By Fusion Medical Staffing

June 29, 2022

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How to Market Yourself as a Medical Traveler to Get the Job You Want

Fusion Medical Staffing Provided this article.

You chose the medical travel life for a reason. Whether your reason is to travel through all 50 states, visit the country’s best national parks, or gain ultimate professional autonomy, you’ve already done the hardest part of the job: Taking the leap.

With the hardest part in your rearview mirror, what do you have to do to land the travel job you want? I mean, you already have the education, experience, and qualifications to get out there and start improving the lives of others! What’s next?

The only thing standing in the way of you and your next dream travel job…is you. So, become your best hype person and learn how to market yourself better to get the job you want! Here’s how.

No. 1: Decide what’s important

First things first—you need something to work towards. That means it’s time to identify what’s important to you in a job. When looking for your next med travel job, set a couple of clear objectives to help you narrow down your options. Here are a few things to consider:

  • Work-life balance. Are you looking for a set schedule or something with a little more flexibility?
  • Skills and experience. Are there opportunities for professional and personal growth available to you?
  • Workplace culture. What’s more important: A paycheck or a purpose?

You’re the only one who can answer these questions, and good for you, there are no right or wrong answers! But you’ll want to know what’s important to you before you embark on the adventure of your next job. Why? Because knowing what you want will help you find and achieve it that much easier. Having clarity on what you want helps you move towards it and inspires you to keep going. Knowing is half the battle, right?

Not sure what’s really important to you? We get it! This is some tough stuff to figure out, but we’re here to help along the way. Let’s get old-school and grab a pen and paper. Good, now let your mind roam free and make a list of everything that you want. Literally everything—the winning lottery ticket, the chance to meet Channing Tatum IRL, and the opportunity to practice medicine in a foreign location. Save this for future you. Revisit it when you lose inspiration or forget what you’re working towards. Future you will thank you.

job board

No. 2: SWOT it out

So, you’ve done some introspection. Now what? Time to SWOT it out! Don’t worry, it’s not nearly as aggressive as it sounds. SWOT stands for:

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

And you’re going to analyze each of yours! It may not sound like a walk in the park up front, but in the long run, doing so will help you take advantage of your opportunities and set yourself apart from the competition.

To get started, identify the strengths and weaknesses that are specific to you. Here’s the catch: Whatever you list must be within your control, which means you can’t say your biggest weakness is not being Captain America. Instead, these would be things like your extensive knowledge on a variety of charting systems = strength or your subpar communication skills = weakness. Whatever makes it on the list should be things you can improve on over time.

Next, think of external opportunities and threats, aka the things that are outside of your control. For example, an opportunity could be working alongside a mentor to elevate your experience and give you an edge over the competition.

Lastly, anticipate your threats. No, not “threat” like a bear chasing you with a chainsaw. Rather, a threat like another candidate’s experience = something you can’t control. However, it is something you can work around. Knowing this, you can discover alternative job options that align with your strengths and provide professional growth and development.

Once you completed your personal SWOT analysis, you’ll be left with a clear picture of people you could network with, what continued education courses you can sign up for, or which advanced degree to go after, if that’s your vibe. A SWOT analysis is meant to give you a comprehensive idea on what you have and what you need, getting you that much closer to your next unicorn assignment!

No. 3: Build your personal brand

Ever heard of a personal brand? It’s like a business brand, but just for you! Your personal brand is a mix of your personality, skills, and values. When marketing yourself for a job, use your personal brand to showcase what you stand for, what’s important to you, and what you have to offer as a professional medical worker. The best part is you can use your personal brand throughout the job search process to help a hiring manager better recognize your awesomeness.

Job search process

As you peruse open travel jobs, do some market research to understand the mission and values of the staffing agency and medical facility. Do they match what you’re looking for? Is it an environment that will enhance your personal brand? Are you passionate about the same things?

Application process

Before you submit your resume for the job, fine-tune it to include an introductory paragraph featuring you! Here, you can tell a story to describe what you’re passionate about, highlight your many accomplishments, and emphasize the strengths you identified in your SWOT analysis. Use this as an opportunity to pitch your personal brand and help hiring managers get to know you.

Interview process

As you interview for jobs, stick to your personal brand. Share your story and use it to connect with hiring managers. Let them see your potential from paper come to life before their eyes and impress them with the things only you can bring to the table.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between your reputation and your personal brand? Because we do, so we did some digging. Here’s what we learned, thanks to the Harvard Business Review:

  • Your reputation is built from what other people think or believe to be true about you based on your actions and behaviors. Your reputation values credibility.
  • Your personal brand is how you want people to see you. Your personal brand values what’s meaningful and important to you.

