6 Tips and Tricks to Help First Time Travelers With Their First Assignment!
So, you want to become a traveling Nurse? Roaming from city to city, making great money and having good flexibility? Well although travel nursing is an AWESOME job, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. With the right advice and guidance, you can crush your travel assignment and take your career to new heights.
On this segment of Traveler Tuesday our team will highlight stories and go over tips and tricks to help first time travelers on their first assignment.
Stress and Anxiety
As the start of your new travel assignment approaches anxiety can manifest in many ways. Experienced travel nurses may probably be familiar with the more evident symptoms: butterflies in your stomach, loss of appetite, doubts in your abilities – but don’t hesitate and put yourself in a dark place. These are all common and easy to recognize as anxiety, and often, this stress will diminish with time and on-the-job familiarity.
Packing
Surprisingly, less is more – Take it from a senior traveler “In the past 3 years, I went from packing every single thing that I owned into my car and driving to each destination, to ditching my car and only packing one checked luggage and shipping 1-2 boxes.” Remember, you will be wearing scrubs 3 days out of the week and always pack for the season and/or location. Feel it out on your first assignment.
Housing
Finding the right housing as a traveling healthcare professional can be a real frustration, and it’s one of the first thing you want to check off your to do list. We strongly advice travelers to opt for month-to-month rentals. Try to protect yourself by not signing a lease and avoiding a deposit although many times a renter would require such things. Whether you’re an experienced traveler or just taking on your first travel adventure, there is one obstacle which can make or break your contract: housing.
We’ve compiled a list of popular housing tools to assist you on your search. Click the links below to get started. https://www.voyagesolutions.com/job-seekers/housing/
Travel Buddy
Many nurses aren’t aware that you can travel with a friend for a travel nursing assignment. This ensures you always have someone who can explore the city with you, understand your frustrations and split the food, housing, and travel cost.
Good Recruiter
Finding the best recruiter for your travel nurse voyage is essential. Having the right team on your side can make or break your career as a travel nurse. A strong travel nurse recruiter takes the extra step to secure a hard to get contract, at a competitive pay. A great recruiter will advocate for an extension with the facility, or will provide you multiple options weeks before your contract comes to an end. An efficient and speedy credentialing team is like the cherry on the cake.
Certifications
When a traveler accepts a travel nursing job offer, the travel agency will begin the credentialing and compliance process if they haven’t already. To make the process as smooth as possible make sure your certifications are not expired, or expiring soon and that you have digital copies at hand – common certifications include: BLS, ACLS, & NIHSS
While it can be daunting and scary when you are a new traveler. Remember that being a travel nurse is one of the most incredible jobs out there! Just remember, you are armed with the skills and requirements needed to thrive, so do not let fear stand in your way!
Do you have some tips and tricks for new nurses considering traveling for the first time? What was it like for you? Let me know in the comments below!