Travel nursing after gap in hospital experience - doable?

[hakunamatata, BSN, RN]

Hi all, I've been a nurse for almost 4 years now and started my career at a major Level I trauma/teaching hospital doing acute med-surg, that was back in 2012-2013. I then worked at a free clinic doing mainly clinical trial management and routine primary care for a year, and then worked again at a major hospital on a surgical oncology floor (with a lot of general acute med-surg overflow) for 6 months. That makes a cumulative 1.5 years doing general med-surg nursing - learned a lot, but last time I was in a hospital and using skills was December 2014. I am currently doing home hospice, and while it's definitely great and fitting for my personality, my company is about to close up shop. And I am ready to roam again soon, not get another FT nursing gig in the town I'm in.

Looking into travel as the 'gypsy lifestyle' is already my thing, and I've been considering it since before becoming a nurse. I've talked to a few recruiters, some seem to think that they can get me an assignment with this gap, others are iffy. I'm of course more curious from a personal standpoint what I could handle, and if I need to consider staying in town and getting back into a hospital setting (I obviously would rather just go, and there's not a ton of options where I am). I am not concerned about my inter- or intra-personal fears and skills that come with traveling, but am hesitant on the technical skills and giving the best care to these patients right off the bat.

Appreciate any thoughts and your time.

[NedRN]

What about hospice travel?

Not having competitive experience may mean you have to take a cruddy first medsurg assignment. But if you survive, you should be OK going forward with proven travel experience. You may be more competitive than you think for oncology positions, especially if you are chemo certified.

All of your experience is basically entry level nursing. So one other thing to consider is to interview at teaching hospitals across the country in cities or areas you find exciting to upgrade your specialty (if there is a specialty you would find rewarding professionally). That is like an extended travel assignment, and two years later you can start doing shorter assignments.