The concept of travel nursing originated in the early 1980s, when many US states were experiencing nurse shortages and needed nurses to alleviate temporary staff shortages. Hospitals hired travel nurses to meet their staffing needs because these nurses were willing to travel to new destinations and offer their nursing services. Nurses also enjoyed working in this field because this career offered them flexible hours and the option of visiting new states and cities.
Over the years, this form of nursing became very popular with nurses because the travel nursing career offered higher wages and benefits, job flexibility, free housing and stipend, and exposure to new technology. In addition, the nurses also had the opportunity to visit new destinations and gain extensive clinical work experience. The demand for traveling nurses also increased among healthcare facility owners because these nurses could fill their short-term staff shortages or assist them during local emergencies. They were also able to avoid unnecessary costs that would otherwise be spent on permanent nurses to meet temporary staffing needs.
Requirements
A traveling nurse must have a registered nursing degree and between 1 and 1.5 years of clinical work experience to work as a travel nurse. Generally, there are three paths that can lead to an RN degree. These streams include a) Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), b) Hospital-based Diploma Program, and c) Bachelor of Science (BSN) in Nursing. DNA lasts about two years; The diploma program lasts for three years and BSN is a four-year program. Completion of any of these programs offers eligibility to challenge the NCLEX-RN exam for an RN credential.
However, in the travel nursing industry, registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees are in high demand because they have extensive clinical experience. However, for faster professional growth, lucrative jobs, and income, registered nurses must also specialize in specialties because there is a higher requirement for advanced practice registered nurses with specialty certification.
Hiring process
There are hundreds of employment agencies in the United States that provide recruiting and hiring services for temporary staff. Registered nurses must apply to these agencies for travel nursing jobs because facility owners also contract with these agencies to provide and meet their temporary staffing needs. These agencies have few hiring requirements that registered nurses must complete, including submitting resumes, completed applications, state-issued IDs, and references. Nurses must also be free of criminal records, drug abuse, and addiction, and must complete checkups, shots, and shots. Once the applicants meet these requirements, the hiring agencies schedule their interview with the landlords. Selected nurses receive short-term nursing assignments of 4-13 weeks or a few months.
However, there are some points that nurses should remember before accepting these assignments. Nurses should require a written and signed contract for the job offered. The agreement must include the necessary employment information, such as the job description, hours of work, licenses, wages and benefits, and termination clauses. The signed contract is helpful for any future work-related disputes.
Labor outlook
The travel nursing career has a bright future because the healthcare industry is the largest and fastest growing sector in the country. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an additional 526,800 registered nurses will be required to work in different positions from 2012 to 2022 and their demand will increase 19 percent over the same period. The nursing shortage will further drive demand for travel nurses in the country.