You’re in the driver’s seat of creating your personal brand. That means that only you have the power to change and redefine it.

No. 4: Be your best advocate

I don’t know about you, but it can be hard to practice self-advocacy. What is self-advocacy, exactly? In short, self-advocacy is the ability to speak up for yourself, plus the things that are important to you, and be your own cheerleader. In the long, the ability to advocate for yourself empowers you to ask for what you want and helps create independence.

When it comes down to it, self-advocacy can be broken down into three key elements:

  1. Understanding your needs
  2. Knowing what support could be beneficial
  3. Communicating these things to others

Like most things, self-advocacy is easier said than done. But, also like most things, practice makes perfect! Once you enhance your self-advocacy skills, all there’s left to do is reap the benefits like increased self-awareness, better decision-making, effective problem-solving, and more. Plus, you can use these skills to help land the job you want.

What recruiters look for in a medical traveler

When applying for med travel jobs, it’s important to market yourself to make an impression on the hiring managers and recruiters. Essentially, you want to show them that you have what it takes to be the best travel nurse or allied medical traveler that you can be. So, when you put your name in the proverbial hat, make sure you spotlight the skills recruiters look for in a medical traveler on your resume to ensure you catch their eyes. Here’s what we’re talking about:

Effective communicator

Not only should you demonstrate that you’re an effective communicator during the interview process, but you should also make that skill clear on your resume. You can do this through your personal paragraph that we talked about earlier and by making a point of your strengths, background, experience, and other characteristics that make you you.

According to research by Indeed, the most common ways to communicate at work are through written communication like emails, oral communication, and nonverbal communication like nodding, and listening. Once you become a master communicator, you can help promote a healthy culture, boost job satisfaction, increase creativity, and more.

Sense of self and authenticity

It can be tough to convey who you are through a written resume or job marketplace profile. Recruiters look for a sense of self and authenticity within applicants—someone who takes their written skills and puts them to use in the real world.

“I want to hire a person who happens to have experience relative to a job and that special someone that brings their skills to life,” said Jennifer Marszalek, Chief People Officer at Revolution Global. “Frequently, the best hire is someone with the greatest number of intangible credentials, so I look for a sense of authenticity and self to come through in their application.”

An authentic resume is one that portrays an accurate representation of yourself. Use your resume to introduce yourself to recruiters and hiring managers alike to build a genuine connection.

Agility and flexibility

A career in medical travel is an unpredictable one. In addition to starting new jobs every 13-ish weeks, you’re also more than likely moving to a new destination, learning new technologies, adapting to a new medical facility, and meeting new people. It’s a lot of newness all at once, which may be a lot for some people.

The ability to be agile and flexible will get you far as a professional medical traveler. By improving these skills, you can avoid burnout more effectively, make friends wherever you are, and quickly adapt to your new environment. Sounds like a win-win-win if I’ve ever heard one.

Of course, listing these skills on your resume won’t guarantee finding your dream job ASAP. But hey, it doesn’t hurt, right?

Marketing yourself as a professional only has its upsides. By doing so, you get to not only tell others, but even better, show them how valuable you are. Stand above rest and use these steps to market yourself as a medical professional. Before you know it, you’ll have all the jobs you want right at your fingertips!

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. If housing is an issue, we have you covered with our housing page. You can search for what you are looking for.

By Brandy Pinkerton

June 28, 2022

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Basics to Choosing the Right Travel Nurse Company

Your travel nurse company and recruiter can make or break your experience, so this question should not be taken lightly. When you’re starting your travel nurse journey, one of the first steps you need to take is finding a travel nurse company and recruiter. This process might feel overwhelming because there are so many options out there. How do you know if you’ve found a good travel nurse company and a recruiter who has your best interests at heart? I’ve learned there are several qualities that set good companies apart from the others. Keep reading for the non-negotiable attributes you want in your travel nurse company.

Mentor Pro Tip:

When looking for the best travel nursing company to suit your needs, you first have to know what your needs are, so make sure to have a clear understanding of what you need from a company too. Ask yourself what benefits you need.

Basics

When looking into travel nurse agencies, you should first make sure that they provide the basics. The short answer to this is you need to pick a travel nurse company that is knowledgeable, transparent, trustworthy, and personable. This company needs to pay you fairly and have good resources and benefits for you. 

When looking into travel nurse agencies, you should first make sure that they have these non-negotiables:

  1. A dedicated housing department of experts to help you find housing or do they give you a stipend to find your own housing
  2.  Day 1 health, dental and vision insurance, and premium cost
  3. 401K that you can start contributing to immediately,
  4.  Travel reimbursement
  5. 24-hour customer support
  6.  Have a variety and abundance of travel nursing jobs all over the country for your specialty. 
  7. Make sure to ask if they are Joint Commission credentialed. Agencies that obtain this certification must complete a strict qualification process, and it helps ensure that the company is upheld to the highest standards in the industry. 

