The Answers You Need to Get Your Career Started
You’re interested in becoming a travel nurse, but you’ve only got one year’s experience nursing. Is this enough for you to be accepted for assignments?
There are plenty of incredible reasons you want to begin a career in travel nursing. The demand for nursing skills has never been higher. According to SimpliFi, the number of travel nurse jobs increased by a huge 44% between 2018 and 2019. The American Nurses Association predicts that around 1.1 million new RNs will be needed by 2022.
As a travel nurse, you have greater control over your assignments in a career you love, and with great pay rates, housing stipends, and bonuses.
It all sounds fantastic (and it is), but you have one major concern. Many healthcare facilities and hospitals require at least two years’ experience from their travel nurses. You fall short of this. Don’t let this put you off. It is possible to become a travel nurse with only a year’s experience, and we’re going to show you how.
Licenses Are Your Passport to Opportunity
To become a travel nurse, you must hold a current RN license. As well as this basic requirement, you’ll need to have one of the following:
- Completed a diploma program
- Qualified as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- Hold an associate or bachelor’s degree in nursing
To gain momentum in your travel nursing career, obtain multiple licenses for the required states you wish to work in. The more licenses you have, the more access you unlock to healthcare providers who need your help. You’ll soon discover your experience strengthens with every assignment, making you increasingly valuable to future opportunities.
At Loyal Source, we’re trusted by over 250 hospitals and healthcare systems across the country. Your field of reach can span from close to home to the farthest state.
Have the Right Credentials
Basic certifications are often required to join a specialist staffing agency who will seek best-fit travel nursing opportunities. Such certifications include Basic Life Support (BLS), and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).
Travel nursing opens a broad spectrum of healthcare specialties. Ask yourself – are there fields of expertise you’d like to be assigned to? When starting out in travel nursing, it’s important to consider every opportunity – even in your less-preferred areas – to build up your experience. Think ahead, too. If you have a special interest, start investing in your future now by working toward the credentials your favored assignments will ask for.
Optimize Your Resume
You should update your resume regularly in the world of travel nursing. Each credential, assignment, skill, and reference will contribute toward future assignment opportunities. The initial optimization of your resume can be the most challenging.
At Loyal Source, we know what our clients are looking for in their next travel nurse. We can provide you with the expert guidance you need with your resume, so that we can promote an evidence-based document of your skills and abilities to the most suited and promising assignments. Read our tips on creating a standout resume to get started.
Have the Paperwork Ready
When healthcare providers look for travel nurses, they often need them to fill staffing voids promptly. While you may have less experience than other travel nurses, being quick to apply with organized paperwork will increase your employability and showcase your organization skills.
At Loyal Source, we take care of a lot of the paperwork for you. We’ll tell you exactly what we need, so that we can swiftly get you in front of interviewers.
Filter Your Job Search
You may be wondering if travel nursing as an independent contractor (as opposed to working through a staffing agency) is an option. It is, yet very few do so. You see, staffing agencies provide the expertise and manpower that ensures everything is covered, from taxes to housing, to billing, insurance, and paperwork. The connection they provide between you and the best assignments is also crucial.
Many healthcare providers head straight to specialist agencies like Loyal Source, for the exact same reasons: efficiency, speed, expertise, and access to candidates. Often, the same jobs are never seen on regular jobs boards.
If you’re new to travel nursing, registering with a staffing agency is a crucial gateway to the best assignments. Our specialist recruiters know exactly who is recruiting, and where your skills and personality will be best placed.
Consider Different Opportunities
We are experts at identifying key skills and attributes in an individual. Be ready to take on opportunities in areas you’ve never experienced before and discover something new about yourself. Working as a travel nurse, you may find yourself in a ward or department you’re unfamiliar with, or fulfilling duties that challenge you. Embrace them. They’re another tick on your list of experiences. You may discover you love a field you would have never experienced otherwise.
Trust our judgement, boost your professional experience, and strengthen your future. Also consider working vacations to gain experience when other travel nurses opt for time off.
Consider Different Locations
Travel nursing takes you far and wide, across various cultures, climates, and eye-popping scenery. The most popular locations are often the most glamorous. Such assignments can demand waiting lists that could slow your momentum in getting your travel nursing career off the ground.
Consider all locations in the beginning of your travel nursing career. Go against the grain, and emerge the stronger candidate in future assignments.
You’ll discover locations that might not be the most glamorous, yet have a stronger culture.
You’ll learn more about different patient demographics and health needs.
You’ll discover hidden treasures of the United States.
You’ll see your resume’s experience section fill up faster, and your skillset strengthen rapidly.
Show Your Potential in Interviews
Experience isn’t all healthcare providers are seeking. They are looking for nurses with the right work ethic, attitude, and values – and an interview can prove all of this to them. Here at Loyal Source, we’ll give you all the tips and expert guidance to help you along – plus our clients trust our judgement on putting you forward for the role.
Make Sure You’re Ready
Before you start a career in travel nursing, speak to Loyal Source. Get the peace of mind you need to head out confidently. Let’s have that conversation you need to be sure you gain the best experience travel nursing can provide. We all started somewhere, and there are ways to gain the quality of experience that will help you become selected for your favored assignments.
You’re not alone on this new venture, but it’s crucial you take time to understand everything there is to know – from debunking travel nursing myths to what you need to know about contracts – to ensure it’s the best path for you.
Experience the Benefits of Travel Nursing Now
Starting out in travel nursing is an exhilarating position to be in. You can’t wait to get that first assignment arranged and your travel tickets in hand. It’s also a tricky position to be in, as you seek to gain assignments with less experience behind you.
These tips will help you not only make a start, but reap rewarding gains throughout your travel nursing career. And we’re on hand along the entire journey.
Contact Loyal Source for that all important conversation. We’ll fully support you by providing all the information you need, and the connections to perfectly suited opportunities that expand your experience. From paperwork to introductions, to scheduling assignments in advance, Loyal Source will provide the expert knowledge and opportunities that will get your travel nursing career to a flying start for the long haul. What are you waiting for? Contact Loyal Source today.