How To Become A Traveling Nurse

If you love being a nurse but hate taking a desk job, you may be considering becoming a traveling nurse.
A traveling nurse is someone who does not stay in one hospital or facility for an extended period of time but instead travels from one to another.
They are able to be deployed across the globe due to licensure and accreditation, the latter of which ensures that they have met all the necessary training and experience requirements allowing them to work in various locations while still maintaining their primary relationship with their home state.
Though this career path is flexible, it’s essential that you do your research before getting started.
How To Become An RN
Before you can treat people as a professional nurses, you will need to complete the necessary steps to become a registered nurse.
This path involves a lot of hard work and dedication, but the rewards are worth the work.
Becoming a nurse begins with nursing school, which is necessary to obtain the proper education and professional nursing certification.
Steps to becoming an RN include an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree, or enrolling in an online RN program.
There are many different paths to becoming a nurse, but they all will require the same steps.
Though this career path is flexible and the job outlook for nurses is really good, it’s essential that you do your research before getting started.
Earning Money As A Traveling Nurse
Nursing salaries can vary depending on the setting in which you work.
Traveling nurses make an average hourly wage of over $20 per hour, but this figure varies from state to state and facility to facility.
The salary you’ll earn depends on a number of factors, including what position you’re in, whether you’re a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse, how much experience you have, the shift you’re working (night shift being better compensated), and the area where you live.
When it comes down to it, however, there are two main factors affecting your earning potential as a traveling nurse: your qualifications and how hard you work for your money.
A nurse with a bachelor’s degree will command a higher salary than one who has only a high school diploma, and traveling nurses who are motivated and work diligently can advance quickly through the ranks, meaning they’re compensated as though they have many more years of experience.
Nursing Accreditation
There are two types of nursing licenses: registered nurse (RN) and licensed practical nurse (LPN).
To become an RN, you’ll need to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from a school accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
This program should prepare you for passing the National Council Licensure Examination-RN (NCLEX-RN) to earn your license.
If you have an LPN license, you can obtain RN licensure by earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
In order to obtain this degree, however, you must have completed at least two years of supervised nursing experience.
What Are The Necessary Skills You Should Have?
When it comes to travel nursing, you need to have a variety of skills.
You’ll need excellent communication skills, for one thing; the ability to explain medical procedures in layman’s terms is essential.
Number two: you’ll need strong computer and technology skills because traveling nurses often have to enter information into an electronic health record (EHR).
Last but not least, you’ll also need to be flexible; at times, your new boss may want you in on the short notice.
So what should you do if your schedule interferes with your family life or other obligations?
Getting a second job as a traveling nurse will help supplement your income when hours are scarce.
You’ll have the opportunity to do this through traveling nursing jobs that give you extra hours as a per diem nurse.
Tips For Finding Traveling Nursing Jobs
One thing that people don’t know is that there are many different ways to find work as a traveling nurse.
The best way to begin your search is by posting your resume on several different job boards.
The catch here: make sure you tailor the content of your resume for each job listing.
Many people invest in a subscription to an online source that provides daily updates about all the best travel nursing jobs in as many locations around the country as possible.
Most travelers say that having more than one resume under their belt can make it easier to land jobs as a traveling nurse.
When applying for positions, make sure that you tailor your cover letter to the hospital or facility’s needs and make sure that your resume offers specific information about your experience in order to get the position.
Traveling As A Specialty Nurse
If you have a specialty nursing qualification such as a BSN, MSN, DNP, or a Ph.D. in nursing and would like to travel but live in a state where you don’t practice your specialty in, there are two main options available to you: further specialization or movement.
Specialization is the practice of one particular field or specialty and can be accomplished by taking extra qualifications and education classes
Movement is much more common as it refers to traveling full-time in an area that you don’t currently live in but that has an open need for specialized services (for example because there are no RNs available locally).
Conclusion
If you love the idea of traveling while still caring for others, then a career as a traveling nurse may be exactly what you’re looking for.
You can also become a certified nursing assistant too or a phlebotomist.
The opportunities are truly endless when it comes to travel nursing, so if you’re looking for a new way to make a living, then you should check into traveling nursing jobs.
When you start out as a traveling nurse, you’ll most likely need some experience under your belt before being able to get the higher-paying positions and bonuses along with them.
So if you want to make it as a traveling nurse, be prepared for the hard work that it takes to stand out from the crowd.