Mentor Pro Tip:

There are a few elite companies that even stand out more than others because they offer low census protection, weekly pay, paid time off,  and tuition reimbursement. The “diamond in the roughs” will also have mental health resources for you as well as a strong clinical team of nurses or can give you advice and help. Trust me on this one: Your recruiter is not usually a nurse, and a great one will be able to refer you to a team of clinicians available to you for career counseling and guidance in times of crisis. This individual needs to be someone with a diverse and authoritative background so that you can trust their advice. So make sure to ask!

From there, the absolute best way is to get referrals from other travel nurses (you can even do this in social media groups) and search for travel nurse agency reviews. When researching travel nurse companies, it is imperative to use a longstanding and reputable site for reviews. One of my personal favorites is right here on The Gypsy Nurse, which lists the Top Agencies based on their national ranking, user reviews, and features. Do your due diligence and research, research, research. Knowledge is power! 

Mentor Pro Tip: Make sure to check out my other recent blog post about Top Qualities To Look For in a Travel Nurse Recruiter – TRAVEL NURSE 101

Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. If housing is an issue, we have you covered with our housing page. You can search for what you are looking for.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Kevin Devoto

June 26, 2022

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3 Reasons You Should Consider Becoming a Travel Nurse in 2022

The need for healthcare continues worldwide, making this a worrisome trend since there is a nurse shortage. Hospitals and medical facilities are having a difficult time retaining their staff. Many people who have had nursing careers decided to retire early due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and young people aren’t as interested in obtaining student loans for nursing degrees. Earning a nursing degree requires a lot of work, and not all universities offer this degree. Once in the workforce, a nursing career is incredibly demanding, both physically and mentally. For this reason, travel nursing positions are in high demand, as medical facilities may temporarily need a nurse to fill in while they are short-staffed or have a surge in patients. If you’ve been considering becoming a travel nurse, read on for a few reasons that will give you the inspiration to finally make the jump.

Travel Nurses Make A Difference

In many career fields, you can sometimes feel like what you’re doing is meaningless. You may feel like you’re replaceable in your company and that anyone else could do exactly what you’re doing. As a travel nurse, however, you can truly know that you’re making an impact every single day. There are less and less people choosing nursing for a career, but there is an increase in the need for medical care.

It will be rewarding for you knowing that what you do can’t be done by anyone and that you’re helping people receive the care they need. Your job means something to those people who are sick and suffering. They are grateful to have a caregiver who cares about their well-being and chooses to invest their time in helping them get the care they need for recovery.

Travel Nurses Have Freedom

Now more than ever, younger generations value their freedom more than anything. They want to travel and have flexibility in their careers, so they don’t experience burnout. One of the drawbacks of nursing careers is they have rigorous and tight schedules. If you work in a hospital, you may have to work night shifts along with long 12-hour shifts. If you work in a clinic, there are specific hours they are open, which means there are specific hours you have to be there.

The difference with travel nursing is that you can accept an assignment and then take a couple weeks off or longer after you complete it before you accept another. This makes it less likely to avoid burnout. You don’t have to request time off from your boss if you need a break; you simply don’t accept any assignments until you’re ready to.

Travel Nurses Have Job Security

As a travel nurse, you’ll have the opportunity to work in a variety of specialties. This will benefit you when looking for new assignments or if you’re ever interested in settling down and becoming part of the permanent staff. Your opportunities for employment will open up when employers see that you have experience in many different areas. While you’re travel nursing, you don’t have to worry about not finding work because you can move to whichever location is in need of nurses. Additionally, instead of hoping for a certain position to open up like most nurses have to do who are permanently employed by a hospital, you can search for different growth opportunities, such as functional medicine in Denver. All these things can be added to your resume and increase your chances of getting hired for future jobs.

Final Thoughts

A travel nursing career can have benefits like job security and flexibility, but there are many more. However, the greatest reward you can have as a travel nurse is knowing that you are truly making a positive impact in the world and in the lives of others.

We hope you found this article on 3 reasons you should consider becoming a travel nurse in 2022, are you a travel nurse and have advice for those considering becoming a travel nurse? Comment below.

Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming assignment? Click here to search our housing page.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Katie Fitts

April 8, 2022

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The Case for Travel Nursing: An Opinion

Travel nursing is one of THE MOST talked about professions in the last two years in light of the COVID pandemic. I had heard of travel nursing long ago and knew it was something I wanted to do even before I got into nursing school. I loved the idea of traveling the country and having more schedule flexibility and financial stability. When I started travel nursing back in 2014, travel nursing was fairly popular but still a bit under the radar. Boy, did that change in 2020!

Fast forward to 2022, travel nursing is a buzzword and essentially a household name. There are talks of capping travel nurse pay, continued volatility of pay rate changes and contract cancellations, some voracious travel nurse recruiting companies, and perhaps a bit of a stigma now attached to the travel nurse. 

So I’m here to talk about the case for travel nursing! For those unaware of what it is to be a travel nurse and perhaps those that may have a less than desirable opinion of travel nurses. 

Because at the end of the day, just as nursing is in general, this is a great and honorable profession. Travel nurses (along with permanent staff, of course) have been very instrumental in helping to get over this COVID pandemic. Without travel nurses, hospitals would have been even more overwhelmed and unable to provide the care needed in very dire circumstances. Travel nurses do the same work as staff nurses, but sometimes we get a bad rap because people think we are just in it for the money. But it’s more than that!

The COVID pandemic has changed everything and, most dramatically, the healthcare system. The COVID pandemic brought an acute and immediate need for nurses EVERYWHERE. As a result of the high demand and obvious occupational dangers, the pay rates skyrocketed. And nurses noticed.

Why stay at a staff job for meager pay not comparable to the cost of living? Why be worked to bone with unsafe patient ratios and overbearing administration? It’s a no-brainer why nurses have left staff jobs to take high-paying travel nurse contracts. They get paid good wages, have the flexibility they want, and stay out of the hospital’s oppressive and demoralizing politics. So we leave to travel to afford us a better opportunity. An opportunity to make good money and take the time for rest all of us healthcare workers so very dearly need. It’s an opportunity to take a vacation of a lifetime, finally, pay off that debt, be able to afford your only daughter’s wedding, and finally be able to buy a house. The list goes on! 

Isn’t that the American dream? I think any rational person given the choice between a staff job and a travel nurse would easily pick the latter, given the current circumstances. But not everyone can just pick up and do travel nursing! 

It takes a special person. A brave person. To go out into the unknown, where you may not know anybody or anything. To trust that you will make it across the country in your beat-up car because you couldn’t afford a new one on a staff nurse’s pay. To leave your comfort zone of the hospital, you know, akin to Cheers… where everybody knows your name. To leave your support system behind. Or to bring your support system with you and adjust to frequent moves and all that traveling life brings. To strive to meet new people and make new friends. To do things solo and be ok with it. To spend more time by yourself and fall in love with yourself. To do things you only dreamed of and things you thought for yourself were impossible!

If there is anything the COVID pandemic has taught us is that life is so very short. It is too short to be stuck in a job you hate, or that is draining your life away. Nurses aren’t the only ones changing things up, though. We are in what we call “The Great Resignation.” Thousands of people are leaving their current jobs to pursue better opportunities. Opportunities that we nurses are also pursuing: better pay, fair treatment, safe working conditions, and more schedule flexibility. It’s pretty simple, really. But the COVID pandemic has really brought this to light. 

People are tired, particularly healthcare workers. The healthcare system was broken long ago before the COVID pandemic. My father, a physician, tried to convince his children NOT to go into healthcare, and for good reason. But alas, 3 of us are now and now have an understanding of what he meant.

Nurses are tired of unsafe nurse-to-patient ratios, tired of meager pay, tired of always being expected to do more with less while the CEOs in business suits make decisions based on hospital profits. It’s a tough job. And what is even more concerning is that so many nurses are considering leaving nursing ALTOGETHER. And then where does that lead us?

So yes, we are making good money right now. And hopefully, this will continue but at sustainable rates. I don’t think anyone expects travel nurses to be always making $5000 a week. But keep in mind, we are having double expenses, keeping up residences at home, and now paying exorbitant housing rates. 

But wouldn’t you do the same if you had the same opportunity? It’s human nature to strive for success and want the best for you and your family. 

Maybe, for some of us, travel nursing is the only way to want to be able to stay in the nursing profession. Maybe, we can finally get a good work-life balance. Maybe, even though the job is still very hard and stressful and we fear for patient safety, we can at least be making good money. 

To those resentful of travel nurses, the enemy is not travel nurses. Travel nurses are there to help alleviate the short staffing and work alongside you for better patient care and working conditions. They also deserve your respect and consideration. Just because we are travel nurses does not mean we are somehow superhuman and can take on more patient loads and be treated poorly. Please treat travel nurses as your own. We all know too well the toxic behavior catchphrase of nurses “eating their young.” Seasoned nurses being demeaning and condescending to new nurses out of spite. The same behavior can be seen towards travel nurses at times. 

