Med surg RN seeking to travel, eventually

[RNNell12, BSN]

Hello everyone, thank you for taking the time to read my post! I have been working on a med surg/tele unit for almost a year now in an approximately 200 bed hospital. I am still not fully comfortable in my current role, so I realize I will need more experience and time to build up confidence before I try travel nursing. But I was just curious what my next steps should be. Would I be okay to stay on my current unit until I’m ready to try out traveling as a med surg/tele nurse or do you think I need experience in a larger hospital? I would like to remain at my current hospital as it is a 25 minute drive as opposed to 45-60 minutes from my house to larger hospitals, but I would be willing to make the switch if it seems that type of experience would be necessary in order to be successful traveling. I will be appreciative of any feedback. Thank you!!

[NedRN]

200 bed hospital with a diverse patient population should be OK. If those larger nearby hospitals have agency per diem available, I would suggest doing a few shifts for self assessment of your skills and adaptability to a new working environment. Travelers need both attributes with less orientation than you will get from a per diem job. The per diem work will also help your resume with proven adaptability: many hospitals are reluctant to hire nurses without prior travel for that reason. Travel may seem romantic, but it is not necessarily easy on most assignments.