Travel Nurse Jobs
Travel nurse jobs vary greatly by geographic location, duration, specialty, duties and hours. When ‘the usual’ brings chills and shivers, the variety of work available to a travel nurse in the United States and its territories may be right up your alley.
Basic Qualifications
Any nursing position requires at least a basic nursing license. You start that process by enrolling in either traditional or online courses that will grant you an associate’s degree or higher in a nursing program; the most common undergraduate degree is the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program for which many top online universities provide curricula. Then you must pass the foundation license exam, the National Council Licensure Examination or NCLEX-RN. Individual states and territories may have additional requirements.
Every nurse staffing organization and air ambulance company requires LPN/LVN applicants for travel nurse jobs to have approximately six years of verifiable nursing experience and RNs at least 18 months of work experience. Additional education (such as an online master’s degrees in nursing or nursing administration) or certifications (such as critical care, emergency care, surgery, cardiac care, cardiac surgery, neonatal critical care and more) enhance pay and opportunities beyond the ADN or BSN levels. You can gain work experience and go back to school to obtain additional credits and expertise, such as a Master of Science in Nursing degree or an online PhD.
Those nurses who have additional certifications for specialty medical care can find their employment horizon broadened considerably. Critical care, intensive care, pediatric care, neonatal care, geriatric care, or other condition-related care certificate holders are in high demand. If specific specialty assignments aren’t available in your licensed state, you still have your basic RN license which lets you perform general care.
Travel nurse jobs include providing short-term, long-term, or potentially permanent medical care in hospitals, trauma centers, private practices, nursing homes, home health care organizations, occupational therapy organizations, rehabilitation facilities, mental health centers, surgery centers, and even air ambulance services if properly certified.
You can fill a need for one shift, a season or a year, for example. If you tire of one longer-term assignment and want a change, you simply contact your staffing agency and request a new assignment, You will be notified as soon as one is available.
Most agencies provide either housing or a housing allowance when your job takes you away from your home base. If you have the necessary licenses, you could travel anywhere in the country or to US territories, such as Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico.
Wage and Outlook
Travel nurse jobs pay very well, often above average for equivalent certification and degree level in traditional, stationary positions. A stationary RN with CCRN certification may earn $25.00 per hour, for example. A traveling nurse with identical credentials may earn as high as $28.00 per hour or higher to fill the same position.
Benefits are usually excellent, and the employment outlook for nurses who love to travel are outstanding: Despite budget cuts that reduce some nursing jobs, there is still a nursing shortage, and short-term needs abound with vacation, holiday, sabbatical, illness, or injury coverage. Overall, nursing is projected to present a 22 percent increase in job availability. That percentage is closely matched in travel nurse jobs as well.
