Nursing Education - Traveling Nurses

Today is an exciting time for nurses. The job market is plentiful with positions including the demand for traveling nurses. To be a travel nurse takes a special person. The individual who is a travel nurse is one who likes to see new places and meet new people, face challenges with confidence and work as a team member. Being a travel nurse is not for everyone. Nurses who have family responsibilities may choose to work near their home. However, for those who like to travel and are very outgoing, being a travel nurse is a rewarding experience.

Many Travel Nurse Agencies employ nurses between the ages of twenty three to sixty five years of age. The length of time for an assignment can be from a few days to a few months. Locations can vary from Alaska to Hawaii, or from New Jersey to San Francisco. There is the option of working full time or part time.

With any new job, the question that arises, is how to get started. The best answer would be to first do some research on various Travel Nurse Agencies. The internet is a good place to start. There are many different agencies. Finding the right one takes some work. The travel nurse needs to know what they are looking for in a position. Are they looking for fulltime employment with comprehensive benefits and a vested retirement plan? Perhaps they are only looking to work part time or a few months out of the year, where benefits are not important. The prospective travel nurse should be very clear in what they are looking for in a position.

Of course pay is also an important factor. All agencies pay different. This discrepancy is based on numerous factors, such as whether or not the nurse is seeking full time or part time, how much travel experience the nurse has, how many years experience in a health care setting, the area that the nurse will be traveling to and the type of assignment that the nurse will be assigned. Once the nurse has decided on the agency, the next step is to fill out an application or request an information packet. It is also a good idea to request many information packets from different agencies to get a better idea of what they offer.

Once the application process is complete, a nurse recruiter will contact the applicant to discuss destination options, start date, licensing considerations and benefits, as well as any other questions the applicant may have.

After this step is complete, then the agency will submit the applicants profile to various client hospitals in an attempt to arrange a telephone interview.

The interview is a excellent opportunity for the applicant to get a feel for the type of environment that they will be working. Interviews via the telephone can last up to thirty five minutes or more. It is important for the applicant to write down a list of questions that they have prior to the interview.

Licensing requirements varies from state to state. Most states will offer a temporary license that is valid for up to ninety days to one year. The process of getting a temporary license differs in each state and it is the responsibility of the agency to facilitate a smooth process. Some states require a seven to twelve day process time.

Housing, furniture, utilities and basic living arrangements will also be taken care of by the agency. Most of the time the nurse is given a one bedroom furnished, private apartment located near the hospital. Utilities are turned on prior to the nurse's arrival. Such utilities include the basics such as heat, air conditioning, water, electric but are not limited to other amenities such as cable TV, telephone, free parking and or extra bedroom. For those nurses who wish to provide their own housing, the agency may offer a subsidy of anywhere between $900 to $2000 per month, depending on the geographical location of the nurses assignment.

For those nurses who prefer to drive instead of fly most agencies will offer a travel reimbursement.

Pay scales range from $21 to $42 dollars per hours, plus free housing, free insurance, travel money, free phone cards and other benefits. Length of time for any one assignment can range from thirteen weeks to a maximum of fifty two weeks. However, this depends on the agency. The majority of the assignments are full time and consist of the popular three twelve hour shifts or four ten hour shifts. In any case, most assignments are full time.

Learn more about nursing education at The Nursing Entrance Test Study Guide.