Few professions are as interesting and rewarding as nursing. Pair that with Travel and you have the ultimate combination.  But how do you become a travel nurse?

Everybody enjoys the sensation of helping our fellow humans, and while nurses are sometimes the unsung heroes of the healthcare profession, anybody who has ever had a prolonged stay in hospital will be fully aware of just how essential these selfless and dedicated individuals are to the running of a medical facility.

No two days – or indeed, two hours – as a nurse are ever the same, but this role can become even more interesting should you decide to train as a travel nurse. What’s that, and how do you do so? Read on to find out.

What is a Travel Nurse?

As the name suggests, a Travel Nurse is a healthcare worker who is stationed at a variety of different hospitals or clinics, as opposed to remaining permanently assigned to one particular location on a fixed shift pattern.

Usually drafted in to assist a healthcare establishment that is struggling for staff or experiencing particularly high demand, you'll usually have a selection of cities - or maybe even countries - that you'd like to work in.

More often than not your family will also be invited to join you on this new adventure, so this is not only a career path for the young and unattached.

How Long Do Vacancies Last?​

Travel Nurse vacancies typically last for around thirteen weeks (although the position can last up to twice as long, depending on the staffing needs of the employer) before being reassigned to a new territory, so if you have a thirst for adventure and a desire to see the world this is the perfect role for you.

Travel Nursing could also be a perfect opportunity for professional nurses and their families to experience life in different cities and decide where they would like to settle - there is nothing to stop a qualified Travel Nurse from deciding they would like to remain in a particular location and switch their career path into that of a conventional, contracted nurse at one establishment.

Why Should I Become a Travel Nurse?

In a word, freedom – few careers in any professional offer quite as much flexibility as that of a Travel Nurse.

For anybody that had spent a great many years training and learning their trade, in addition to the expenses and lifestyle sacrifices that come with this, it's a great opportunity to enjoy the perks that come with an adaptable lifestyle and balance your career and family time – and from a professional standpoint, just imagine how much you will be able to learn by working alongside a number of different experts from all over the world.

​Where You Would Like To Work

Firstly, there comes the choice of where you would like to work. Have you spent the last few years rushed off your feet in the ER of a major city, and would prefer the idea of a rural locale for a while?

Or maybe the roles are reversed, and as much as you have enjoyed caring for friends and neighbors in your hometown you feel it is time to spread your wings and experience big city life?

Perhaps your partner is self-employed or involved in a job that means they need to travel the country or world, meaning that you would ordinarily be forced to spend weeks at a time in separate locations?

Or you'd like to be close to your child's college of choice during a critical time in their studies, which is a long distance from home? Travel Nursing allows the opportunity to work around any of these situations, and much more besides.

You can choose the start date of your contract and notify your potential employer of any pre-existing commitments that will require you to take time off.

​Flexibility

Perhaps best of all, while flexibility in the workplace often requires sacrifices in terms of remuneration and benefits, Travel Nursing is actually very well paid and tends to offer a fantastic package.

We'll go into more detail on exactly what that entails later, but you can rest assured that, should you decide to embrace the nomadic lifestyle of a Travel Nurse, you will not be forced to accept a salary below expectations or miss out on your own private healthcare insurance and other such employment rights.

What Qualifications Do I Need to Become a Travel Nurse?

Of course it should go without saying but, for the avoidance of doubt, there are no shortcuts to fast track yourself into the competitive world of Travel Nursing. In fact, the road to this particular career path is longer than a conventional nursing position.

The first thing anybody interested in becoming a Travel Nurse will need to do is earn your degree as a Registered Nurse (RN) from an appropriate school, which can take up to four years; the minimum qualification for anybody hoping to become a Travel Nurse is an ASN (Associate of Science in Nursing).

Upon completion of your RN degree, you will also need to pass the National Council Licensure Examination - Practical Nurse (NCLE-PN) examination, and then complete at least one consecutive year of active duty in an established healthcare facility in a specialized field.

Depending on what specialty you choose, there may also be more qualifications available and required before you become eligible for a roaming position.

If you do plan to take up Travel Nursing, it's highly advisable to gain a certification in Acute and Critical Care Nursing (ACCN) at the very least, while experience and qualifications such as Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and CEN (Certified Emergency Nurse) will also greatly help in your search for the best possible post for your talents.

Remember that Travel Nursing is a popular and competitive field, so there is little point in hurrying into this particular stream of the profession.

