Experience before Travel Nursing?

Nurses General Nursing

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I eventually want to be a traveling nurse. Some agencies say that you can travel with as little as 10 months experience, however I do not feel like that is enough experience. I know that a lot of travel nurse jobs do not get a lot of training so you pretty much have to know feel comfortable just being thrown in somewhere. My question is what is the right amount of experience to start travel nursing or when do most nurses feel like they were comfortable to start traveling?

Specializes in ED, Cardiac-step down, tele, med surg.

Probably at least 2 years in the specialty you're traveling in. I've never traveled but most travelers I've spoken with said 2 years will give you a solid foundation and skill set. Travelers are usually very proficient nurses and serve as valuable resources. I know in our ED our travelers are some of our best nurses. To be a successful traveler, it seems like the bar is pretty high. With that said, people learn by doing and experience.

I knew a nurse who got a travel assignment after working in the ED for 6 months (she was a NICU nurse before). She took a travel job in a busy ED that would accept any nurse with a pulse but she learned a lot and was successful. They valued her help and taught her a lot of skills that made her a better nurse.

So, I suppose some people could do it with 10 months in the right facility with the right staff.

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