Travel nursing can be an excellent career choice for nurses with a passion for exploring new places. Want to learn how to become a travel nurse? The steps include earning a BSN, passing the NCLEX, getting professional experience locally and then connecting with a travel nursing agency.
Are you considering a career as a travel nurse? If you are interested in caring for patients and are passionate about exploring new places, travel nursing can be an excellent option. The path to becoming a travel nurse starts with earning your degree.
Averett University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program will help you start your career sooner, allowing you to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) in as few as 16 months.
Our comprehensive curriculum prepares students for success in a variety of nursing specialties and clinical scenarios. Whether you decide to become a travel nurse or choose to remain stationary, Averett’s ABSN will set you on the path.
In this blog, you’ll learn how to become a travel nurse.
What Is a Travel Nurse?
You might have heard conversations about travel nursing a lot lately, especially since the need for travel nurses increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. But how does travel nursing work? Travel nurses are RNs who work short-term at hospitals and healthcare facilities, ranging from a few weeks to a few months.
Employers hire travel nurses to fill nursing positions when they’re short-staffed, such as when the patient census is high, or a nurse is out on maternity leave. In addition, certain specialties have a particularly high demand for travel nurses, such as emergency nursing, critical care nursing and labor and delivery nursing.
Travel nurses secure their positions through travel nursing agencies and can choose from locations across the country. If you have an explorer’s heart and can move frequently, travel nursing may be a perfect fit for you.
What Do Travel Nurses Do?
There is no difference between a travel nurse’s responsibilities and an RN’s. You are both RNs who care for patients. Depending on the specialty and department, you may perform any of the following RN tasks at any moment:
- Conduct patient assessments
- Maintain medical records
- Administer medications
- Monitor patient vital signs
- Carryout patient treatment plans
- Collaborate with other healthcare professionals
Travel Nurse Requirements: Education and Experience
Travel nurses must follow the same educational path as an RN. First, you must earn a nursing degree, either an associate’s degree in nursing or a BSN, to qualify for the licensing exam, the NCLEX. Once you pass the NCLEX, you can obtain your license and register with the state board of nursing.
After gaining a few years of professional experience, you can apply to a travel nurse agency and start your travel nursing career. Below is an in-depth view of the traveling nurse requirements.
1. Complete Nursing School
Enrolling in nursing school is the first step of how to become a travel nurse. While some people choose to earn an associate degree in nursing, a bachelor’s degree is ideal because it offers more opportunities, better job stability and higher pay.
Learn more about the advantages of a BSN for your nursing career.
The Accelerated BSN program at Averett in Norfolk, Virginia, allows students with a non-nursing bachelor’s degree or a minimum of 60 non-nursing college credits to earn their BSN sooner. By leveraging your past college experience, you can jump right into the intensive nursing curriculum of an accelerated program. Averett also offers three start dates per year, in January, May and August, so you won’t have to wait long before starting school.
Getting through accelerated nursing school can be a challenge. The ABSN is a demanding program comprising online classes, skills and simulation labs, and clinical rotations. However, Averett is committed to your success, and our faculty will provide the support and resources you need to achieve your goal of becoming a nurse.
Our online coursework allows you to complete assignments on your own time, provided you meet deadlines. The coursework covers foundational nursing and science concepts on which you will build essential nursing skills in nursing labs.
These labs allow students to practice skills, such as IV placement, on high-fidelity manikins in a simulated setting. Students also participate in simulation labs, where they work as a team with their cohort to navigate mock scenarios. Here, they must identify what is occurring with their manikin patient and work as a team to address it.
These simulation labs allow students to develop their clinical judgment and build their confidence before entering clinical rotations. During clinicals, students are placed in healthcare facilities throughout the Norfolk, VA, area, where they will provide real-world patient care while under close supervision.
Through these three curriculum components, students are prepared to confidently enter the next phase of their nursing journey: passing the NCLEX and earning their nursing license.
Need some tips for how to succeed in nursing school? Follow these 10 pieces of advice from our students.
