{"id":2541,"date":"2019-10-25T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-10-25T15:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newdirectionsstaffing.com\/?p=2541"},"modified":"2022-01-11T17:17:03","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T17:17:03","slug":"travel-nursing-jobs-starting-your-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/travel-nursing-jobs-starting-your-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel Nursing Jobs: Starting Your Career"},"content":{"rendered":"
You\u2019ve done the research, read some blog posts (maybe on this very site), and you think you are ready to start your career in<\/span> travel nursing<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 What should your first step be \u2013 and, for that matter, your second and third step?\u00a0 Here are some things you should know as you set out on this rewarding career path.<\/span><\/p>\n

Travel Nursing 101<\/b><\/h2>\n

In case you aren\u2019t completely clear on what travel nursing jobs contain, here are some basics.\u00a0 A travel nursing assignment can be anywhere from 8 to 26 weeks long, with the average job lasting around 13 weeks.\u00a0 Anyone with a nursing license and at least one year of specialized experience can be a travel nurse. Being experienced and knowledgeable in a specialized field is helpful not only in becoming a travel nurse but also in your nursing career.\u00a0 Having higher education or high-level skills can make you more appealing for a position.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find a Travel Nursing Agency<\/b><\/h3>\n

One of the very first things people should do when they decide they want travel nursing jobs is looking for an agency.\u00a0 There are a lot of logistics involved in this type of work \u2013 where positions are opening, what type of specialists they need, how long the assignment is, and more.\u00a0 Navigating all of this on your own would be incredibly difficult. In fact, most travel nursing jobs can only be obtained through agencies. These companies work with you to find the perfect assignments to meet your skills.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not all travel nursing agencies are created equal, so make sure to take some time and research which one will be best for you.\u00a0 As this could potentially be a long-term partnership, you want to be with an agency you trust and admire. Consider the agency\u2019s background, qualifications, reviews, locations, and specializations when deciding if they will work well with you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Get More Nursing Licenses<\/b><\/h3>\n

At this point in your nursing career, you most likely have at least one RN license.\u00a0 However, if you are planning to become a travel nurse, you will need to get licensed in every state that you work in.\u00a0 While the average time to get a license is between two and four weeks, in some states such as California and Ohio it can take up to six months to get one.\u00a0 Stay ahead of the game by applying for licenses now.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a few different strategies for obtaining RN licenses for travel nursing jobs.\u00a0 You could get licensed in all the states you want to work in. This doesn\u2019t guarantee those states will have open positions, however.\u00a0 You could apply for licenses in the most popular states for travel nursing – <\/span>California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida<\/span>.\u00a0 Alternatively (or additionally), you can apply for the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC).\u00a0 This allows nurses to practice in any eNLC state.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use Your Resources<\/b><\/h3>\n

If you become a travel nurse, you will be moving around a lot.\u00a0 It can be hard to make friends and feel a sense of community when you change jobs every few months.\u00a0 When everything is changing over and over, it can be helpful to research things beforehand. Use<\/span> online resources<\/span><\/a> to learn about the place you will be living and your assignment so you know what to expect when you arrive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ready to apply?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Are you ready to start a rewarding nursing career where you not only get to help a variety of patients but also get to travel the country?\u00a0 New Directions Staffing can find your perfect first assignment. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Contact us<\/span><\/a> today to learn more about how we can help you succeed in travel nursing.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve done the research, read some blog posts (maybe on this very site), and you think you are ready to start your career in travel nursing.\u00a0 What should your first step be \u2013 and, for that matter, your second and third step?\u00a0 Here are some things you should know as you set out on this…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2542,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[112,101,98],"class_list":["post-2541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare-jobs","tag-nursing-careers","tag-travel-nursing","tag-travel-nursing-jobs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2541"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2541\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20277,"href":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2541\/revisions\/20277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newdirectionsstaffing.com\/healthcare\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}