Is 1 year enough experience?

[Valerieanne89]

I have been working in an ortho/renal dept (basically med/surg) since Sept 2011 and have frequently floated to tele. My husband and I would LOVE to do travel nursing starting in October. My question: is 1 year experience enough? I feel very confident with my skills and I know I am a quick learner and adapt well to change I just worry that I might not be able to get a contract with a decent company. I feel like if we don't do this now it won't happen for awhile. I am 22 years old and my husband and I are hoping to start a family in a couple of years. And since he will be doing online school it feels like the perfect time.

Thoughts?

[SwansonRN]

My career aspiration was always to work in critical care. I have gotten advice from a lot of fabulous nurses and they said, "Start off in med/surg and then move on...1 year is more than enough don't get trapped because time moves quickly when you're a nurse." Personally, it takes me about a year just to feel comfortable somewhere, but if you feel confident and want to move on I think you should be fine! I mean, obviously the longer you wait the better it'll look on the resume. Best of luck to you and your husband on your careers and travels!

[Seas]

I think 1 year experience is enough in this case.

[tothepointeLVN, LVN]

You could also try a few registry shifts while your still working where you are so you can still if you like the being thrown in the deep end. Not meant in a bad way of course.

[ukjenn231]

If the experience is enough for you to be successful, I think this depends on you personally. If you feel confident and can adapt quickly, then sure it can be enough. I went traveling with 1.5 years experience. I feel I am able to adapt well and go with the flow. I have been successful in my traveling thus far.

However, it is a lot more difficult to find positions - most companies want two years. I did find an assignment... it was not really what I wanted as far as facility and such, but it was in my preferred location so I went with it and all in all, it was a good experience. It's hard to find that first travel gig in the first place, anyway.