travel nursing..interesting but how?

ERRNTraveler, RN · May 22, 2008

I am interested doing the travel nursing in the near future but there a lot of questions that's boggling in my mind like license(s)? nursing compact..what is that? how am i going to do that? I have been receiving emails and calls offering me some travel nurse jobs.
I am not a well experienced nurse yet but in time I will gonna be and I am still looking forward to be a travel nurse someday mainly because of the high salary and I want to travel.
Please give some informations about travel travel specifically obtaining multiple licenses (should I really need to get 3-5 or more licenses depending where will be aasignments?)
Thanks,
a.k.a. Rizapride

I see that you are from Washington state- WA is not a compact state, so yes, you would need a new license in each and every state you plan on practicing in. Contact the board of nursing in the state you want to travel to to see what their process is for obtaining a license through endorsement.

You should wait until you have at LEAST 1-2 years of experience in your specialty before considering traveling. As a traveler, you will be expected to function independently after only 1-2 days of orientation.

Check out the various posts on the travel forums, and do your research before choosing a travel company- make sure you have e recruiter you feel comfortable with, and get EVERYTHING in writing...

kitnaw · May 23, 2008

:tku::tku:soo much for the advice. i will take it. i am planning to work at arizona okay for the mean time i will just gonna work at our local hospital.

kentuckyphil · May 23, 2008

I am interested doing the travel nursing in the near future but there a lot of questions that's boggling in my mind like license(s)? nursing compact..what is that? how am i going to do that? I have been receiving emails and calls offering me some travel nurse jobs.

It's a great career but it's crucial to do your homework and NEVER count on a recruiter from an agency to be an unbiased source of knowledge. The best single source is probably the Travelers' Association. I'm not sure posting links is allowed on this forum but you can Google the Professional Association of Nurse Travelers.

Also forums just like this one are great resources - you just need to read and learn a little first. Asking broad questions (Can you tell me all about travel nursing? for instance) is too much for anyone to answer no matter how friendly and helpful we may be. After doing some homework you'll whittle your questions down to a manageable few and find readers of forums like this more than willing to help out.