What you’ve always wanted to know about travel nursing but have been too afraid to ask.

From the outside, travel nursing seems adventurous and exciting—an opportunity to satisfy both your wanderlust and your clinical experience. But, it’s a BIG field, and the more you Google, the more nerve-wracking it can seem! So…how do you go about navigating this new territory successfully? We’re glad you asked. Below, we answer the 5 biggest questions prospective travel nurses have as well as clear up common misconceptions. Along the way, we’ll even include a few pro tips to keep the wind at your back. 

“Recruiting agencies are a scam, right?”

So, here’s the deal. Travel nurse agencies are businesses; as such, they do make a profit from connecting hospitals in need of nurses with…nurses in need of assignments. To find those nurse, they recruit. Different agencies have different recruitment styles, and some do seem to promise the moon. Your job is to ask questions and get to know the agency to assess whether their talk matches your (intended) walk. Just like any new relationship, no one agency is a best fit for every travel nurse. The biggest thing to remember is that—if and when you do sign on—they are working for you, as much as you will be working for them. Check out our blog article for all the fine print details you need to be paying attention to when choosing an agency. 

“Is it really hard to get a license in another state?”

This is a common fear of nurses who are considering the whole travel nurse gig. The good news? There’s a little thing you probably haven’t heard of — The Nursing Licensure Compact. This hand-dandy group of 34 states came together to decide that nurses only need one valid license to practice within any of them. And, if your travel assignment does happen to fall in a state outside the Compact, getting a license in that state is not as hard as you might imagine. Often, the first (and only!) step is to go to the State Nursing Board and submit an application. If any fees are charged, that nursing agency you so diligently researched should pick up the tab. 

“How do you live out of a hotel?”

Unless hotel living is a fetish of yours, this notion of needing to live out of a suitcase for weeks on end is simply false. Now, occasionally travel assignments will provide their own housing. Or your recruiting agency may offer to arrange lodging, too. But in most cases, you’ll want to channel Stevie Nicks and go your own way. The biggest advantage to finding your own accommodations is that the savings on cost is directly passed down to you. That, and you’ll be able to chose where you’d like to be—near your employer, near the town center, near the hiking trails…you get the picture. For those that intend to travel with pets, this is good news! You’ll be able to find something that accommodates both you and your furry friends. Another thing to consider—if your upcoming assignment is far from home, look into booking a rental for a week to scope out the lay of the land before committing to something long-term. One word of warning—make sure to double check cancellation policies on any rentals you intend to sign with. Sometimes renting sight-unseen can deliver nasty surprises and you don’t want to be out a hefty deposit (or worse) if that turns out to be the case. Lastly, big hospitals that utilize travelers often usually have a rotation of nurses looking for roommates. Check local Facebook groups or LinkedIn to match with potential new roomies.

“Travel nurses are looked down upon in my unit—won’t it be hard to endure that in a new place? How will I make friends?”

Being the new kid on the block is tough, no matter if you are 5 or 25. This is a time to let your stellar nursing skills and sparkling personality shine through! Some bad apples may have come before you (we all have endured that kind of traveling nurse, who shirks responsibilities, does that absolute minimum and can’t bear to crack a smile), so…don’t be her/him. Be YOU. The you who had a spark of desire to see what nursing was like in many different environments. Just remember that the whole different=scary feeling is transient.

This kind of perspective shift can yield wonderful experiences, but only if you allow yourself to be a little bit vulnerable and willing to have them. One thing some travel nurses have done to mentally prepare for being in lands unknown is gaining float experience. That way, you’re still on your home turf, but dipping your toe into unfamiliar waters in a controlled environment. Then, once you head out on your first travel assignment, make it a point to seek out the friendly faces! As my mom used to tell me—“To make good friends, you first have to be a good friend.” Substitute in “nurse” and you’re off to the races!

“Are the best assignments only given to experienced travel nurses?”

 The key word to remember when you begin your travel nurse adventures is flexibility. In the beginning, especially as an inexperienced travel nurse (or newish to nursing in general), you simply won’t have the pick of the travel assignment litter. If you can learn to compromise a little in terms of location desired, shifts worked, or departments chosen you’ll have accrued a nice little stash of travel nurse assignments before your know it (yes, 13 weeks goes by faster than you’d think). At that point, you’ll have some bargaining chips to put into play when it comes to choosing your future assignments. “Bad” assignments can and do happen, but you just need to decide now that you’ll make the best of them. Strive to find the positive (even if it’s something simple, like a killer coffee shop around the corner from your condo rental), and keep your chin up. Even though it’s tough to make the best of something, looking back you’ll realize those were your character-building moments.