Navigate the first steps to travel nursing with me.
Oh ladies and gents, the time has come ya’llll!!!! I have officially almost hit my 1.5 yr mark as a registered nurse and am transitioning into the world of travel nursing this summer! I am beyond excited and want to take anyone interested along for the ride. As we all know I am extremely type “A” and will be documenting the steps, the pros, cons, and everything I learn about the process along the way. So what’s the first step?
I will always take personal recs over the internet. For me the first steps were figuring out my time line and credentials. Before even researching or contacting travel agencies you have to sit down and lay out the basics of your experience and what you have to offer as a nurse. I personally will have 1.5 years of experience at a trauma 1 magnet hospital in a cardiac step down unit. I have my BLS and ACLS certifications and they are up to date and that my resume is current.
Next step was deciding my must haves / stipulations and then my “wishlist”. My must haves for a contract include: 36 guaranteed hours, hospital must give me a two week notice of contract termination OR pay me out the full contract time span, and a block schedule (3 in a row) also I will be asking my contract terminates effective immediately if the nurses at that hospital go on strike.
My wishlist: “_____” or more gross pay weekly, the days I want off for any possible vacations (inform them prior and place in the contract) reimbursement for scrubs, travel expenses, and any certifications or licensure changes I may need.
The next step once you have those lists finalized is to figure out where you want to work! Pick a couple locations to give to your recruiter for when the time comes.
The next step is finding a recruiter! Now, personally like I said before whole heartedly believe in finding recruiters and agencies through other nurses who you like and trust as professionals and individuals over using the internet. After asking around, social media and plain old googling has led me to these conclusions: Triage, Trusted, Aya, Atlas, Axis, Summit agencies. The app Vivian is also a helpful resource as it’s a app that allows you to browse travel nursing jobs instead of having to go through all the agencies (like tinder for jobs). Finding a good recruiter is ESSENTIAL as they are your core advocate. They will be your “person” for the entire journey. Make sure you form a good relationship with them and trust them to do everything in your best interest.
These are the first foundational steps to getting into the world of travel nursing. I would personally recommend getting the ball rolling here at least 2 months in advance to when you want to take your first contract to allow for ample time to plan and pick a contract that feels safe and suitable for you as a nurse.
