Traveling Nurse: Are you Ready to Work as a Travel Nurse?
Is being a travel nurse worth it? There are a lot of travel nursing jobs in Oklahoma that might fit you. If you love traveling, and helping nurse people back to health then travel nursing is the right job for you. But with the influx of all of the qualified applications and the specialized requirements from employers, the travel nursing world can be very competitive. So, are you ready to work as a travel nurse?
How do I know I’m ready for travel nursing?
- The timing feels right.
- You want to challenge yourself and reach out of your comfort zone.
- You feel like you need more flexibility in your life.
- You’re ready for a change in your work and living environment.
How do I prepare to be a traveling nurse?
- Explore Travel Nursing
There are a bunch of travel nurses who also blog their experiences and it’s always nice to go and do explore that real, accessing quality information from the nurses who travel themselves (or had experience in the past)
- Network with Current Travel Nurses
Having connections with nurses who also travel could be taken as an advantage. You could ask for an introduction so that you could get the inside scoop.
- Research Travel Nurse Companies
Do your own homework. Don’t make a commitment to one company right away because there are a lot of nursing companies that may or may not be right for you. It is best that you keep your options open because companies vary in riles, benefits, and assignment qualities. You could make a list of all the Travel Nurse Companies and slowly tick them down one-by-one.
- Don’t Burn Your Bridges
It’s best that you think ahead. Don’t burn bridges from your former places of employment because there would come a time when you might wish to go back to your previous job.
- Have a Savings Account
It is better to be prepared. Most travel companies offer you a housing allowance, making you have control over the place that you stay in while you are in that town. But, there are going to be expenses that you have to pay upfront, even if they reimburse you.
What skills do you need to be a travel nurse?
- Comfort with Change
The recruiters look for a nurse who could move out of their comfort zone and should demonstrate resilience. If you are very rigid, structured, and used to doing everything the same way, then being a travel nurse would be so much harder for you since you are going to be assigned to different cities, and possibly, different states.
- An Open Mind and Flexibility
Being able to work with different units, getting along with your coworkers, being flexible, and going with the flow with the hospital is important. As a travel nurse, you are going to have unexpected schedules and unexpected things would happen. You need to be prepared to face these problems head on.
- Professionalism
The most important thing for a senior recruitment manager in a travel nursing agency is professionalism. They look for nurses who are able to handle themselves in a professional manner, and be professional in different types of environments and work with all types of colleagues. Displaying good listening and communication skills, dressing appropriately are only some of the skills that you could display to show that you could be professional.
- Reliability and Trustworthiness
Recruitment managers look for nurses that they could trust and rely on. Placing unreliable and untrustworthy nurses at top facilities would only damage their reputation, and even the reputation of the travel nursing agency that you are working for.
- The Ability to Learn New Skills and Grow
The ideal travel nurse that recruitment managers look for are experience, skills, and are excited to try and do something new. They are looking for people that are willing to grow and learn from the experience that they are about to have.
- A Great Attitude
Having a positive attitude is important to the nursing profession in general. If you have a pleasant demeanor and a positive outlook in life, you as a nurse would be more successful and you would enjoy your work more.
Travel nursing is a job that a lot of people are very interested in, especially if you love traveling and seeing other places, like Oklahoma for example. Do you think you are ready to open another chapter in your life? This is the sign!
