What Is Travel Nursing?
Nurses are extremely important to hospitals, doctors, and most importantly, patients. Without proper nursing staff, patients do not receive the care they need. The entire workflow process falters when there are not enough nurses to perform the necessary functions. Patients wait longer for services and their families are not given adequate information. This puts a great strain not only on the people needing care but also on the nurses providing the care. This is when the unique position of the travel nurse helps to improve the outcome for everyone.
Doing the job of a nurse day after day in the same role with the same facility can become challenging. You know the saying, “Same thing, different day.” The job that they love doing becomes stressful and it is easy to become “burned out” from the job. This leads to nurses making difficult decisions about leaving their positions and moving on to something else. What alternatives do they have to keep their stress level under control and continue doing the job they love? Travel nursing may be the perfect solution for finding that balance.
There are Requirements for the Job
Like any position, some requirements must be met to become eligible for a position in travel nursing. Most travel nursing positions require you to be a registered nurse (RN) and have some relevant clinical working experience. You may also be required to have a license for the state you plan on working in. The experience requirements will vary for each assignment, but generally having at least one year of working in a specialty clinical setting will allow you to meet the requirements for the job.
The Main Roots of Nursing Remain Grounded
The overall responsibilities of the nursing roles are fairly standard across all major facilities. Physical exams, gathering patient histories, patient education, medication administration, collaborating with other caregivers, and critical thinking/problem-solving skills will continue to be your daily tasks. You will likely find slight differences in the specific workflows of getting the job done but the basics will remain the same. The documentation process will vary between each facility as different Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems will likely be used to review patient information and to document your notes but again, the basic requirements of documentation will be similar.
Flexibility in Length of Contract
One of the best things about the travel nurse role is that you have the flexibility to choose how long you want for an assignment. While the average contract is approximately 13 weeks, there are plenty of opportunities for shorter or longer work periods. This allows you to be in control of when you want to work and for how long. You can alleviate the risk of burning out by taking short breaks between assignments or moving from one facility to another. This change of scenery, so to speak, can be stimulating to your brain and your mental health. Shorter contracts are great for those looking to explore the country a bit and build on their resume. Nurses that prefer building longer relationships with other staff and patients may choose to stay in one location for a little longer. Having a longer engagement allows you to spend more time in a particular geographic area and get to know the people who work and live there. Working as a travel nurse allows you to take on jobs that suit your needs and you can always adjust if your needs change.
Choose Where You Want to Work
This may be the best perk of the travel nurse role. If you have a place that you would love to live in for even a short period, this job will allow you to do just that. You can take on a contract and use that time to fully engulf yourself in the local culture. You may want to learn more about living in a large city like New York City, a small rural hospital in Alaska, or maybe both! You are totally in the driver’s seat and your work does not tie you to one physical location.
Build Your Resume
Having a wide variety of work experience on your resume puts you in the best position to move into a different role in the future. Imagine how your resume will appear to a potential employer when it contains several hospitals, varied geography, and knowledge of different documentation systems. Your resume will definitely stand out for supervisory or management jobs. Outside of nursing, there are other careers that the travel nurse job could set you up for like consulting for software companies or the pharmaceutical industry.
Staffing Agencies Will Guide You
There are many benefits of the travel nurse role. There are also so many things you need to know to start working in the field. You first have to find the places that are hiring and then you need to work through the contract negotiations. When you work with a staffing firm, they do all of this work for you, allowing you to keep your stress low. You will just need to show up at your designated facility and fulfill your daily responsibilities. Staffing firms will work to match up the specialty experience you have with a client who is looking to fill a position. They will guide you through the contract specifics and negotiate any terms and conditions. An agency like Trek Healthcare Staffing will keep you informed and lined up with as much or little work as you would like.
Trek Healthcare Staffing is here to get you started with your future travel nurse career. Contact us to explore which positions may work best for you.
