How does travel nursing work? It’s a short-term nursing job where nurses can work in different locations and gain diverse clinical experience. Working through an agency, travel nurses typically receive competitive pay, health insurance, retirement and other benefits. Explore the answers to frequently asked questions regarding travel nursing.
Travel nursing offers nurses a chance to gain diverse clinical experience while exploring new places.
As you think about how to use a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from Concordia University, St. Paul, you may wonder: How does travel nursing work and what are the benefits?
This career features competitive salaries, flexible contracts and the opportunity to make a difference nationwide. Earning a BSN is the first step toward this exciting career path.
What Does a Travel Nurse Do?
With travel nursing, a registered nurse is hired to work short-term for a healthcare system. They fill gaps when a hospital is short staffed or has a nurse on leave. Each opportunity is different depending on the unit and role, but they will care for patients alongside the staff nurses.
How Long is a Travel Assignment?
Assignments are generally eight or 13 weeks but can last from a few weeks to a few months or longer. You can choose where you travel, which units you work on, and potentially stay in areas closer to home.
What Are the Qualifications for Travel Nursing?
Having a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is the preferred level of education for traveling nurses, so earning a BSN rather than an associate degree will open more doors for you in this field.
If you want to get started with travel nursing sooner, CSP’s ABSN program can prepare you to be a practice-ready nurse in 16 months. With a BSN, you will be able to pursue this career path after you have gained several years of clinical experience.
When Can I Become a Travel Nurse?
Travel nursing has historically been thought of as a career that is only an option after working as a nurse for a few years. The general rule is that agencies want two years of experience, but with the great need in our hospitals, it is possible for recent grads to work earlier than that.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Travel Nursing?
Travel nursing introduces a variety of benefits and challenges compared to traditional nursing, and it is helpful to go into this field with a clear understanding.
Pros of Travel Nursing
Some of the pros of travel nursing include:
- Ability to travel to new places and meet new people
- Gain excellent, well-rounded experience quickly
- Work in a range of units and roles
- Valuable experience for your resume
- Earn up to four times the compensation rate of traditional nursing
- Comprehensive benefits and logistics through agencies
- Ability to request where you travel and which assignments you take
- Opportunity for vacation time between each contract
Cons of Travel Nursing
Some of the drawbacks of travel nursing include:
- A steep learning curve as you learn new hospital system policies and workflows every time you move
- Difficult for families with school-aged children or people who need to be at home
- Hard to get to know coworkers well
- Must complete your contract, even if you find the environment doesn’t suit you
Travel nursing is best for those who want a flexible lifestyle without major ties to a location.
How Are Travel Nurses Hired?
Travel nurses are hired through agencies that contract with the hospital, and these agencies organize many of the details.
What Are the Salary and Benefits for Travel Nurses?
A fairly high salary is one of major perks of travel nursing. The average annual salary for travel nurses is more than $110,000, higher than registered nurses, according to Indeed.
Typical Agency Benefits
The benefits provided by travel nursing agencies often include:
- High weekly compensation rate
- Vacation time
- Health, vision and dental insurance
- Life insurance
- 401(k) plan
- Travel stipend for moving costs
- Weekly housing and food stipend
- Education support for continuing education or a graduate degree
With travel nurses being such a valuable commodity, agencies tend to take good care of their nurses and are available to help with paperwork and any challenges.
How Do I Find an Agency and Apply?
If you are interested in traveling, research the details of many travel nursing agencies before you commit. These agencies contract with a variety of hospitals, so look at what job openings are available with each agency.
You can find social media groups to connect with other nurses and read reviews about different hospitals and agencies. If the job turns out to be less than ideal, remember that it is short term, and you can move to another hospital and agency next time.
Agency and Job Application Process
As far as the application process goes, it is quite simple:
- You express interest with a travel nursing agency.
- A recruiter will reach out and have you submit your resume, references and skills test.
- After telling the recruiter what jobs interest you, they will send you all the job info, such as compensation, stipend and travel reimbursement.
- Decide the final jobs you’d like to apply to; the recruiter submits your applications.
- Have a phone interview with the hospital.
- Complete paperwork plus a physical, TB test and drug test. If you stay at the same agency, this step can be skipped after your first travel job.
- For the next job, tell the recruiter which jobs to apply for. You can also request an extension from your current hospital if you like your current assignment.
As you can see, travel nursing agencies do most of the work to place you in a new role.
How Do You Get Started?
If you have already earned your BSN and have some experience under your belt, you can jump right in by reaching out to a travel nursing agency.
If you have 60 college credits or hold a non-nursing bachelor’s degree, reach out to us at Concordia St. Paul today. We will help you get started on your path to a BSN.
With our ABSN program, you can graduate and get started with travel nursing in just a few years. With us, you can earn a BSN in 16 months. We have three start dates each year, so you can make the most of your time.
Connect with us at CSP today.