The problem is that healthcare is broken and has been for quite some time. Profits over patient safety, lining the hospital system CEOs’ pockets over staff pay raises, productivity over safe nurse-to-patient ratios. 

Legislature, the enemy, is not travel nurse pay. Fix the problem, and you will find your solution. Mandate safe nurse-to-patient ratios, give the nurses the needed breaks, give nurses the pay they deserve. Give back to the community that cares for the sick, downtrodden, and dying. The community bore the CRUSHING weight of the COVID pandemic. Otherwise, you won’t have any nurses left.

So let’s give more love and kindness to each other. Be kind to each other. Treat travel nurses as your own. We are in this together!

I rest my case.

Gypsy love,

Katie

P.S. If you are ready to start travel nursing, hit me up! 🤙 😃

We hope you enjoyed and found this article on making a case for travel nursing educational and helpful. Do you have anything to add? Comment below.

Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming assignment? Click here to search our housing page.

Please note: the views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author alone and do not necessarily reflect those of The Gypsy Nurse and its staff.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Jennifer Traub

April 1, 2022

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Travel Nursing: The Good and Bad

I have been a travel nurse for five years, going on 6. It is pretty clear I love it and am addicted to the lifestyle. Like with any career there is the good and bad in travel nursing. Below are what I consider the good and bad of travel nursing.

The Good:

Some of the pros of travel nursing are experiencing a new city not just as a vacationer but as a local. You get to meet plenty of co-workers who obviously are from the location you are traveling to. This leads to new friendships and experiences, not just as someone who is visiting for five days.

You get to try the local food and hang out at the popular spots on your days off. Friendships are created, which gives you a base you can return to if you ever wish to visit again.

You acquire a whole new array of skills and work with patients of different demographics. You become very malleable and become able to be thrown into any situation and excel. Your resume becomes very impressive. Not to mention, your bank account bulks up with your new travel salary.

Along with anything good, however, comes the bad.

The cons of travel nursing are not having your hospital match your 401K, which is what plenty of companies offer. If you do not take your travel company’s health insurance, because you hop from company to company, chances are you have to find your own.

If you travel alone, you are thrown into an unfamiliar city and have to make all new friends. Depending on your personality, this may be difficult for some. You could be up to 3000 miles away from home, which could lead to homesickness.

As beneficial as being thrown into unfamiliar situations can be to the development of your skills, you have to accept that you will be thrown into the fire and be forced to learn as you go. When you do not know the staff as a traveler, some units may be reluctant to help you until they get to know you better. Often the hospitals you are assigned to work for are in crisis mode and are hurting for staff, so depending on the state you work in, you may be going out of ratio.

Travel nursing has been the greatest experience of my life. It has led me to be the nurse I am today. I have created countless friendships, seen the county, and feel as if there is not a single situation I can’t handle in the hospital.

We hope you found this article on the good and bad of travel nursing helpful. Is there any other good or bad things we missed? Comment them below.

Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming travel nurse assignment? Click here to search our housing page.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Diane Wong

March 30, 2022

1848 Views

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Working as a Travel Nurse

See the Country and Earn a Living at Same Time

A travel nurse has the option to choose almost anywhere she desires to live – then has all employment, housing, and moving preparations made for her.

Many nurses and other healthcare professionals, with the freedom to travel, and the propensity to explore new sites and surroundings, enjoy travel positions. Moving without the daunting duties that accompany, is made simple and may even be an exciting experience.

Registered nurses are medical health professionals who have completed at least two years of training in the field of nursing at a school of nursing or community college. Graduates must then pass state licensing exams. Once a nurse has earned her state license, she can look for a job in the many varied fields of nursing. One of the most popular employment areas of nursing is known as travel nursing.

Travel Nurse Jobs

Traveling nurses work in many parts of the country. They help deal with the medical effects of short-term disasters such as hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, or earthquakes. Travel nurses also help hospitals and nursing homes fill staff shortages. A travel nurse may assist workers helping people dig after their homes have collapsed, fill in for a nurse on maternity leave, or help a busy urban hospital deal with an influx of patients for some time.

A travel nurse might spend a month in a hospital in a burn unit in Florida during December and then head to Texas for three months or California for six months.

Benefits & Bonuses

Travel nurses are paid by their staffing agency – not the facility or hospital. She may receive direct deposit payments and benefits provided by the agency. Bonuses are another perk that is dependent upon the agency – and may include referral bonuses and completion bonuses (paid upon completion of the employment term). Considering the many advantages such as paid travel expenses, furnished and fully paid apartment living, and free standard utilities – those employed by such agencies may fare better (financially) than those employed directly by the hospitals and facilities.

