Can you become a travel nurse as a new grad? I’ve seen this question about a million times in travel nursing groups, and admittedly I wondered the same thing! I’ve known I wanted to be a travel nurse since before I started nursing school. I loved the idea of getting paid to move around the country and work at so many different hospitals. So, is travel nursing something you can jump into right after graduation?
The short answer – no.
Sorry to crush your dreams, but stick with me to find out why this is a no go PLUS I’ll give you some tips on how to prepare for travel nursing when the time is right!
Why Travel Nursing Isn’t Ideal (or safe) for New Grad Nurses
Look, I get it – you’ve just finished nursing school and passed your NCLEX, and you’re ready to take on the world. Travel nursing seems like an amazing opportunity and you want to jump on it! Plus, how great would it be to make that kind of money right off the bat? So why not?!
The short answer is that there simply isn’t enough training in travel nursing to start as a new grad. I hate to tell you this, but nursing school doesn’t really teach you how to be a nurse. It will teach you how to think like a nurse and how to understand disease processes, but when it comes to hitting the floor and the logistics of taking care of a full patient load, that’s what your orientation is for. Depending on your hospital and the unit you work on, your first ever nursing orientation will likely be anywhere from eight to sixteen weeks. Some hospitals even have new grad residency programs that last up to six months. These orientations are set up this way to ensure that you really hone your clinical skills, understand your patient population, and ease into caring for a full patient assignment. Often times it can still feel overwhelming once you come off orientation, but this is why you’ll have friends and mentors from your unit to help you transition into being a fully competent nurse. Depending on your specialty, it can take a year or more to get 100% comfortable in your role.
Travel nursing orientation is completely different. When you arrive to a travel nurse contract, the hospital is assuming that you already know how to do the job and that they just need to teach you how to do it at their hospital. The longest travel nurse orientation you’ll get is three days, but I’ve known people to get as little as eight hours on the floor. Imagine coming into the ICU as a new grad and getting three shifts (tops) of orientation. I don’t care how fast of a learner you are, there’s no way that’s going to be safe. The reality of it is that travel nursing is intended for experienced nurses who can hit the ground running. Often times the hospitals that bring in travel nurses are busy and understaffed (that’s why they need travelers), so you may even get busier and tougher assignments than you would as a staff nurse. You also won’t have as much time to develop the relationships with the people you work with to know who you can count on if you need help.
How Much Nursing Experience Do You Need To Start Travel Nursing?
The textbook answer here is 1-2 years, but honestly this is so different for everyone. Logistically, very few travel agencies and hospitals will consider you with less than a year of experience in the specialty you’re looking to travel with. Some will want more, but a year is generally the bare minimum.
However, that doesn’t mean that as soon as you hit that year mark you’re ready to hit the road. You need to do some serious self-evaluation to figure out if you’re really ready. Not only will you have three days max of orientation to the new floor, but you will sometimes find yourself always getting the tougher or busier assignments when you work as a travel nurse. This isn’t always the case, but unfortunately it is the reality in some places and you need to be prepared for that. If you’re not 100% comfortable caring for the sickest patient on your floor or taking the busiest assignment, then you’re not ready to travel.
Want to read about why I finally decided to take the leap into travel nursing? Check out the post here!
What Can You Do As A New Grad To Prepare To Become A Travel Nurse?
I know it’s a bummer to hear that you can’t become a travel nurse fresh out of nursing school, but if that’s your goal and you’re committed to working for it, you will make it happen! There are a few things you can do now to start working towards your goal so that when the time is right you can take that leap!
Be A Sponge – Soak up as much experience as possible
Like I mentioned before, you have to be able to handle the toughest assignment on the floor if you want to become a travel nurse. Be proactive in practicing that while you’re a staff nurse! Once you get comfortable with the basics, start asking for assignments that challenge you. Always push yourself to do something just a bit outside of your comfort zone. Use the safety net of a staff job to your advantage – meet with your nurse educator, ask experienced nurses for tips and tricks, and learn a million ways of doing things. If you’re at a teaching hospital, ask the residents questions, pick their brains, and listen in while attendings are teaching them – you’ll be amazed how much you’ll learn. Gather as much knowledge and experience as you can now and keep it in your back pocket for when you travel!
Get Certified – Take advantage of continuing education
If your hospital offers additional education courses or certification reimbursements – do it! Every hospital you take a contract with will have different requirements for what certifications they want you to hold, so you may as well rack up what you can while you’re a staff nurse! Even if these things aren’t required for your staff job or travel assignment, they help add credibility to a travel resume, and they won’t always be paid for when you’re working as a traveler!
At bare minimum, you should have BLS (duh), ACLS (even if not required for your unit), and some kind of additional credential within your specialty (think electronic fetal monitoring for OB, TNCC for the ER, etc). If you’re not sure what certifications are available, the NCC website is a great place to start! Your hospital may also offer other classes related to your specialty that don’t require a certification exam (like STABLE for OB/maternity nurses or courses in telemetry for med/surg staff).
I seriously can’t stress this enough. Use these resources while they’re available for free. Take the time to actually learn the material and put it into practice. It will make you a better nurse and a more marketable candidate for travel positions in a competitive market.t
Save Money – Travel nursing ain’t cheap!
Most people don’t realize how important this is, and while it doesn’t necessarily have to do with your nursing skill, it can make or break how much success you’ll have when you hit the road. I could write an entire post on this topic, but just know that travel nursing always comes with unexpected expenses and you need to be prepared. Everything from car maintenance when driving cross country, to hotel expenses, to security deposits on your apartment, to your contract start date being pushed back a week and you have to live in a new city without a paycheck.
Whatever you do, don’t go on the road broke and think that travel nursing is going to solve all of your problems. Have a minimum of three months living expenses in savings to ensure that you have a cushion. You can thank me later.
So there you have it, everything you need to know about travel nursing as a new grad! If you have questions, let me know in the comments! I’d love to chat and hear your thoughts (: And once you’re getting closer to taking the leap, be sure to check out this post about the pros and cons of travel nursing for some tips you may not have thought about!
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@AdventuresOfARealGirl 👇🏻