Medical Solutions provided this article.
Embarking on a career as a travel nurse is an exciting journey, but many aspiring nurses wonder about the experience required to venture into this thrilling field. Whether you’re a seasoned RN or a fresh graduate, understanding the experience requirements can help you chart your course and step confidently into the world of travel nursing.
What Is the Requirement to be a Travel Nurse?
While there’s no industry-wide time requirement, the current industry standard is that travel nurses should have at least 1-2 years of experience in a hospital or healthcare facility to be hired as travel nurses. However, it really comes down to the travel agency, specialty, and facilities and/or units, as they may require more experience, but such enhanced experience requirements are usually specified on a job posting. Your recruiter would also share this information with you before you apply for a travel healthcare job.
Why Do I Need Prior Experience to be a Travel Nurse?
When travel nurses start an assignment, they’re expected to hit the ground running. Orientations are often short, and there’s a lot to learn to get adjusted, like learning hospital protocol, navigating a new charting system, and simply finding your way around in a new space. In order to provide great patient care while navigating a new place, your clinical skills must be solid.
Plus, prior experience requirements help protect a travel nurse’s license, strengthen their resume, and facilitate a successful travel nursing experience. For hospitals, experience helps reassure them that their travelers will provide care from day one of an assignment and are reliable.
Where Do I Start to Become a Travel Nurse?
If you’re starting out on your nursing/travel nursing journey, you may still be thinking, “How do I become a travel nurse?” It might be helpful to look at the whole picture when you’re starting out, and we’ve outlined the basic steps to becoming a travel nurse:
- Earn your nursing degree, either an Associate of Science degree in Nursing (ASN/AND) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
- Once you’ve earned your degree, you need to get your RN or LPN license by passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN).
- Get at least one year of permanent nursing experience at a hospital or other type of healthcare facility—this is when you can/should determine the specialty that interests you the most.
- Find a travel nursing agency that offers the benefits you want, access to plenty of jobs to choose from, and a recruiter you can trust.
The experience needed to become a travel nurse varies depending on the agency, specialty, and assignment. Whether you’re new to traveling or a seasoned specialist, travel nursing offers a wealth of opportunities to learn, grow, and explore while making a difference in patients’ lives across the nation.
Curious about what jobs are available for you? Search jobs at Medical Solutions today!
Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.
