Traveldee

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Hi Maynard44, I found out on the waitlist for Class 167. Fingers crossed. Did you hear anything? Best wishes!

I've done it (extended at an assignment I hated but paid well). It's a balancing act. What are your ultimate goals? I knew I would be traveling internationally for a few months and needed the $$ in the bank. In the end I'm glad I did it, but it was hard. My wine consumption definitely increased after horrible shifts. :)

Are you taking the housing stipend or letting them house you? I was housed in Yonkers when I worked there, and managed to take public transportations some times, but by the time I woke up/walked to the train stop/ etc. it took about 2 hours one way. Ugh. Fortunately, I found some travel nurses who I could catch rides with.

That is so encouraging to hear! Thank you! I'm a labor and delivery travel nurse who has been interested in becoming a CNM through Frontier for years. I'm also very interested in working a year long contract in Saudi Arabia, and have been researching to see whether it'd be possible to work there as an RN during the didactic portion of the program. (I've talked to other travelers in Saudi who are getting their master's while working there but none have gone to Frontier.) Guess I'd just have to coordinate going to Frontier Bound/making sure I'm in the states and what not.

Sometimes I just shake my head at the people who have less than one year of RN experience and think that somehow "they're the exception" to the 1 (preferably 2+) year standard of experience before being able to travel. That requirement is there for a reason! I remember when I graduated nursing school feeling like I'd crammed so much info in my brain, only to discover that there was a HUGE learning curve my first year working as an RN. That's not to say now is too early to start thinking now about travel nursing down the road. I knew I wanted to travel nurse while I was in nursing school and intentionally made career decisions that would help me reach my goals. I was fortunate to get my first job in labor and delivery (a specialty that typically has lots of travel jobs available, worked full time at a hospital for 2.5 years, during that time worked L&D per diem at another facility to see if I had what it took to work in a completely different type of hospital, THEN started travel nursing. And it has overall been a good, challenging experience. There is no way I would have been ready to walk into a unit with no orientation and work as a travel RN as a new grad. If it helps, the first 2.5 years I was a nurse seemed to fly by tho. :)

Thanks guys! I appreciate the great advice.

I've been talking to recruiters from Helen Ziegler and Associates (hziegler dot com). I asked them if they could put me in touch with someone who is working on the unit I'd be working on. They said absolutely, and now I've been in contact with another RN who is currently working in Riyadh, via email and her facebook page. She's gone on some amazing trips during her vacation time, that's for sure! So I would try that route - ask a recruiter to connect you with someone already working there.

Thank you NedRN! As usual your advice is endlessly helpful, and much appreciated by me (and others on here, I'm sure)!

Thanks NedRN. Did you sign a lease usually or no? And how soon did you meet roommates/look at houses prior to your assignment start date? (Sorry for all the questions. This would be my fifth assignment but first time taking the housing stipend, new to this).

NurseRies, NedRN, and anyone else who has put the housing wanted ads on craigslist, did you see the apartment or unit before you agreed to stay there? What is the best way to go about that process of securing housing from craigslist without getting scammed? (Money transaction, lease, etc.) I put a housing wanted post in the Craigslist NYC and within hours already have interest, but I'm clear out on the west coast at the moment and not in the city. Should I wait to secure something until I can fly into the city even if it's last minute? Contract wouldn't start until next month.

The nurses I know who volunteer overseas use their vacation time if they are staff. (There may very well be exceptions to this, I just don't know of any). The majority of nurses I talk to who volunteer for longer are either travel nurses, or retired. I am a travel nurse and so that makes volunteering convenient in between assignments (with careful budgeting, as someone mentioned above).

Has anyone on here found their OWN housing in New York City for a travel assignment? If so, I am interested in hearing about whether you used craigslist, airbnb, etc. I have found great threads on here about travelers finding their own housing, but can't seem to find one that pertains specifically to New York. (Finding housing in NY is a little bit of a nightmare at times). I am considering doing an 8 week contract in the Bronx (have worked there before three times), but want to find my own housing this time. The place my agency houses at is at a hotel in Yonkers, and I'd rather be in Manhattan, even if it means finding a roommate.

Hi all, was just wondering who on here may have gone to grad school for some type of advanced practice nursing degree while they were still travel nursing? One travel nurse I met at my current assignment is doing the didactic part of her NP program through a distance learning university. She travel nurses and does homework on her days off. I know many people work while going through school, but the majority of my friends doing this are in staff positions except for the one RN I mentioned above who is a traveler. Has anyone else gone to grad school while travel nursing? What were your thoughts/experiences, good or bad, about the decision? Thanks!

Fastaff has a contract with Montefiore in the Bronx. Consider contacting them!