Disadvantages

Individuals with family ties and tight-knit friendships may find it difficult to travel. Relationships may be strained when communication is stretched. For those who seek permanence and stability – a transitory lifestyle may be intimidating and unsettling. In addition, those who have forged friendships with co-workers may find it disheartening to leave upon completion of the temporary employment assignment. A definite resilience to new situations and settings should be a prerequisite to travel nursing. Those inquiring about a position should be sure to weigh the advantages against the disadvantages and not make a hasty decision.

Travel Nurse Agencies

A travel nurse agency is a company that specializes in the employment of traveling nurses. Agencies vet candidates for employment, create contracts, set up assignments, and act as a middleman between the travel nurse and her assignments.

Most traveling nurse agencies require candidates to have completed their education and training. Nursing agencies also require most registered nurses to have at least two years of full-time employment in a hospital setting. A potential travel nurse may also be required to have specific training and certifications such as neonatal resuscitation to work in a NICU or experience with kidney patients to work on a dialysis unit.

Many travel nursing agencies have contracts in different states. A traveling nurse must have a valid state license for each state where she wants to work. A travel nursing agency owner will work with her to earn any additional state licenses so that she has as many working opportunities as possible.

Benefits of Travel Nursing

Working as a traveling nurse can have many benefits. Travel nurses often earn a higher hourly wage than their on-staff counterparts. A travel nurse can decide to work for six months and then take the next month off. Many travel nursing agencies provide travel nurses with additional benefits such as health insurance, a housing allowance, and a completion bonus if they full all the requirements of their contracts.

Travel nurses are expected to be quick learners. Some hospitals will provide the nurse with a few hours of onsite orientation. Many expect the nurse to be fully ready to work in a position within a short period of her arrival.

A job as a travel nurse can be fun and exciting. For a registered nurse with the right credentials, travel nursing can be the perfect way to see many parts of the country and advance their careers.

We hope you found this article on working as a travel nurse helpful. Do you have any advice or tips to share with those considering this career? Comment them below.

Are you looking for your first travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for your assignment? Click here to search our housing page.

About the author:

Diane H. Wong is a content writer at essaywriter.nyc and a family coach. So she prefers to spend her spare time working out family issues solutions. In this case, she has an opportunity to share her experience with others and keep up with advancing technologies.    

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Brandy Pinkerton

February 12, 2022

2737 Views

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TGN and Travel Nurse 101: Let’s Talk the Travel Nurse Industry

The Gypsy Nurse’s own Online Community Manager, Rachel, and Travel Nurse 101’s Brandy went live recently to discuss the travel nurse industry. Brandy also answered travel nurse questions during the live event. Watch the video above video to hear Brandy’s perspective on the travel nurse industry.

About Brandy:

I’m Brandy; I have over 18 years of varied nursing experience, including neonatal and pediatric ICU, critical care float pool, flight nursing, and travel nursing. Since pursuing a career as a travel nurse, I’ve had adventures in Florida, Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, and Montana. I’m an avid traveler, hiker, and outdoor enthusiast. Visit travelnurse101.com to learn more about Brandy!

About Travel Nurse 101:

Travel Nurse 101 is education, tips, and mentorship for new travel nurses that I hope is perceived as very genuine and heartfelt, not just your normal Q&A. It has a “personable” feel and is something I want to always try to maintain, so nurses feel like they have a safe place to get help and ask for advice from a real nurse who’s been where they have and personally knows what it feels like to go through these experiences. This mentorship program aims to give you the tools you need to be successful and let you know that you are not alone in your pursuits. Instead of letting you learn the hard way, I’ll tell you all there is to know about travel nursing so that you can feel prepared to leap into this exciting, rewarding profession with full confidence! I am here to cheer you on; let’s do this!! 

We hope you enjoyed this live event. Do you have any topics you would like to see covered during a live event? Comment them below. If you are interested in going live and giving advice or tips to fellow travel nurses, comment below, and someone from our team will be in contact.

Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming assignment? Click here to search our housing page.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Lirika Hart

February 3, 2022

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Baby Steps To Wellness: How To Get Motivated When You Struggle With Anxiety

It is okay to be anxious sometimes, and it is, in fact, a normal part of life. However, when you have this frequently with intense, excessive, and continuous worry, then it is no longer normal. Anxiety disorders at times could bring feelings of fear and terror that reach a peak within a few minutes, causing panic attacks. All these will definitely interfere with daily activities, and it is the reason why it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Symptoms of anxiety could start from childhood, and it is necessary to keep special watch over kids who have that problem. Here are some tips for wellness when you find yourself struggling with anxiety.

