Ask a Travel Nurse Question:
Hi. I’m currently a high school student and recently I have been interested in the career of travel nursing. I would like to ask you some questions about this career for my research essay, and future references. If I were to start straight from high school what classes would I have to take, what majors should I choose, and an outline of what you did to get to where you are today. Thank you very much for your time.
Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:
Hello Tiffany. As the title “travel nurse” suggests, you must first be a registered nurse to embark on a career in this field.
From high school you can accomplish this in a few different ways, but all involve enrolling in an accredited nursing program. You can do this in a two-year program where you would emerge with an associate’s degree, a three-year program where you would be given a Diploma of Nursing, or a four-year year program which would yield you a bachelors degree.
Regardless of the type of degree you obtain, you will be required to sit for, and pass, a state administered exam (currently called the NCLEX). It also does not matter what type of degree you hold once you pass the exam, all will give you the designation R.N. (registered nurse). However, those with a four year degree can also add the letters B.S.N. (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) to their name.
Once you become an RN, you will need at least one year of clinical experience to become a travel nurse. However, it currently has become common for many travel companies to require two years of recent clinical experience in order to travel.
Once you have enough experience, you join a company that specializes in travel nursing opportunities. From there, you simply seek out assignments in parts of the country where you would enjoy spending time. A typical travel assignment is 13 weeks in duration, but assignments can be found for both shorter and longer time frames.