A travel nurse fulfills short-term contracts at different healthcare facilities, working through an agency. Traveling registered nurses need a nursing degree, a multistate license, and clinical experience. Travel nursing can offer opportunities to explore new places, develop careers, and potentially earn better compensation.
If you enjoy exploring new work settings and geographic locations, becoming a travel nurse might be for you. Travel nurses relocate to different healthcare facilities to fulfill short-term work assignments. What is a travel nurse’s reason for traveling? Like any workplace, hospitals sometimes experience staffing shortages. Whether due to parental leave, staff turnover, or a significant influx of patients, inadequate nursing staff can increase the risk of unsatisfactory patient outcomes and nurse burnout. Hospitals address short-term staffing shortages by turning to travel nurses.
With the excitement of a new place to work frequently and many different populations to serve, consider switching to nursing and becoming a travel nurse. You can make the switch to nursing faster with the University of St. Thomas’ Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program. Graduate in as few as 12 months after completing the prerequisites and start gaining clinical experience after passing the NCLEX-RN.
Before applying to our ABSN program, take a closer look at the travel nursing career. Get the answers to common questions, such as “What do travel nurses do?” and “How much do travel nurses make?” Then, explore the pathway for becoming a travel nurse.
What Is a Travel Nurse?
A travel nurse is a registered nurse (RN), advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), or licensed practical nurse (LPN) who fulfills short-term nursing jobs. Working through a travel nursing agency, a travel nurse signs a short-term contract with a hospital or other healthcare facility to work there for a set period.
The typical contract length is 13 weeks, though contracts may range from two to 26 weeks. Once the contract is over, the travel nurse may take time off or jump into the next contract and new location.
Travel doesn’t appeal to you? Think about a fully remote route with telehealth nursing.
What Do Travel Nurses Do?
Travel nurses handle the same sort of tasks as other RNs. These tasks include:
- Administering medications and treatments
- Assessing patients and developing treatment plans
- Collaborating with other healthcare providers
- Delivering patient education
- Performing diagnostic tests
- Setting up IV lines
- Taking medical histories, recording symptoms and observations, and updating medical records
Daily responsibilities can vary depending on the workplace setting and nursing specialty. For instance, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse will care for critically ill newborns, while an emergency room nurse will primarily triage patients with medical emergencies.
Where Do Travel Nurses Work?
Travel nurses often work at hospitals but may also work in other healthcare settings. These include physicians’ offices, specialty practices, outpatient clinics, and long-term care facilities such as nursing homes. Within a hospital, travel nursing professionals may work in any department, such as orthopedics, obstetrics, or the intensive care unit (ICU).
How Much Do Travel Nurses Make?
Like all career paths, a travel nurse’s salary varies, depending on the employer, geographic region, nursing specialty, and years of experience. In general, however, a travel nurse can expect a higher salary potential than a non-traveling RN.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for all types of RNs was $93,600 as of May 2024. It’s not uncommon for travel nurses to earn more than staff nurses, subject to specialty and the given work assignment. In addition, travel nurses can negotiate housing stipends, generous benefits packages, and other financial perks.
Benefits of Travel Nursing
Why consider becoming a travel nurse? This type of career has many perks, especially if you have an adventurous spirit and love meeting new people and seeing new places.
Consider the following benefits:
- Avoiding or minimizing exposure to office politics
- Choice of contracts
- Meeting new people and expanding one’s professional network
- Opportunities for career development due to exposure to various facilities, patient populations, healthcare technologies, and experiences
- The ability to explore new areas over weeks or months
- The potential to receive a higher pay rate, a housing stipend, travel reimbursements, and excellent benefits
Travel nurses can also take time off between contracts to enjoy vacations or visit with family and friends. Additionally, if you’re considering a permanent move, you could use a travel nursing contract as a trial run to see if the area suits you.
How to Become a Travel Nurse
There is no universal pathway to becoming a travel nurse; professionals enter this career from all walks of life and with diverse academic backgrounds. All traveling RNs, however, must meet a few universal requirements.
1. Earn a Nursing Degree
A traditional Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program takes four years. You may be eligible, however, to earn your BSN in as few as 12 months with UST’s ABSN program. Our ABSN blends online coursework with in-person nursing labs and clinical placements.
2. Pass the NCLEX-RN Exam
Earning a nursing degree is the first step toward licensure. You’ll also need to pass the NCLEX-RN. Some nursing students begin studying for this rigorous licensure exam as early as their first semester in nursing school. Answering a few practice questions each day, along with other study activities, can help make NCLEX-RN prep more manageable.
3. Obtain a Nursing License
Passing the NCLEX-RN permits you to obtain an RN license, but as a future travel nurse, you may want to apply for a multistate license. The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) is an interstate agreement that allows nurses in one member state to practice in any other member state without an additional state license. Most states are already members, including Texas, or have pending legislation to join.
You can apply to take the NCLEX-RN to earn a multistate license. This procedure is known as the license-by-exam process. If you’ve already passed the NCLEX-RN and then decide to become a travel nurse, you can apply for a multistate license by endorsement.
What can you do with a BSN? Explore more options for your future career.
4. Gain Clinical Experience in Your Specialty
Before becoming a travel nurse, you’ll need several years of clinical experience. It’s typical for travel nurse agencies to require a certain amount of experience. Clinical experience can also help you approach your first travel assignment with greater confidence.
5. Choose a Travel Nurse Agency
After gaining clinical experience, you can research different travel nurse agencies. Some travel nurses may join multiple agencies to choose from a broader range of contracts.
There are a few factors to consider when weighing your choices, including:
- Approachable, transparent agency recruiters (your main point of contact)
- Benefits packages
- Industry longevity
- On-the-job support system
- Volume and variety of contracts available
- Whether the agency has exclusive contracts or managed service agreements with specific healthcare facilities
6. Select Your First Assignment
After choosing a travel nursing agency, you can apply for your first assignment. Ask yourself the following questions when choosing your first contract:
- Are there any additional benefits, like a signing bonus?
- Are there guaranteed hours?
- Does the facility have a good reputation?
- Do I want to visit that location?
- Is it in an NLC member state?
- Is the salary attractive?
- What’s the hospital’s floating policy? Do they float travelers to other departments first before floating permanent staff?
Once you’ve selected an assignment, your recruiter will arrange a virtual interview. After accepting a job and signing the contract, you can start planning your temporary move.
Begin Your Nursing Journey With the ABSN at UST
If you have at least 60 non-nursing college credits from an accredited school and meet the admissions requirements, you could graduate with your BSN in as few as 12 months with UST’s ABSN program, after completing any needed prerequisite courses. With UST’s highly-skilled and dedicated instructors who have experience in many areas of nursing and Academic Success Coaches, the ABSN program at UST is committed to supporting your success.
Contact an admissions advisor today to find out if our ABSN program could be right for you and begin your journey toward becoming a travel nurse.