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!

Fastaff is great. But maybe not for a first assignment (the assignment I took with them was significantly more challenging than my first travel assignment ever - but it also paid way better). I used Cross Country for my first assignment then switched to Fastaff and it's been a good transition for me.

Prevention International: No Cervical Cancer pincc.org I highly recommend. They train doctors and nurses to do cervical cancer screenings in developing countries (cervical cancer is the leading cancer killer of women in developing countries). I volunteered with them in Kenya in August/September of 2013. I researched volunteer opportunities for a year before choosing this one, because most volunteer organizations require you to pay your way (as you are probably discovering). I wanted to make sure my money was being spent wisely. I'd also read articles that showed how short term medical missions can sometimes do more harm than good, which was another reason I researched organizations for such a long time. I was impressed before I volunteered with PINCC and even more so after my experience with them. They promote training local staff to do the screenings and make site visits about every 6 months until a site is self sustaining. Check out the website if it sounds interesting. Certainly there are other quality organizations that you can volunteer with, but from personal experience, I'd recommend PINCC as a good option. I am hoping to travel with them to Nicaragua in 2014.

One thing I forgot to add (but I've mentioned it on other threads) I HIGHLY recommend getting your inpatient obstetric nurse certification (RNC-OB credential) and fetal heart monitoring (C-EFM). Really glad I did that before I traveled. :)

My opinion (and I know there are some who might disagree with this): 2 years in a specific specialty, and if possible see if you can get experience (perhaps per diem) in another hospital before you start traveling. I work labor and delivery and have gone from small community hospital (60 deliveries a month) to high risk teaching hospital with lots of residents and attendings on the unit (350+ deliveries a month) and their are varied challenges and responsibilities to each kind of L&D job. I had 2 years L&D experience when I started traveling and I was very glad I had not tried to travel with only a year experience. That being said, you will always be learning new ways of doing things at assignments even if you've been a nurse for 20+ years. Hope that helps.

Also, if you are at the Weiler/Einstein campus, there is no parking structure and you have to park on the street. There IS a staff lot, but the waiting list for a permit there is 20 years (I'm totally serious), so there's no way you're getting access to that. lol

HarleyNrs, I work L&D, not PICU. From talking to other travelers, my guess is, this unit will likely be busier than what you are used to. But, I have mainly talked to LD, ER, and medsurg nurses here. Not PICU. Housing will likely be in a decent hotel, but far away from the hospital (as in maybe 10-15 minutes driving time but 1.5-2 hours via public transportation). I use someone from a car service to take me to work, because to me it's not worth it to rent a car since on my days off I either hang out at the hotel or take the train into Manhattan. But many other travelers here either bring their own cars or rent one. Hope that helps.

When I did orientation there three weeks ago, passing was 80% or higher. You could get one retake if you scored at least 70% the first time. And if you scored below 70%, then you could get sent home. A person in the orientation the month before mine apparently did. That being said, don't freak out. Some of the tests are challenging but if you take your time you should be just fine.

Hi all, Am wondering if anyone knows which travel agencies have contracts in North Carolina? I'm a labor and delivery nurse who is seeking a travel nurse contract in North Carolina. I am dating someone in Fayetteville, but the job does not have to be near there. Just being in the same state as him would be nice considering he is in the military. I have worked with Cross Country before and I know they sometimes have contracts there, but I am trying to explore all my options, through google search, networking with travelers I know, and now this forum. Thanks!

Yes. You're normal. :) I'm at the end of my first assignment and this was me for the first 2 months. Almost same situation as you except I'm mid twenties. No kids, have a supportive boyfriend back home, I travel a lot, AND I work OB . A few weeks before the end of my assignment I suddenly felt connected to coworkers and people here, but it took awhile! And of course now this assignment is almost over, lol. The first couple months were very lonely at times. At the beginning of my assignment I went to a yoga class almost every day on my day off to feel better/destress/and keep my spirits up. Try couchsurfing.org if you are looking for people to meet up with. I didn't use it on this assignment but I've used it while traveling in the past. Hang in there, you sound pretty normal. :) And I feel for ya, because I know the loneliness sucks. I am really looking forward to seeing my family next week. :)

Granadina what's your specialty? Maybe consider Cross Country if you haven't talked to them yet. Yes they're large, but they quickly helped me find a good first assignment in a compact state (even though it meant being in the Phoenix area in the summer, lol).