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Discussion

Looking to travel

I am currently a nursing student at a community college in Colorado and I am interested in Treaveling. I want to start as soon as I graduate but I have seen that I need one year of experience. I currently work as a CNA at a hospital and have for almost 2years. Does anyone have advice or information on traveling as a new grad?

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As far as I know, you will not be able to get on with a company without some experience. A new grad does not have the skill set to walk into a new hospital and be able to pick up and go. Orientation, if any, is usually directed at more of the administrative stuff, not nursing skills. You will not always know the specific hospital protocols and so will have to rely on good clinical judgement, sound practice, accepted methods, and most importantly experience. Sorry, but a new grad will not be able to demonstrate those things.

My company asks for a work skills list ie, pulmonary catheters: 1. I am very experienced and would be able to teach/precept someone about them. or 2. I am comfortable with them or 3. I have a little experience but would need resourcing/help available or 4. I have no experience with them. It will be very hard to justify hiring someone who has a skill set of 3s or 4s. What would you have to offer a hospital that needs help when they are short staffed?

I like travelling, but you have to be very self reliant. By all means pursue it if you want..after you gain some experience.

  • Expert

There is a lot of discussion about this topic elsewhere on this forum. Although there are agencies that will sign you up with as little as six months experience, that doesn't mean it's a good idea, or that you'll be competitive for contracts. Many of the hospitals will only take people with two, three, or more years experience in their specialty. They are paying big bucks for a traveler, and, for that amount of $$$, they are expecting to get a seasoned, experienced pro who is ready to "hit the ground running" and do the job independently with minimal orientation and assistance. Also, you need to be savvy enough about nursing in general to be able to protect your own interests and license, because you can't expect the agency to do it, and that takes a fair amount of time/experience, also. Agencies will happily put you in a bad situation if it suits their interests, because if you crash and burn they have plenty of other warm bodies, but you only have you.

You need the experience. Seriously. You would probably die if you went straight into travel nursing with no experience. Ive had 4 years exp and it was tough as it was for my first contract. The tough part is learning where things are, the policies specific to that site, and how they do things, and the charting. you NEED to have a solid skill set, and nursing background to be able to hit the floor with 1 day of orientation only. So you just need to put in your time before you can set out.

Great advice on this thread.

  • Author

Thank you all for your imput and I think you are right in getting some experience it will be easier and safer for me to travel after a couple of years.

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