Engage in new activities

Sometimes, what an overly anxious person needs in his or her life is a start at something new and interesting to sway the mood and anxiety. You can try this today and see how things improve for you. There are so many activities to indulge in. These days a number of people in this bracket are taking Iboga retreats, and there are so many such retreats around the world. The Iboga retreat program is a psycho-spiritual healing thing and is best known in the West as an addiction-interrupting medicine. The origin lies in the Bwiti tradition in Gabon, where ibogaine is extracted from the Tabernanthe iboga shrub’s bark and used as part of an initiation ceremony. It is used to address physical and emotional problems and is known to be an effective treatment program for those struggling with anxiety.

Embrace a physical exercise routine

Regular physical exercise is known to solve a lot of health issues in the body, and anxiety isn’t left out on that list. The numerous benefits of exercising can help alleviate the symptoms associated with panic attacks that could result from terrible anxiety problems. Depending on how rigorous the exercise routine is, your sleep could be improved. Usually, anxiety distorts one’s sleeping habits, and being able to get enough sleep can help reduce the anxiety symptoms. If you keep up with a daily exercise routine, it will build your self-confidence, improve your mood, and help you relax. All these positives can help ward off feelings of anxiety or panic attacks.

Avoid negativity

You can’t allow yourself to be jumping from frying pans to fire when you have anxiety problems. As much as possible, you need to stay away from anything at all that could worsen your situation. If you know that reading some particular types of news over the internet gets you worse, then stop reading them. Don’t even read the captions. Sometimes, talking to some people who love to revisit sad events may leave you drained and deposit some negativity into your head. You need to avoid these people as much as possible, and even if you manage to bump into them, you can start up a conversation with them real quick that will make them forget their usual paths of discussion. Focus on being positive and feelings of gratitude. Edify yourself with uplifting content online and surround yourself with positive people.

Take regular walks with friends

I earlier mentioned that exercising helps reduce the symptoms of anxiety, and walking is a type of exercise. However, when you walk with friends, it wouldn’t be about just exercising anymore but with an extra advantage of chatting with your friends and having laughs while at it. This activity helps your body release endorphins which are feel-good hormones. These endorphins can deal with anxiety issues to a relieving level. The whole experience plays in your head from time to time instead of thoughts of anxiety and panic attacks. You should choose lively friends to do this experience with and make sure it is regular.

Have a backup support network

It is possible that on some days, all your efforts to feel better from anxiety don’t work. At that time, how do you deal with the situation? Well, first of all, you have to make sure that you are not alone. Being by yourself when you are greatly overwhelmed could harm your psyche. It is good to have a support network that will be on standby to help you out of your situation whenever you can’t help yourself. Choosing the right person or people is very important also. You have to make sure it is someone you are comfortable talking to, and that can provide satisfying encouragement.

Final word

Struggling with anxiety without getting help can be very dangerous. Some people who find themselves in this situation could cause themselves harm. As you have seen, there are some activities you can indulge in to help you get better. Even if you are still not motivated to start, you can talk to someone who can get you started on fun activities that will make you feel better. No matter how gradual, just keep punching and you will get better.

We hope you found these tips for getting motivated when you struggle with anxiety helpful. Do you struggle with anxiety? What are some ways you are able to get motivated? Comment them below.

Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you have an assignment lined up but need housing? Click here to search our housing page.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)

By Krucial Staffing

January 27, 2022

1850 Views

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5 Factors to Consider for Travel Assignments

Krucial Staffing provided this article.

Written by: Maria Blong

We all want the best for ourselves. The best home, best shoes, best kitchenware – the list goes on and on. There are articles published everywhere stating thoughts and opinions in dedication to helping us find it. These are editorials providing the top reasons why this certain running shoe will reduce the likely hood of shin splints or why this brand’s stainless-steel cookware is better quality than other cookware, even if the second option is more affordable.

All this to say – we are a very research-oriented society. If we are going to travel, buy an item, or eat at a new restaurant, we like putting in the research to make an informed decision. When it comes to job hunting, it is not any different. We find a job opening we want and then spend hours learning as much valuable information as we can before applying.

The decision to embark on a medical travel assignment asks the same for any interested party – perhaps it requires even more research and contemplation than a staff job. With medical travel assignments, there are multiple variables included in the equation, ultimately leading you to choose one position over another. These are the top five factors we recommend one to consider before locking in on a travel assignment: wage, location, duration, schedule, and benefits.

