TRAVELBLOG.TRAVELNURSECOMMUNITY.COM: Travel Nursing 101

Travel Nursing 101

Travel Nursing as a Career option for Nurses came about in the 1980's in response to seasonal needs in places where the populations increased during certain times of the year such as Florida and California where snowbirds swelled the populations with heavy users of hospital resources. Soon however, the Nursing shortage created opportunities for Travel Nurses all over the country, and an industry was born.

Travel Nursing, and Travel Nurses, have changed a lot over the years, and keeping up with the industry and staying competitive takes a little work. You need to network with other Travel Nurses, research companies and hospitals, and stay informed about trends in benefits and pay. Travel Nurses are an independent lot, they have to be. Starting a new job 3 or 4 times a year in a new town, or state and hitting the ground running with a minimum of orientation takes a little confidence, and a sense of adventure. But it is both financially and professionally rewarding in every sense of the words.

Travel Nurses make more money, and that's why the vast majority enter this career path. Travel Nurses get to see the country from coast to coast and everywhere in between. Travel Nurses get to spend more of their time doing what they love at work, and are less involved in the politics of hospitals and individual units. For some nurses, Traveling is the answer to burnout while for others, it's the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to travel. Regardless of what makes you decide to hit the road, there are some things you need to do first.

#1    First and foremost is to get some experience under your belt. Travel Nurse Companies and hospitals that contract for Travel Nurses require a minimum of one year of experience in your specialty area. Many require two years of experience. It's important that you already be comfortable in your basic nursing skills prior to taking a job as a Travel Nurse. Hospitals are looking for Travel Nurses to fill in where they have staffing needs in the short term and are not going to offer training. There is a minimum orientation, and you are expected to be able to hit the floor with very little need of assistance. If financial reasons dominate your desire to travel, get some experience in ER, ICU, OR, or other critical care area. Positions in these areas pay better.

#2   Find other Travel Nurses, either where you work or online, and start building your network. Travel Nurses themselves will be your best source of information. Travel Nursing companies are great at their job, which is to find you, hire you, get you to a position, house you while you are there, and then do this over and over again. What they aren't good at is providing comparison shopping. Unfortunately there isn't a sale catalog available for Travel Nursing positions where you can find what hospital has a need, and which company pays the best to get you there. Other Travel Nurses can help you stay away from companies with bad reputations, and there are some, as well as point you in the right direction to find the companies that offer the benefits that are important to you!

#3 Get your paper work in order. This can be a daunting task. I guarantee you that you will be tired of looking at paper by the time you submit yourself to two or three Travel Nursing Companies. Most Travel Nursing companies are JCAHO certified now, which means - you guessed it - more paperwork! Here's a basic list of what you're going to need.
    -Copies of every card in your wallet or billfold! (Nursing, CPR, ACLS, ENPC,   TNCC, PALS, NALS) you'll need to keep these up to date and on you everywhere you go.

    -A good, easy to read list of all your work experience. Include specifically any computer charting software that you are familiar with! Nurse managers love to get candidates that are familiar with their charting systems, it gives you a edge up on the competition. Include any charge or leadership experience that you have, and don't leave out any special recognition that you may have received at your work place. This is your chance to shine, don't embellish, but don't sell yourself short either.

    -Medical records. You're going to need an up to date statement of health (you can download one from almost any Travel Nursing companies website). You'll also need shot records for your Hepatitis, MMR, Varicella etc. You need a recent TB test.

    I highly recommend that you get a sturdy filing folder to keep all your records in and take them with you on every assignment. There is nothing as frustrating is reaching your Travel assignment, only to discover that they lost your immunization record and you can't start work without it. Don't rely on your recruiter to keep track of these things, it only wastes time trying to contact them and get it faxed to who and where you need it to be. Have it all with you.

Now, you have your experience, your resume, and your paperwork together! What do you do next. Well, there are several things to do first. Think about where you want to go in general. Don't get your heart set one city, that limits you and makes you vulnerable to a low ball financial package. Start talking to your newly formed network of travel nurses! Find out who's been to the area, where they worked, what companies they worked for. Travel Nurses are your best source of unbiased information. There are many forums where you can network with other Travel Nurses. (Look under the Resources tab above at Nursing Forums).

Then, start contacting Travel Nursing companies that interest you. You can let another Travel Nurse refer you to a Travel Nursing company, or you can hit the forums again, only this time you want to read the recruiting boards (check out the resources above). Many Travel Nursing recruiters use these boards to post their open Travel assignments.

This next part can be frustrating. When you contact a Travel Nursing recruiter, they are going to want ALL your paper work, PLUS they will have a skills checklist that is specific for not only your specialty but for their company. Fill it out and get it back to them. Getting all this information from you is their job, and since you already had it all together, it's no problem.

Now comes the hard part, the part no one really likes. Negotiating a pay and benefit package. If you think that all companies pay about the same, you couldn't be more wrong. I am currently working with a group of Travel Nurses, and the range of pay is from $26 to $44 an hour. That's a big difference. Of course, the benefits you need will have a lot to do with your pay package, but even with all things being equal in benefits, there is still a huge difference in pay rates from one company to the next. This is where your network of Travel Nurses can help you. Believe me, it is no fun to be a new Travel Nurse and get to your first assignment only to find out that you're making $10 an hour less than every other Travel Nurse there.

You need to have a basic understanding of bill rates, or what the hospital is paying your company for your services as a Travel Nurse per hour. The bill rate, less your pay and benefits package and the costs they incur by placing you, is what the Travel Nursing company makes off you. They need to make a profit as well, and they want to make as much as possible. If it was you, would your first offer be the top dollar amount you could offer and still make a profit? No. In most cases, it wouldn't, and neither is theirs.

What I do suggest to you is to speak with other Travel Nurses about what I call "Industry standard rock bottom pay". This is the hourly rate that no Travel Nurse who has any experience will go below. You're not going to find this out from Travel Nursing companies. Hit the forums and ask other Travel Nurses. I have my own number in my head when I'm talking to recruiters and you should to. Remember that how much experience you have, what shift you are willing to work, where you are going to be, all have an effect on the pay at any given assignment. If you're going somewhere that everyone wants to go, then supply and demand says, your rate is going down. Likewise, head someplace remote and less desirable by others, and your pay rate should go up.

If you get nothing else from having read through this article, I hope it is how important it is to talk with other Travel Nurses. Personally, I wish that every new Traveler would find an experienced Travel Nurse to mentor them. Taking that ridiculously low pay rate because you didn't know any better is a costly mistake and believe it or not, it hurts all Travel Nurses. So start building your network of Travel Nurses now. They will be invaluable to you later in your career and keep you up to date on new positions, new companies, new assignment ideas and even end up being Travel Nursing buddies, which makes any assignment more fun!