The most important element to becoming a travel nurse is experience. Most travel agencies and hospitals require nurses to have
a minimum of two years
of nursing experience prior to applying for travel nursing contracts.
How many years of experience should you have before travel nursing?
Most places require you to have
at least two years
of experience in your nursing specialty, whether it’s surgical, neonatal, critical care, pediatrics, trauma or a clinical nurse with many different specialties. Your clinical background will determine the specific openings you’ll qualify for as a travel nurse.
Is travel nursing easy?
Whether you’re traveling for a long or short assignment,
frequent travel is not easy
; in fact, any profession is difficult when travel is part of the job duties.
Is it true that you can be a travel nurse with 1 year experience?
Yes, travel nursing for recent nursing graduates is possible. In fact, there has never been a better time for early career nurses to try travel nursing! While
you cannot travel until you reach one year within your specialty
, you can apply with 6-9 months of experience.
What are the disadvantages of being a travel nurse?
- You will always find yourself in an unfamiliar environment. …
- You will always be the new guy. …
- Varying pay rates. …
- What do you do when your contract has ended? …
- Not the best work assignments. …
- License issues. …
- Floating. …
- Your contract can be canceled.
Do travel nurses make a lot of money?
Under normal circumstances,
many travel nurses have the potential to earn over $3,000 per week
. Travel nurses can bring in over $50 per hour, plus company-paid housing accommodations. Making it entirely possible for travel nurses to make well over $100K per year.
How much time off do travel nurses get?
Usually, travel nurses sign a 13-week contract anywhere across the United States. Not only do you get 13 weeks to explore places within the US and outlying territories, but you also get
unlimited time off in between your contracts
. If you’re feeling burned out, take one, two, or even 10-weeks off between contracts!
Can you be a travel nurse right out of college?
1) Can A New Grad Be A Travel Nurse?
Absolutely
. Your pool of travel nursing options may be limited as a new graduate, but it’s still there to explore. It wasn’t long ago that the idea of a recent graduate pursuing this career option was a pipe dream, but times have changed.
How long are travel nurse assignments?
On average, travel nurse assignments are pre-agreed for the duration of
13 weeks
. However, there are shorter-term contracts of eight weeks, and some that have stretch out to 26 weeks and longer.
Why is it so hard to get a travel nurse job?
It comes from one of these things most of the time:
A lack of knowledge of the ins and outs of the travel nursing industry
. A lack of knowledge of the market and how in-demand your specialty happens to be.
How do travel nurses survive?
- Do your research. …
- Get organized. …
- Get the right recruiter. …
- Understand your limits and flexibility. …
- Search for housing. …
- Connect with other nurses in the area.
Are travel nurses happy?
The benefits of travel nursing are well known and it’s fair to say that
the vast majority of travel nurses are very happy with their job and the unique lifestyle it entails
. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s all sunshine and daydreams.
How much do travel nurses make in the US?
Monthly: The
monthly salary for travel nurses averages out to $9,790
and may vary depending on hours worked or bonuses. Annual: The average annual salary for travel nurses also varies significantly. On average, they earn $117,490 with a starting salary of $78,430, rising to $170,680 as more experience is gained.
How do I start a traveling nurse?
- Check out travel nursing companies. …
- Submit an application. …
- Start working with a recruiter. …
- Clarify your needs and wants. …
- Secure the travel RN job you want. …
- Get packing! …
- Go “all in”
What is considered recent experience for travel nursing?
There’s no formal, industry-wide time requirement. However, the current industry standard is that travel nurses should have at least
1-2 years
of recent, in-hospital or in-facility experience to be hired as a travel nurse.
Why you shouldn’t be a travel nurse?
While travel can have a positive and significant appeal to the career nurse, it can also be a negative.
Because assignments are short-term, they can come to an end just as you have settled into a given location
. The constant moving from place to place can get lonely, especially if coworkers are unpleasant.
Can travel nurses bring their families?
Can travel nurses have families?
Yes
. While there are certain factors to consider, travel nursing is not reserved for singles. Some nurses choose to be a travel nurse only during school break, while others have made a career out of travel nursing year-round with their families.
Why are travel nurses paid more?
So, why do travel nurses get paid more? It’s because
they fill short-term needs, accept assignments in areas with severe nursing shortages, receive extra compensation for their flexibility and work in hard-to fill specialties
.
What is the highest paid travel nurse?
Telemetry Travel Nurses
hold one of the highest-paying travel nursing jobs, earning approximately $130,870 annually. This wage is equal to $62.92 hourly, $2,517 weekly, or $10,910 monthly.
What nurse makes the most money?
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists
earn a mean average salary of $183,580 per year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, making it the top paying nursing specialty. CRNAs typically work 40 hours per week, making the hourly wage average out to approximately $88.26 per hour.
Where are the highest paying travel nurse jobs?
Large metropolitan areas, such as
Los Angeles and New York City
, are experiencing high volumes of COVID-19 patients and have the capability to offer higher rates for travel nurses. Contracts in these cities have been listed as high as $10,000 per week.
Do travel nurses have to work all year?
However, travel nurses do have the flexibility to take as much time off as they want in between assignments. Moreover, the fact that travel nursing contracts are short-term is also a form of flexibility.
There are never any commitments to stay
. Find your next travel nursing job.
Do travel nurses pay taxes?
Because travel nurses are paid a bit differently than staff nurses, so too do travel nurses file taxes a bit differently. This is because
travel nurses are paid a base hourly rate, that is taxable, and a weekly travel stipend that is not taxable
– both of which equal their total pay in a given contract.
How often do travel nurses move?
The average travel nursing assignment is 13 weeks long. That means a travel nurse working regularly could expect to move
four times in a year
(52 weeks in a year/13 = 4). But of course, 13 weeks is just the average. Some travel nursing assignments can be up to 26 weeks, and others can be as short as four weeks.
Is travel nursing good for new grads?
Ordover works with many new grad nurses and with other healthcare professionals who previously worked in other capacities (i.e., paramedic, EMT, LPN) and have recently obtained their RN license. She said that
travel nursing is a great career choice for both new graduate RNs and those on their second careers
.
How do new grad nurses make the most money?
- 1 Earn an Advanced Degree.
- 2 Get Certified.
- 3 Consider Management or Leadership Positions.
- 4 Look into Per Diem Shifts.
- 5 Network.
- 6 Start a Blog or Do Freelance Healthcare Writing.
- 7 Become a CPR Instructor.
- 8 Become an Immunization Nurse.
