Switching Specialties as a Traveler

NedRN · Feb 17, 2014

Your best bet is to call teaching hospitals nationwide until you find one with an appropriate internship. I would expect you to have to sign a two year contract. You might try posting a query in the ICU or ED forum, posters there may know if their hospital is offering internships to external candidates and that might save a lot of phone calls.

There is a consortium of teaching hospitals (not all belonged) and when I graduated in 1992 I had a large book of their hospitals and contact numbers they published specifically for recruiting. I called just about every one and took a trip across the country until I found one willing to hire me. It was a difficult time then too as the country had just gone through a recession. I doubt you will find such a book, but a bit of Googling may find the consortium and a resource page. That will also make calling hospitals easier.

The bigger the hospital, and the longer the internship, the better. I found a hospital in Chicago on my trip with an 18 month ICU internship with rotations through something like 17 ICUs. I really wanted it! But didn't get hired. If you find a smaller "non-teaching" hospital with an internship, you will still be better off than with no training in your desired specialty. But if possible, go big. Your resume will look better, and the training will be superior. It is much easier to go traveling to a smaller hospital than go big after training small generally speaking.

trackhead, APRN · Feb 18, 2014

I'm doing the same, 14 years Er experience, 3 years ICU experience that is ten years old. I'm in California on an ER assignment and just took a staff ICU per diem job that will be full time after my contract ends. I'm going to just hang for a year or so to get current in ICU again, then start ICU travel.

AppleRN4 · Feb 21, 2014

If you're traveling in California, a lot RN's here are unionized, it's often difficult to break into the system as a newbie. For example, getting hired into California Kaiser Hospitals in my experience is like trying to break into Fort Knox. With that said, if you're currently traveling in a hospital you like (you already have one foot in), apply for a Med-Surg position there. Since your current Med Surg unit already know you and your work ethic as a traveler, you'll most likely be hired if they like you. Once you're "IN" the hospital, you're now a unionized RN as well and can receive the perks associated with being a union member. From there, you can freely advance to the ED or wherever you'd like to work.

My experience is that if you're a good travel RN and well liked in your unit, they'd gladly hire you. Apply to work in your unit & use them as a stepping stone for where you'd like to be. I've know a lot of travel RN's to break into a hospital system this way (union or not).....myself included. :) Good Luck!

sweetgurly25 · Mar 1, 2014

thanks for the input

ASHRN828 · Mar 2, 2014

If there is ANYWAY you can, once you get your feet wet in the ICU, I would highly encourage you to try to do an ICU float pool, if at all possible. There is major money in NTICU, CVICU, CICU. You would be so highly skilled all the companies would be fighting over you!