It is quite evident that a career in nursing comes with the ability to practice in a plethora of work environments. Looking at the title of this blog, you probably are wondering, what is a travel nurse? A travel nurse is a nurse who is able to travel, experiment in different specialties, and explore new cities all while fulfilling their job responsibilities. A travel nurse works on temporary assignments in different locations in various parts of the country. This gives the nurse the availability to choose where they wanna work, and how long they would want the assignment to be. Usually they provide medical assistance on assignments that last between 8 to 26 weeks. The freedom to travel with endless opportunities alongside a higher than average pay is what attracts RN to become a travel nurse. In this blog, I will discuss the basics of what is means to be a travel nurse.
In terms of becoming a travel nurse, you have to follow the same steps required to become a registered nurse. There is more than one way to become an RN. The first would be to complete all four years of an accredited college with a good nursing program., and obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Another option is to earning an Associate of Science in Nursing degree, which takes less time than a BSN. Once the proper degree is attained, and clinicals are completed, the next step would be to take the NCLEX-RN exam. A nurse needs to pass the exam to be able to legally practice.
The emergence of travelling nurses took place as the nation faced a nurse shortage. To fill unfilled positions at clinics, hospitals, and other medical facilities, employers began offering nurses a higher pay and cover the cost of relocation. When the nurses fill those positions, it overall increases patient safety and improves patient outcomes. Travel nurses also come in handy to cover the leave of absence of another permanent nurse.
Moreover, a travel nurse is able to be more picky when it comes to where exactly they would want to work. One is able to choose if he/she would like to work in a rural or urban area, a university setting or a simple clinic. You are also able to pick the city or town you’d prefer to work in. From Chicago to Portland, the choices are endless. There are a plethora of short time job opportunities for a travel nurse. The time period of the assignment is also in your hand. You can arrange your work hours according to your personal needs, vacations, and family engagements. Most importantly, the pay can be very appealing to motivate a regular registered nurse to want to travel. in 2017, the average median salary was $70,000. As the credentials increase, so does the pay. But on average, travel nurses tend to make more than an RN. In addition, some may also receive housing or housing stipend.
Hopefully this blog was able to give you insight about what is a travel nurse. You can embark on this adventurous career path starting today. You can become one by contacting an agency that will then match you with a recruiter. Horizon Healthcare Staffing is here for your travel nursing needs! Sign up for our services and we will make sure all of your desires and expectations are met.