How to Become a Travel Nurse – Overview
If you are planning to become a nurse, you must understand the different types of nursing options available in the healthcare industry. Travel Nurse is an on-demand nursing type for students who want to become a nurse. This type of nursing comes with many benefits and extra wages compared to all the other different types.
But how do you become a travel nurse? What are the benefits of travel nurses? Many other common questions are answered in this tutorial. Let’s collect useful information about the Travel Nurse career and how you can become a registered travel nurse in the industry.
How to Become a Travel Nurse in 6 Steps?
Suppose you have decided to become a travel nurse and want to pursue your career as a travel nurse. In that case, you must know about the procedure to become one and also understand the responsibilities of being a travel nurse. You’ll become more confident if you have enough information about your career!
Before you decide anything, you need to know about the basic requirements of your course. Here, we have categorized the entire procedure of becoming a travel nurse.
How to Become a Travel Nurse – The Basic Role of a Travel Nurse
Step 1: Understanding the Basic Role of a Travel Nurse
Most aspirant students get confused while choosing the type of nurse from the available options. They always have one question in common- “is it right for me to become a travel nurse?”
The need for travel nurses has rapidly increased post-pandemic. With the growing demand for nurses, more and more students want to pursue careers in this field.
Travel nurses can work independently wherever they want. They can travel and serve their people from different states or within their locality at different places.
They can work in a hospital with a signed contract for a limited period. The contract can last several days, weeks, or months- depending on their requirements.
If you want to work in different environments, then a travel nurse is the right type.
Step 2: Earn Your Degree
To become a nurse, one has to complete an associate or bachelor’s degree from an accredited nursing program. After completing any of these degrees, a student can become a travel nurse.
Students must earn an Associate of Science in Nursing Degree that lasts 20-24 months. After that, a Bachelor of Science Degree is a three-year program. Some universities offer online BSN programs, and students can pursue their careers by studying online.
Open universities offer Many independent nursing programs for students who want to become a nurse. Students can search for such accredited programs to earn their degree certificates.
Step 3: Pass out the NCLEX Program
After completing graduation and earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing, you will be required to complete the NCLEX program, i.e., the National Council Licensure Exam NCLEX-RN exam. Every student must clear the NCEX program in the United States.
After completing the NCLEX program, you can become a registered nurse, i.e., RN, to pursue your nursing career in the United States.
Step 4: Gaining Experience
After completing the RN certification procedure, the next thing you will be required to gain experience in the field. Here, you will be required to become a certified Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support.
After getting certification in these two fields, you can sign into a travel nursing agency to pursue your career as a travel nurse. You have to achieve these two certifications, and only then can you become a travel nurse.
Step 5: Achieve a Compact Nursing License
Each state requires you to follow a unique procedure. The RN license is limited to your state only. Since travel nurses have to work in different states, they must apply for the Compact Nursing License.
Compact Nursing License allows Registered Nurses to work in different states. It is a license that allows them to work outside their state. This single nursing license is valid in multiple states which is mandatory for travel nurses if they want to work in more than one state.
Step 6: Look for the Right Agency
Till now, you have completed your education, certification, and licensing procedure. Now, you have to begin your journey as a travel nurse by searching for the right agency that can provide you with work in the related field.
Just search for the right travel nurse staffing agency who are looking for registered travel nurses. There are many resources available online that you can explore and apply for a job of your type.
You can ask your colleagues about the same or can visit the hospitals that might help you find your dream job. It will take some time to kickstart your journey. Just be patient!
Conclusion:
That’s all you have to go through to become a travel nurse. Becoming a travel nurse who can work in multiple states with just one license takes years of hard work and patience.
Initially, you will have to struggle to find a job of your type. However, a reliable travel nurse staffing agency will help you find the job quickly. You have to gain experience in the field for several months.
Even if you don’t want to work as a travel nurse, you can still work as a full-time nurse in hospitals and clinics. A travel nurse can work as a local nurse with experience in the field.
See Also
How Much Do Travel Nurses Make?
What is Travel Medical Insurance?
I am a dedicated healthcare researcher and an enthusiast specializing in medical grants, medical education and research. Through my articles, I aim to empower healthcare professionals and researchers with valuable insights and resources to navigate these critical aspects effectively.
Having sharpened her skills as a validation manager in the fast-paced world of Cybersecurity over a decade, Andrea now applies her expertise to raise the standards of the fact-checking space. As a meticulous fact-checker, she diligently validates the claims presented in our articles, leaving no room for misinformation or ambiguity.
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