Traveling Nurse

Whenever there’s a staffing need in a hospital or healthcare facility, travel nurses are there to fill the gaps. There are a number of reasons for staffing gaps including seasonal population fluctuations, expected leave of absences (ex: maternity leave), and a lack of experienced nurses. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2020 the U.S. will face a shortage of nurses of approximately 1.1 million.

It’s during these times that traveling nurses are needed.

Travel nurses are registered nurses who are assigned to various healthcare areas and facilities based on employee-shortage. Essentially, they go where they’re needed. Travel nurses are not all the same – they come from various clinical backgrounds, which helps fill in the different number of needs that a facility has to take care of. They work for independent staffing agencies and work on a temporary basis.

Travel nursing became a specialty when the country had an extreme need for nurses. Healthcare facilities of all kinds (hospitals, clinics, etc.) had an increase in patients but many unfilled nursing positions. In order to appeal to prospective nurses, healthcare facilities started offering several incentives such as covering the cost of relocation, the cost of travel nurse housing, and a higher salary.

Because the country (and the world at large) often face these shortages, healthcare facilities look to travel nurses to fill in the gaps. Travel nurses can work and relocate to anywhere in the country. However, their role is not limited to their country; they also have the opportunity to work internationally as well. The prospect of travel, along with higher pay than regular nursing, is attractive to many registered nurses (RNs) looking for a career path.

Travel nurses are an essential component of our healthcare system worldwide. Many places have passed laws establishing mandatory nurse to patient ratios. Due to these practices, there has been an increase in patient safety and lower mortality rates for patients. However, as great as these outcomes are, there just aren’t enough nurses to fill in those mandatory roles – which is where travel nurses come in.

Travel nurses essentially bridge the gap between supply and demand when it comes to nursing needs. Thanks to travel nurses, patients can receive the care they need in an efficient manner. They have various clinical backgrounds, educational backgrounds, care backgrounds, and geographical backgrounds. All of these components are beneficial for both patients and nurses alike.

Registered nurses who want to take on the role of travel nurse need to have a number of characteristics if they want to excel in their role. Travel nurses must love learning new things, enjoy flexibility, enjoy experiencing new places, thrive under challenges, and enjoy freedom.

As a travel nurse, you will experience different practices and different levels of technology wherever you go. You must be able to build on your experiences and learn from them on a constant basis. You will experience new workflows and new organizational systems all the time and you must be able to adapt. Travel nurses will choose their own schedules, benefits package, and income depending on the agency they end up working for.

As a travel nurse, you can choose when and where you work and for how long.

Travel nurses create new relationships wherever they go, but they should also have a strong, supportive family relationship. As a travel nurse, you will be on the go, packing and moving often. Leaving friends and family behind or moving them across the country is tough, so having a supportive family will go a long way.

In order to become a travel nurse , you must first graduate from either a two-year nursing program or a four-year nursing program. The minimum requirement is an ADN (associate degree in nursing), but it might be a good idea to complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN ) program as well. Depending on the healthcare facility, they might only hire…