What Are the Requirements to be a Travel Nurse, Part 1

Travel nursing can be a fun, rewarding career. You get to do what you love, which is take care of patients, and see the country, going to new places, seeing new things, and meeting new people. You thrive on change, and going where you are needed is a passion of yours. Travel nursing seems like a good fit. But what do you have to do to become a travel nurse?

Abbella Medical Staffing is a Baltimore-based healthcare staffing agency, offering travel nurses careers in hospitals and other healthcare facilities on a short-term basis. You can pick where you want to go, and you have the opportunity to work with and learn from some of the top physicians, surgeons, and nurses in the industry. You will be filling a short-term need when healthcare facilities are understaffed for various reasons, perhaps due to medical or maternity leaves. Travel nursing is a very rewarding career, and our medical staffing agency can help. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the requirements to become a travel nurse. Contact us to get started today!

REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A TRAVEL NURSE

Get Your Degree

While this may be obvious, it’s important to begin with the number one qualification of travel nursing: being a registered nurse (RN). There are many ways to accomplish this, such as earning your Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN/ADN) or your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The ASN/ADN is a two-year degree that helps you earn the technical skills needed in nursing. The BSN helps you to prepare for more of a leadership role in healthcare organizations. All of these programs cover what you need to know to have a successful travel nurse career, including pharmacology, nutrition, anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, mental health, and microbiology. Both entail clinical rotations where you will gain valuable hands-on experience in healthcare facilities, watching and applying what other nurses do.

Become a Licensed Nurse

Once you’ve received all of your education and you’ve done your clinicals, you are ready to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN), which is the test you have to pass before working as a registered nurse. This comprehensive test will evaluate all aspects of nursing. You apply in the state that you want to work in first, then you will take the exam.

Work as a Registered Nurse

To become a travel nurse, you’ll need work experience, preferably in various settings and roles. This will help prepare you for all of the different roles you’ll face when you travel. Working in hospitals, doctor’s offices, and other healthcare facilities, such as urgent care centers, will help prepare you for the demands and changes of your role as a travel nurse. The more experience you have, the better your candidacy for a travel nursing position will be. Roles in labor and delivery, ICU, operating rooms, emergency rooms, and neonatal nursing will be invaluable to your knowledge base.

Invest in Advanced Certifications

The more training you have, the better your candidacy for a travel nursing position with a medical staffing agency such as Abbella Medical Staffing. There are many certificates you can earn that can help you broaden your knowledge, such as Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ACLS). Critical care nursing certification (CCRN) will help you to stand out, as well as NIH stroke certification.

CHOOSE ABBELLA MEDICAL STAFFING TODAY

Based in Maryland, Abbella Medical Staffing places nurses in short-term assignments all over the United States. Travel nursing has many benefits, such as working in prestigious healthcare facilities nationwide, enjoying competitive pay and unique benefits, and making a meaningful impact in the community you are at. As a traveling nurse, not only do you have the opportunity to see many new places, but you’ll be filling an immediate need, helping many others in the process. It’s truly rewarding when you can make a difference in someone’s life, and travel nursing allows you to touch many people’s lives.

Our medical staffing agency puts your needs first, ensuring you have all of the support you need to succeed. We handle all of the back-end work so you can concentrate more fully on your new job and getting settled. We offer a competitive compensation package and a whole host of benefits. Our medical travel jobs include allied health positions as well. Join Abbella Medical Staffing, and make an impact today!