Wage

The hourly wage is often the top priority for many, and most of the time, it is the deciding factor for their final choice. And we understand why – you want to accept a wage that reflects all the time, effort, and money you have invested in your career. However, there are many reasons why income in the travel nursing field varies from position to position, and it is important to analyze the reasons why it fluctuates.

First, what kind of travel assignment is it? The type of work assignment will determine the wage you will receive per hour. Many staffing agencies pay their medical staff higher for emergency response than contract positions due to the intensity of the working environment and client needs. With an emergency response, you are likely to work more hours per week, while contracts depend entirely on the facility.

Another question to ask yourself is this: Are you there for the increased pay that comes with travel assignments or the experience of traveling to new locations and helping communities? For many, it comes down to a ratio, or balance, on pay versus experience. However, if you are committing to the opportunity to live in a certain city/state and enjoy your days off – you may be okay with accepting less per hour.

Location

When it comes to your work location for medical travel assignments, you need to be cognizant of what options are available for a travel assignment and an emergency response. For most emergency responses, there’s little control around when or where clients will need your specialty to come in and support an understaffed unit. If you do have the opportunity to choose your location, there are a couple of things you should think about.

How far away do you want to travel? If you are hired for a contract position, there is more wiggle room for you to venture out on your days off. Staying close to home might give your family and friends the opportunity to come visit. However, the contract location might inspire you to travel farther away to a city you have never been before, granting you the chance to explore a different part of the United States.

Emergency response, on the other hand, does not provide you with as much freedom due to the demanding nature of the deployment, plus the health and safety protocols restricting travel. So, working close to home may be a bad idea for a couple of reasons. Say you commit to an emergency response 30 minutes from where you live, but you are in lockdown at a lodging facility. Now, imagine staying that close to loved ones, yet unable to enjoy their company and your usual past times. This situation may stir up a lot of negative emotions for you. It may be in your best interest to travel a little further from home and avoid conjuring up any feelings of exile.

Duration

The length of an assignment can also be a question mark for some people. While some assignments last as short as a few weeks, others can last multiple months. The duration of time you are willing to stay for a medical travel assignment greatly depends on your personality and goals. Some individuals find it difficult to stay away from friends and family that long, while others do not mind being gone. You just need to ask yourself what you are willing or not willing to miss back home. What do you want to gain from a longer or shorter assignment? Do you want to form stronger connections with patients and staff, or do you want to come work, make money, and go back “home”?

Another key factor to bear in mind regarding the duration of an assignment is the mental toll it will take on you. Take inventory of the type of situations you tend to thrive in. Do you like the unknown or working in a busy environment? Do you enjoy a consistent schedule where you can predict your day? How would either affect you mentally? Supporting yourself financially is important but taking care of your mental health is also essential. If you are not taking care of yourself in this way, it will impact the way you care for patients. So, ask yourself these questions and answer honestly about what you can handle.

Schedule

Schedule preferences are straightforward in terms of forethought for assignments. It is a simple set of questions: How many hours do you want to work each week? Do you want to work a regular 36–48-hour schedule? Perhaps you want to work closer to 60 hours a week? In some cases, you might even work 72 hours a week. The final decision also coincides with what kind of pay and deployment type you want as well. All three factors influence each other.

The number of days off you would like also needs to be taken into consideration. Emergency deployments typically only provide one or two days off, while others may give you three to four days. This is also impacted by whether you work 12 hours, four days a week, or eight hours, five days a week.

Benefits

The option for added benefits or insurance is also something to consider while researching medical deployments. Staffing agencies offer different benefits based on the type of assignment you are working on. Emergency deployment benefits can vary depending on the staffing agency you choose to work with.

For most contract assignments, clients typically decide which benefits they want to include. Fortunately, many of them provide housing for the medical staff coming in to assist their hospital or facility. The client may also cover the cost of staying in the area or supply a stipend for groceries.


Overall, travel assignments should be selected with careful attention to detail. Many horror stories regarding bad contracts or assignments stemmed from a lack of understanding of what the requirements or compensation were for the position. By slowing down the rush to get an assignment and diligently addressing all five of the listed factors, you can assure yourself a better, more thoughtful selection for your next travel position.

Interested in looking more about emergency response and/or contract travel options? Check out emergency response and healthcare staffing company, Krucial Staffing. Krucial Staffing specializes in high volume, rapid response staffing, driven by a mission to serve others at their greatest time of need. To learn more about what positions they currently have open, then check out their Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter page for more information.

We hope you found this article on 5 factors to consider for travel assignments helpful. Are there any other factors you consider before taking travel assignments? Comment them below.

Are you looking for your next travel assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming travel assignment? Click here to view our housing page.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)