Travel nursing has certainly been contracted by the economy. But is it fair to say that it is dead?…on life support? Our opinion is that travel nursing is very much alive, but the rules of the travel nursing jobs have changed. Not too long ago, travel nursing jobs out numbered the available travel nurses. Travel nurses could be selective and move at their own pace and the travel nursing job, more often than not, would still be there when the nurse was ready. This is no longer the case. Now, travel nurses outnumber the available travel nursing jobs. Let’s be clear though, travel nursing jobs continue to open everyday, just not in the volume they did in the past. The difference today is that the jobs tend to close minutes after they open because tens to hundreds of travel nursing candidates get submitted that quickly. Good or bad, that is the way it is today. It is probably a short lived scenerio that is tied to the economy. But, nonetheless, it is a scenerio that we all have to adapt to if we want to succeed. So what should a travel nurse do to put the odds in his/her favor for a travel job? First, the nurse should work towards getting speciality specific credentials. For example; An emergency room nurse should strive to acquire TNCC, CEN, and PALS in addition to having BLS and ACLS. Secondly, the nurse should discuss geographic locations with their recruiter and give permission for submission to any jobs that open in those predetermined areas. Thirdly, the nurse needs to be fully compliant with his/her agency’s submission policy. This is usually the basics: resume, skills checklist, two professional references, and copies of the nurse’s professional license(s). Travel nurses that follow these 3 tips will increase their odds of landing a travel nursing job. Happy travels!
Travel nursing has certainly been contracted by the economy. But is it fair to say that it is dead?…on life support? Our opinion is that travel nursing is very much alive, but the rules of the travel nursing jobs have changed. Not too long ago, travel nursing jobs out numbered the available travel nurses. Travel nurses could be selective and move at their own pace and the travel nursing job, more often than not, would still be there when the nurse was ready. This is no longer the case. Now, travel nurses outnumber the available travel nursing jobs. Let’s be clear though, travel nursing jobs continue to open everyday, just not in the volume they did in the past. The difference today is that the jobs tend to close minutes after they open because tens to hundreds of travel nursing candidates get submitted that quickly. Good or bad, that is the way it is today. It is probably a short lived scenerio that is tied to the economy. But, nonetheless, it is a scenerio that we all have to adapt to if we want to succeed. So what should a travel nurse do to put the odds in his/her favor for a travel job? First, the nurse should work towards getting speciality specific credentials. For example; An emergency room nurse should strive to acquire TNCC, CEN, and PALS in addition to having BLS and ACLS. Secondly, the nurse should discuss geographic locations with their recruiter and give permission for submission to any jobs that open in those predetermined areas. Thirdly, the nurse needs to be fully compliant with his/her agency’s submission policy. This is usually the basics: resume, skills checklist, two professional references, and copies of the nurse’s professional license(s). Travel nurses that follow these 3 tips will increase their odds of landing a travel nursing job. Happy travels!