Bone marrow transplant nurses are vital healthcare workers in the field of oncology.
BMT travel nurses get to travel across the country to help facilities provide life-saving treatments to oncology patients. If this sounds exciting to you, you just might be the ideal candidate for BMT travel nursing.
This article aims to reveal the key insights, the pros, the cons, and the requirements of BMT travel nursing.
Table of Contents
- What Is a BMT Travel Nurse
- Where Do BMT Travel Nurses Work?
- How Much Does BMT Travel Nursing Pay?
- How Long Are BMT Travel Nurse Assignments?
- Requirements To Become a BMT Travel Nurse
- The Pros and Cons of BMT Travel Nursing
- Is BMT Travel Nursing the Career Change You’ve Been Looking For? Trusted Nurse Staffing Can Help
What Is a BMT Travel Nurse
Annually, there are 50,000 bone marrow and stem cell transplant procedures performed worldwide. The procedure itself only takes about 1-2 hours, but the preparation and healing can take anywhere from 3 to 18 months to complete.
Bone marrow transplant (BMT) nurses are oncology professionals who specialize in the preparation, performance, and aftercare of bone marrow and stem cell transplants. BMT travel nurses are specialized nurses who travel across the U.S. to provide care for bone marrow transplant patients.
What Are the Characteristics Needed To Become a BMT Travel Nurse?
BMT travel nurses are often recognized for their ability to follow policies and procedures to the highest detail.
Bone marrow transplant is a long and complicated procedure. BMT nurses need to be able to keep calm and follow instructions to ensure a successful transplant.
Additionally, BMT travel nurses need to be:
- Compassionate
- Resilient
- Even-tempered
- Adaptable
What Are the Duties of a BMT Travel Nurse?
Transplant facilities may have different policies, requirements, or processes but the main duties of BMT travel nurses are generally the same. These duties include:
- Patient assessment: BMT travel nurses form a holistic view of the patient’s medical history and lab results while charting information related to their condition. BMT nurses essentially help doctors assess the patient’s readiness for the transplant process through a series of screenings and tests.
- Education: A part of the transplant process is informing and educating the patient to help them prepare mentally and physically. BMT nurses help the patient reach a thorough understanding of the procedure, preparation requirements, potential side effects, and after-care details.
- Pre-transplant preparation: Before a transplant procedure, patients will need to have their vitals taken by BMT nurses.
- Procedure: BMT nurses assist doctors with administering chemotherapy, the infusion of stem cells to bone marrow, and the monitoring of the patient during the procedure.
- After-care: BMT nurses continue to provide patient care even long after the initial procedure. Whether it is providing guidance, carrying out additional screenings and tests, and assisting with follow-up appointments.
As a BMT nurse, you will:
- Perform daily care tasks
- Take vitals
- Draw blood
- Accurately chart patient details
- Start IVs
- Administer medication
- Manage infusion reactions
- Any other patient and administrative duties required by the healthcare facility
Where Do BMT Travel Nurses Work?
BMT travel nurses work in:
- Hospitals and clinics
- Oncology centers
- Apheresis centers
- Research labs
You will find BMT nurses in any facility specializing in bone marrow and stem cell transplants. They are vital for successful patient outcomes.
BMT travel nurses work alongside:
- Radiologists
- Oncologists
- Bone marrow physicians
- Surgeons
Are you a BMT nurse or a prospective nurse looking to start traveling more? Oncology specialists like BMT nurses are in high demand. Due to this, the opportunities for BMT travel nurses are endless.
So how do you sort through so many potential travel nursing assignments to find the best?
Trusted Nurse Staffing makes it easy to find BMT travel nursing assignments with just a few swipes and clicks. We created Pronto so that high-quality nurses can get access to the best listings and find their dream travel nursing job.
Search Oncology and BMT travel nursing assignments across the country by visiting our job board.
What Kind of Patients Are in a BMT Unit?
Patients who are receiving or recovering from a bone marrow transplant can be found in a BMT unit. There, BMT nurses work around the clock to provide patient care and monitoring.
Bone marrow transplants are often performed on patients who have:
- Leukemia
- Lymphoma
- Aplastic anemia
- Multiple myeloma
- Immune deficiency disorders
- Solid-tumor cancers (in rare instances)
How Much Does BMT Travel Nursing Pay?
Oncology travel nurses, like BMT travel nurses, are some of the highest-paid nurses. Salary.com estimates that the annual salary of oncology nurses is $70,339 to $99,478.
The ten highest-paying cities for BMT travel nurses are:
- San Buenaventura, CA: $162,958 annually
- Maricopa, CA: $162,434 annually
- Cameron, AZ: $162,434 annually
- Coarsegold, CA: $154,776 annually
- Arivaca Junction, AZ: $146,529 annually
- Five Points, FL: $142,507 annually
- New York City, NY: $98,794 annually
- Berkeley, CA: $98,089 annually
- Bend, OR: $95,823 annually
- Renton, WA: $95,734
How Long Are BMT Travel Nurse Assignments?
The length of the average travel nursing assignment is 13 weeks. Depending on the nursing position, assignments can range from as little as 2 weeks to as long as 26 weeks.
