I have my ACLS and plan to have med-surg certification prior to applying for a travel position. I am a male (not that that should matter), I am physically fit riding my bicycle over 100 miles each week and getting to the gym a couple of times a week.

I want to travel because during my time as a field service engineer and director of technical services in my previous career I traveled extensively and enjoyed it. I also think it would be a great way to check out places that I am considering retiring.

I would appreciate comments from experienced travelers if they believe I am tilting at windmills and suggestions on what professional organizations or other certifications I should pursue over the next year to help me land a job.

[NedRN]

You are doing everything right (and no). Tele experience is super important for a medsurg traveler so get that.

If possible, aim for 6 months of intermediate care (called different things in different hospitals). That will give you a competitive advantage over other medsurg travelers with just two years staff experience, and may even allow you ultimately to have those assignments available to you as well if interested (a few more bucks an hour if that matters).

Don't overthink it - I know engineers can't help themselves! My advice is for a long career, and that may not interest you. But the experience I suggest may help in getting the locations you want.

[CeciBean, ASN, RN]

Heck no! I started traveling about that time, and I found that most travelers are either in that age group or quite young and without strings. Some of the older ones traveled alone, maybe were widowed or divorced, others with retired spouses. I had just separated from my husband when I started traveling, and I loved traveling. It was something new all the time. I found my niche in tele/stepdown and intermediate care, although I had worked ICU in smaller hospitals previously and then on a busy cardiac medical floor in a Top 100 heart hospital. You will find that you learn something new in every place, and most likely will be able to teach something also. I was pretty good at starting IVs, and in some of the places I went, they had IV teams up until 11 pm but the night shift nurses were not always real good at sticking so I got a reputation as a pretty good sticker and was usually in demand for that. You may find you have a skill that's in demand somewhere.