The more stacked your resume is and the more experience you can boast, the more likely you are to have your pick of positions and locations in which to station yourself in when the time comes to transition into a such a career path.

What are the Salary and Benefits Packages of Travel Nurse Positions?

As intimated earlier in this guide, Travel Nursing positions tend to be quite handsomely paid on paper, especially in comparison to a standard role in the industry - although as is so often the case, the rate of pay varies greatly from state to state in the USA (and even from hospital to hospital), and there other factors to consider.

The rate will also vary dramatically if you choose to work abroad – locations such as the United Kingdom (private sector) or the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, carry exceptionally beneficial remuneration packages.

A Travel Nurse's basic hourly rate is part of their remuneration package, and should you accept such a role, you will also be typically offered a stipend for pay for your housing and sustenance needs.

Accommodation Included

Most facilities that hire Travel Nurses will provide their own off-campus quarters free of charge, or you will be welcome to find your own accommodation.

This will come with reimbursements from the IRS, but just be aware that if you are traveling with your family and thus seek larger accommodation, you may find that you will need to make up the financial shortfall.

However, this stipend is often blended with an already competitive hourly salary to ensure that a Travel Nurse will always be very fairly compensated for his or her time, flexibility and talent.

​Guaranteed Set of Shifts

We have also discussed how the flexibility in working hours and availability is a huge bonus for a Travel Nurse, but the perks do not begin and end there.

You will often be offered a guarantee of a set number of shifts per week, and all the major healthcare perks of full-time employment such as medical, vision and dental insurance.

A financial bonus may be offered upon completion of a Travel Nursing assignment, and more often than not you may find that if you've impressed sufficiently an offer of a permanent posting is made - ideal for anybody that falls in love with their temporary surroundings and decides that they would rather stay put!

Where Do I Find a Travel Nurse Vacancy?

Travel Nursing positions are almost exclusively handled by recruitment agents due to the amount of legal red tape involved that surrounds insurance, indemnity at the like; that’s a lot of administrative work for a busy hospital or clinic to take on for a short-term assignment.

Thankfully, there are plenty of such specialists all over the country, all of which post their vacancies online; simply punch a search term akin to Travel Nurse Vacancies into Google, and watch the results fill your screen.

Many agencies will also offer advice on qualifications required, and may even be prepared to help you gain particular certifications before you embark on this new chapter in your career.

​Sign Up for Multiple Agencies

There is no harm in signing up with multiple agencies at the same time – after all, the more contacts you have, the more opportunities will open up for you.

However, like all recruitment agencies, it’s important that you establish boundaries and trust – these are businesses after all, and they have targets to meet in terms of placements and submissions.

Ensure that any application that is made to a hospital or clinic in your name has been thoroughly discussed and agreed by yourself. Check your contract carefully before signing anything, and tread extremely carefully if you are asked to make any payments up-front; a Travel Nurse should never be expected for pay for their own health or qualification checks, for example.

Fortunately 99.99% of Travel Nurse recruitment agencies are perfectly reputable and provide a fantastic service, so you will have to be very unfortunate to hit on the 0.01% of bad apples that spoil the barrel.

​Apply Your Talents In A Different Way

You can also apply your talents in a different way. Once you have gained agency experience with applicable references, there are a multitude of positions that are advertised direct by the clients or the clients families themselves.

As a private travel nurse to just one individual, whether they have a specific illness or health requirement or are perhaps old and infirm, you can find yourself with live-in accommodation and facilities which can often be quite luxurious, and frequently involve travel with your patient to their other homes or locations.

This may not appeal to some, but it could well appeal to those coming to the end of their careers and wish to be in a more permanent position, with all the ‘perks’ that it may bring.

So if wintering in Miami or the Caribbean appeals, along with stays in Palm Springs or perhaps a chalet in Switzerland for the clean and clear air, this is certainly worth consideration and is definitely achievable if that is the route you wish to take.

​Bottom Line

If you are a qualified nurse with a passion for travel, a young person wondering if the idea of a life in the healthcare profession is for you, or even just frustrated in your current career path and contemplating going back to school and re-training for a new profession,

Travel Nursing can open countless doors and offer all kinds of opportunities for education and new experiences. Opportunities to sign up with agencies are plentiful all over the country; why not start your journey today? It could lead to a fascinating new life tomorrow.