Travel RN

What does a travel nurse do? Travel nurses routinely jump into roles at understaffed healthcare settings. Facilities expect them to perform all the duties of a traditional nurse with little to no context for care. Because of this, travel nurses must become comfortable with working in extremely fast-paced, chaotic environments.

For example, a travel nurse may take an assignment at a severely understaffed neonatal intensive care unit. The nurses on staff may not have the time or bandwidth to explain all aspects of the hospital charting system or details about specific patients; travel nurses may need to pick these details up as they go.

Travel nurses sign a contract to fill a temporary position. This can last several days, weeks, or months — or longer. When contracts end, travel nurses either extend their stay at the same location or move on to a new destination and opportunity. The length of their contracts can vary, although most placements are between eight and 26 weeks. Some travel nurses find a temporary assignment they enjoy and work to secure a full-time position, but many continue to travel and keep flexible working hours. 

Working as a travel nurse has many perks. Here are some of the benefits of travel nursing:

• Assistance in obtaining passports/work visas (if working internationally)
  


• Bonuses
  


• Choice of location
  


• Competitive pay
  


• Free housing
  


• Higher-than-average pay for RNs
  


• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
  


• Retirement plans
  


• Selection of hours/shifts worked
  


• Travel reimbursement
  

Requirements

Travel nurses need to cultivate the skills of learning new systems quickly, taking criticism in stride, and adapting easily to change.

Some personal characteristics that serve travel nurses on the job include:

• Ability to learn quickly. Travel nurses all have experience working in a traditional nursing context, but they need to be able to draw upon their broad knowledge bases as they adapt to new healthcare facilities. Some healthcare settings have different standards of practice and different technologies to learn. Travel nurses need to adopt new practices and technologies quickly. 
  


• Resilience to persevere in challenging contexts. The combination of moving to different states, being the “new nurse” constantly, and taking care of difficult patients comes with many challenges. Travel nurses need to be able to withstand these challenges. 
  


• Flexibility. Travel nurses have the freedom to create their own schedules with the agencies they work for. For example, travel nurses might work for nine intense weeks on the other side of the country and then take a month off. 
  


• Comfort with working in new environments. Travel nurses need to adapt to different organizations and care teams, often when those organizations and teams lack the adequate resources to run properly. 
  


• A strong support network. Travel nurses may need to leave their families and friends for long periods of time to take temporary jobs. Having a supportive person or group of people who act as an emotional sounding board can be crucial for working long-term in the chaotic assignments of a travel nurse