Travel nursing has become such an interesting and tempting career path to many nurses and nursing students. However, there is a lot to know. That is why we created this travel nursing 101 to teach you about travel nursing.
Travel Nursing 101
In order to become a travel nurse at Host Healthcare, one must graduate with a nursing degree, and then get one year of regular experience under their belt (some require one, while others require two). However, the more experience you have, the more appealing you look to hospitals that staff travel nurses. Also, be wary if an agency tells you they can get you an assignment right out of school- it might mean they are misrepresenting your prospects and/or cutting corners.
Here are a few words of advice from a seasoned travel nurse from the site “Travel Nursing Blogs:”
“You are required to be a very independent practitioner when you are on the road and must have a comfort level being the person in charge. You simply must be a patient advocate and be able to rely on good nursing skills to push for appropriate care. It is a huge responsibility and I say this not to scare you away from travel, but to make sure that you possess the skills to keep you, and your patients, safe while they are in your care. In other words, even if we do drop back to only requiring a year of experience to travel, do not hit the road until you are certain you are ready for the responsibility. You MUST be ready to go out into the world before taking a travel assignment.”
“With cell phone receptions these days, you are likely never more than the press of a button in speaking with family and friends. Last week I actually Skyped with a friend 2000 miles away (via smartphone) while on a break from four-wheeling in the sand dunes just outside of Phoenix.”
“If you don’t have a Kindle, you can download free programs or apps to read it from any computer, tablet, or smartphone. One more piece of advice I can give is to specialize early. Meaning, once you get out of nursing school, figure out in what type of specialty you want to practice. Then work on getting into that area right away if you can (specialties like critical care may not be available to new-grads where you live). Also, get proficient on all your skills like IV starts, Foley and NG insertions, and assessment skills.”
Host Healthcare Travel Nurse
Host Healthcare will reimburse you with any out of state license that you do receive. You must, however, accept a job with us in that state, which is the easy part. We recommend applying to get licenses for a few of your most desirable states. This allows you to become more marketable to Host Healthcare as well as yourself. We also will reimburse for any arrival and ending travel costs.
In conclusion, we hope this helped you when choosing the right travel nurse company. Host Healthcare offers many travel nurse benefits. Benefits include: competitive pay, deluxe housing, and a 401K. The choice is yours. Browse through our extensive list of travel nurse jobs or call one of our friendly travel nurse recruiters at (800) 585-1299. We are here to help you to get started.
