The Nursing School: Travel Nursing

Travel Nursing

A nursing job which is becoming more and more popular among nurses these days is as a travel nurse. The travel nursing industry began more than 20 years ago. There were a few agencies which began to offer hospitals a short-term solution for their staffing shortage and seasonal fluctuations of the population. Especially in places like Arizona, California, Florida and Texas the demand was high. Nowadays the demand of travel nurses is still high, because of the staffing problems which still exist in the United States.

As a travel nurse you can choose to travel all over the country or if you rather stay near your hometown you can also choose to have an assignment in your local area. Another choice which you will have as a travel nurse is the period of time you want to stay in a certain area. Some nurses prefer to travel every few months, while others rather stay in one area so they can experience all the seasons of the area. Choosing to be a travel nurse is an excellent nursing job to meet new people and experience different ways of life while enhancing your career.

If you are lucky enough to speak a foreign language, your nursing job could even take you abroad! You should be comfortable where you are working though and bearing this in mind, it is important to do research. If possible, arrange a weekend away to the place you are considering working in and try to imagine yourself with a job there, going about daily life. It needn't be an extravagant weekend, it should even be quite prudent - it is this way you'll experience the type of life you would have working there and get a more realistic impression. Of course, if you book yourself into one of the luxurious hotels in Venice and spend the weekend site-seeing and eating in fine restaurants then you'll be eager to go back! But how about the city for daily life? Yes it is impressive and exciting, perfect for a city break. but is it practical to live, in? To enjoy daily life? Can you put up with the constant buzz long term? If so, then great. If not, consider other options - after all, there are plenty to choose from!

How to become a travel nurse

To become a travel nurse you first have to attend a nursing school where you will have to get at least a Registered Nurse degree. This degree can be received by a traditional four-year BSN degree, a two-year ADN program, or a diploma which takes three-years and which is usually a hospital based program. After you passed the NCLEX-RN exam, you must work for at least a year in your specialty of choice to become a travel nurse.

Remember that the period of training can be hard financially and so one should always be aware there are relatively enjoyable ways to earn money whilst getting your certificates. If you are in a foreign country, giving one to one English lessons is a great idea - the local people would be very grateful and it means you can plan the classes around your study. Similarly working in a silver service agency allows a certain degree of flexibility, it is not demanding yet pays relatively highly. No matter what you do however, don't forget to leave yourself sufficient time for study and rest.

How to get a job as a travel nurse

To get a travel nursing job. you begin by selecting a travel nursing company, who acts as your personal job recruiter. The company will help you out with the specifics of your assignment, like the relocation or registering with local authorities. They will also help you to determine where in the United States you want to work, the type of facility that interest you, and which travel assignments are available. Usually the travel assignments lasts 13 weeks, but if you want to stay longer on a certain place, then you can renew at the same hospital and otherwise you will just travel to a new location. As a travel nurse you can work for as many assignments as you like.

Travel nursing benefits

Travel Nursing is particularly more common in the United States where a nurse gets to work at different medical facilities for a specified range of time. Usually, a traveling nurse works in one medical facility for four (4) weeks, 13 weeks or up to 52 weeks.

The travel company also reimburses the expenses that the traveling nurses would incur while traveling, tax-free.

Other companies also offer bonuses for a traveling nurse who refers another nurse to work for that specific travel nursing company. The bonus will be given after the nurse referred has completed his or her first assignment.

A traveling nurse could also receive points that can be redeemed or exchanged for cash, discounted products and services, or trips after completing the assignment.

Among the leading travel nursing companies in the United States are the American Travel Nurse Liaison, Cross Country TravCorps, American Mobile Healthcare, Preferred Healthcare Staffing, Medical Express, O'Grady Peyton International, Nurses Rx and NurseChoice.

Looking into travel nurse options in Spain is very worthwhile, for which you would need to research the possibility of formacion enfermeria. Nursing options are normally available in big cities like Madrid or Barcelona, but you can find them even in medium size cities like Seville and Valencia if you don't like the big cities stressed life. Imagine yourself in the sunny Seville working in the job you like. It sounds perfect!