Trusted Nurse Staffing works with nurses to find contracts that reflect their personal goals and needs.
Want or need a short assignment? Like a particular assignment and want to stay longer? No problem. We’re on a mission to support travel nurses in their search and journey. Learn more today.
Requirements To Become a BMT Travel Nurse
BMT travel nurses have the same base requirements as non-specialized RNs. But because BMT nursing is an advanced specialty, BMT nurses need more certifications and experience.
Educational
- To begin your travel nursing career you will first need a degree from an accredited university. This can be achieved by completing a nursing program and receiving your Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree.
- Most employers and travel nursing agencies prefer candidates with a BSN due to the extent of education and experience. Since oncology nurses, like BMT nurses, are specialized nurses whose job requires precision and skill, most employers likely seek nurses with a BSN.
Licensing
Next, you must obtain and maintain a registered nursing license. Licensing requirements may vary from state to state, but all nurses must pass the NCLEX-RN (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses) to become licensed.
Since each state has individual licensing terms and requirements, travel nurses need to be licensed in each state they wish to work in. Fortunately, some states participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).
The NLC allows some states to have a standard set of licensure requirements to streamline the process. With the NLC nurses can obtain one multi-state license. Currently, 41 jurisdictions participate in the NLC agreement fully or partially.
States that do not participate in the NLC include:
- California
- Connecticut
- Nevada
- Oregon
States that are pending NLC legislation include:
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
Certifications
A Bone Marrow Transplant Certified Nurse (BMTCN) and an Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN) certification will likely be required to become a BMT nurse. These certifications are national certifications and must be obtained through the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC).
To obtain either of these certifications candidates must currently hold an active and unencumbered nursing license. A qualified candidate must also have:
- Two years working as an RN.
- 2,000 hours of BMT nursing practice.
- 10 completed hours of continued nursing education in blood and marrow stem cell nursing or academic oncology nursing.
Other necessary certifications may include:
- ONS Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Certification
- ONS Chemotherapy and Immunology Certification
- Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Certification
The more certifications and education a BMT travel nurse has, the better. Facilities seek only the best and brightest travel nurses to fill oncology nursing positions.
Trusted Nurse Staffing helps these nurses and facilities find one another to provide phenomenal patient care. Use Pronto to find your ideal BMT travel nursing assignment.
Experience
Generally, facilities prefer that travel nurses have a few years of experience. Greener nurses may have a hard time acclimating to the ever-changing environments of travel nursing.
BMT travel nursing is an advanced specialty. To obtain your BMT license, you must have two years of nursing under your belt. Nursing departments that may help you garner experience for BMT travel nursing include:
- Oncology
- Telemetry
- Medical/Surgical
Immunizations and Health
Everyday RNs trench through bacteria and pathogens to care for their patients. Immunizations and screenings for medical professionals not only protect patients but also healthcare workers.
Facilities may require specific immunizations before hiring nurses, such as:
- Hepatitis B
- Covid-19
- Varicella
- Meningococcal
- Season influenza
- Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis (TDaP)
- Measles, Mumps, and Rubella
Immunizations and health requirements may vary between facilities. Tuberculosis screenings may also be required.
The Pros and Cons of BMT Travel Nursing
All jobs have their ups and downs. Consider these pros and cons when weighing your career options.
BMT Travel Nursing Pros
As a BMT travel nurse, you get to:
- Travel to new and exciting places
- Make great money
- Earn tax-free living stipends
- Change your scenery to reduce burnout
- Pad your resume and exhibit impressive adaptability
- Make new friends and career connections
- Work with leading experts in the field of oncology
BMT Travel Nursing Cons
BMT travel nursing is not without its downsides. The cons include:
- Lengthy qualification process
- Loneliness and homesickness
- Travel fatigue
- Complicated taxes
- Constantly having to adapt to unfamiliar environments
- Always being the “new nurse”
- Being the first to float
- Constantly having to familiarize yourself with your work settings
Is BMT Travel Nursing the Career Change You’ve Been Looking For? Trusted Nurse Staffing Can Help
Bone Marrow Transplant nurses are extremely valuable healthcare workers. It can take years to even become qualified to be a BMT nurse, let alone obtain all the necessary certifications. Because of this, facilities pay BMT nurses good money — and BMT travel nurses even more.
We know this and we want to help nurses take advantage of this.
Trusted Nurse Staffing has been revolutionizing the travel nurse industry since 2008. We’ve now taken it one step further. Using Pronto, our travel nurses can easily access potential BMT travel nursing contracts on the go.
We are one of the highest-paying travel nurse agencies in the country. It is our mission to support and reward the backbone of the healthcare industry.
Working with Trusted Nurse Staffing offers many professional advantages, like:
- Sign-on bonuses
- High pay rates
- Stipends for travel, housing, and meals
- Flexible contracts
- Full or part-time work
- Referral and completion bonuses
- Dental, health, and vision benefits
- 24/7 access to your recruiter
So what are you waiting for? Join the thousands of travel nurses who utilize our services to find their dream travel nursing assignment today.