About Travel Nursing

What is Travel Nursing?

To better understand the profession of travel nursing, it's a good idea to start with its history. Travel nursing owes its existence in large part to the simple concept of supply and demand. Because the nationwide demand for nurses is at an all-time high and the actual supply remains rather limited, the opportunity for new and existing nurses to travel the country and take their talents on the road has skyrocketed.

There's also no doubt that hospitals and healthcare facilities across the country have long dealt with the need to maintain adequate staff - and due to a variety of factors, including the long held belief that patient volumes significantly increase for facilities in warmer climates during the winter months, the need for additional, supplementary staffing never wavers. The best candidates to fill these temporary positions are - you guessed it - travel nurses!

Nowadays, travel nursing has become one of the most lucrative and adventurous career choices in the healthcare industry. The fact that travel nurses often times earn substantially more than permanent staff members is definitely one of the most appealing factors, but don't underestimate the attraction of nationwide travel - it essentially means travel nursing is the best paid vacation you could ever want!

Who is the typical travel nurse?

One of the truly interesting things about travel nursing is that there's really no "typical" travel nurse at all! From recent college graduates to more experienced RNs who've made the rounds on a variety of permanent positions, those who tend to gravitate towards the travel nursing lifestyle do so because there's no substitute for higher pay and more adventure. Plus, it's a great way to visit family and friends around the country for longer periods of time than your average paid vacation might allow.

Furthermore, nurses dealing with that "empty nest" syndrome of their own children finally leaving home now have the opportunity to branch out on their own and see what travel nursing has in store for them. Don't forget the recent college graduates and young RNs who might not just be ready to settle down and would love some coast-to-coast travel time.

What does it take to start travel nursing?

There's nothing like the sense of adventure and optimism that comes with starting your travel nursing career. To make sure you start off on the right foot, here's a list of what you should have:

• At least 1 year of recent acute-care experience (not always!)
  
• Good professional references
  
• A sense of adventure
  
• Flexibility

As long as you're ready to try something new and looking forward to being generously rewarded for it, there's really nothing intimidating about the travel nursing lifestyle. Think of it like this - you'll have the opportunity to work at some the most state-of-the-art facilities in the entire country, which means you'll be well versed in all the latest medical technology and procedures. You'll get to work in a new setting every 13-26 weeks - enough time to learn the process at your facility but certainly not enough time to get burnt out. Plus, you have complete control over where you want work. Hate the cold weather of your hometown in December? Stay warm in Florida! It's really that simple.

The experiences you'll have while on the road, going from one exciting travel nursing assignment to another, are just too many and too great to list here. What you can be sure of is this - the people you'll meet, the places you'll see and the personal growth you'll enjoy are the kind of factors that spell happiness every time. Here at NovaPro, our focus is you and our greatest pleasure is knowing that your expertise as a nurse caring for those in need is matched only by how happy it makes us to help you live your dream - one travel nursing assignment at a time.