2. Pass the NCLEX and Get Licensed
After graduating from nursing school, the next step to becoming a travel nurse is earning your license from the board of nursing in the state where you’ll practice. The NCLEX is a challenging exam, and success requires time and dedication.
Thankfully the Averett ABSN program focuses on preparing you for the exam from the first semester. However, you’ll also need to dedicate individual time to studying and answering practice questions leading up to test day.
Once you pass the NCLEX and meet any other requirements for your state, you’ll be eligible to receive your registered nurse (RN) license.
Licensure can be tricky for travel nurses. Fortunately, the Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact (NCL) makes it possible for nurses to work outside of the state they permanently reside in. However, not all states are part of the NLC.
If you wish to take a position in a state outside of the compact, or if you are licensed in a state outside of the compact, then you must apply for licensure in that state before starting the job.
3. Gain Professional Nursing Experience
With your BSN and an RN license in hand, you’ll need to gain some professional nursing experience before applying for a job with a travel nursing agency. Most travel nursing positions prefer at least two years of professional nursing experience in your specialty.
This work experience is one of the most vital travel nurse requirements because in this role, you’ll have brief orientation periods, requiring you need to jump quickly into your new role. Doing this with ease requires you to have strong nursing skills and be well-versed in your specialty.
Nursing school clinicals are your first exposure to caring for real patients. Use these tips to help you succeed in clinicals.
4. Connect with a Travel Nursing Agency
The last step to becoming a travel nurse is researching travel nursing agencies and contacting their agents. The agent will help you throughout the application process and make the process seamless on your end. Additionally, if you stay with the same agency for another travel nursing position later, the process will be even easier the second time around.
As you research agencies, consider their reviews, reputation and benefits package. Do they offer assignments in your preferred specialties? Do they offer housing or housing stipends? Are the stipends comparable to the cost of living? There are many agencies to choose from, so if one does not fit your needs, you’re likely to find one that does.
5. Apply to Travel Nursing Jobs
Once you have found an agency you’re happy with, it’s time to start applying to jobs. As you work with a travel nursing agent to apply for positions, prepare to provide them with your resume and references. You’ll also likely have a phone or video interview with the hiring manager before you are chosen for a travel nursing role.
Is Travel Nursing Hard? The Pros and Cons of the Job
As with any specialty, travel nursing offers both positives and negatives. As you decide whether it’s right for you, think about whether the benefits outweigh the challenge of frequently moving for work.
The advantages of travel nursing include:
- Excellent professional experience for your resume
- Ability to explore many cities and hospitals before settling in one place
- Additional benefits, such as travel and housing stipends, health insurance, 401(k) contributions and education assistance
- Flexible schedule with the ability to take vacations between contracts
Despite its advantages, travel nursing has some disadvantages one must consider before entering the field. Some include:
- Constant travel can make it difficult to establish roots
- Must learn new policies and work culture with each assignment
- Will not always have enough time to connect with colleagues
Do Travel Nurses Make Good Money?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not collect data specifically for travel nurses; however, nurses earn a competitive salary. According to the BLS, nurses had a median salary of $86,070, much higher than the national average for all occupations. Because healthcare facilities want to attract applicants to their travel nurse assignments, they often make pay competitive.
Begin Your Nursing Journey at Averett
As you prepare for a career as a nurse, Averett University’s ABSN program can help you begin. Our program offers three start dates per year, allowing you to begin school sooner. If you have a prior non-nursing bachelor’s degree or a minimum of 60 non-nursing college credits, you’re well on your way to making a fast transition to nursing through our accelerated program.
The ABSN program will equip you to be a well-rounded and skilled nurse through our online courses, onsite labs, and clinicals. By the end of it, you’ll be ready to sit for the NCLEX exam. Then you’ll be onto pursuing the nursing specialty of your dreams, whether that’s travel nursing or something else.
To learn more about the ABSN program at Averett and see if you’re eligible, contact our admissions advisors today by filling out our online form.