5 Essential Tips for Aspiring Travel Nurses

You’re considering taking the big leap into travel nursing…congratulations!! If you’re nervous, that's perfectly okay, I was too! Sometimes I still am because I never fully know as much I’d like to before starting a contract. Travel nursing can become something you do full-time or it can be an occasional venture you set out on once or twice in the year, you can really make it what you want it to be. There are five things I’d like you to consider before officially diving in. I want to make sure that you know what you’re getting into because there was not much info around when I started and there still isn’t for the Canadian side of things, so check out some tips I have below for you 😊

Experience

Many nursing agencies require at least one year of recent and active experience in the area of nursing you plan to become a travel nurse in. For a specialized area of nursing, they may require 1-2 years of experience. For example, if you recently got into a specialty area of nursing let's say working in ICU for 2 months, though you’ve been a med-surg nurse for 5 years, they most definitely would take you for the med-surg skills yet may require you to work in ICU a bit longer before sending you as an 'ICU nurse' on contracts. You can always keep them updated on your experience though! They want to make sure you’re competent in what you’re doing before they send you out on their behalf; they want you to be an asset, not a potential liability. If you feel confident in your skill set 8 months in and want to apply, you can always apply and see what they say, it doesn’t hurt to try.

On boarding Process

Once you’ve passed the interview and they would like to have you as a part of the team, there is an on boarding process you have to go through. This involves sending in your resume, filling out the application, skills assessment, notifying references, licensing fees, the recruiter getting back to you and the list goes on, and this process can take quite some time depending on the requirements that vary from agency to agency. For me, it ranged between 4-8 weeks on average at separate times with different agencies. The time can be shorter depending on how quickly you complete the required documents for the process.

Side note: A skills assessment is a part of the on boarding process. You’re asked a series of questions to confirm you actually know what area you claim to work in. Each agency has their own version of their skills assessment.

Upfront/Travelling Costs

Depending on where you’re interested in travelling to, there are associated licensing fees for the province or territory of choice. Some licenses for certain locations can be upwards to 1K!! There are reimbursement programs with each agency which can sometimes be dependent on the number of hours you work with them to get reimbursed, and there are also agencies who will reimburse you once you sign on with them for your contract. If you already have a contract in the province of choice, then you’re one step ahead.

Regarding the travel cost, most of the time the agencies will cover housing, travel and other fees they pre-approved to pay. Sometimes you do have to book the flight and housing upfront and you will be reimbursed shortly after. So keep in mind if you prefer private housing in a location that they only provide shared housing and you want to book an airbnb, you’ll have to book the cost of that airbnb or hotel yourself (which can be around 4-6K) and then again be reimbursed afterwards. So always keep receipts and make sure your credit cards are good to go!

Mental Preparation

There is beauty in travelling and seeing beautiful places and creating amazing memories but, travel nursing is definitely something that requires adaptability. Oftentimes you’re only given 1-2 days orientation (if you’re given more than that, then that’s blessed)! Therefore you only have a short amount of time to adapt to the policies, the unit, the staff and their way of doing things. Another thought to consider is, for someone who has currently made travel nursing full-time (and someone who enjoys travelling in general), I’ve been switching time zones often and whew…let me tell you its not for the faint of heart. It takes a toll on your body and can make recovery times longer. Take into account, that you're not the typical traveller, you are hitting the ground running most times a day after landing and jumping into those lovely 8-12 hour shifts! Practically look into where things are at in life and see when would be the best time to start. If you know that you would like to start in 3 months from now, still reach out and get started with your on boarding process because that will take some time, keep your eyes out on locations you’d want to book and keep your recruiter posted!

You've got this!

I know it seems daunting, but you are more than capable to do travel nursing! It’s a change for sure but its very doable. Set your mind to it, choose where you want to go and step out. Know that you’ve done the necessary work to prepare for this and leverage your nursing career to do what works best for you! Maybe its a one time thing, and that’s okay (I’m sure it won’t be though once you get a taste of it 😏). Lean on your family and friends, let them know what you plan to do and give them a heads up that you’ll be calling when you’re far away from them - they’ll want to hear from you and know that you’re doing well. I’m so excited for you to start your travel nursing journey! It will be such a great experience. You know where to reach me if you need a cheerleader or have questions along the way!

Your friend,

Sarah