Are you feeling less than enthused about your current staff nurse position? Maybe you’re looking for a smart and exciting way to boost your nursing career.
We’ve got a hot tip for you — becoming a travel nurse may be a brilliant next step to further your career and help build your resume.
Not only will the experience gained by being a travel nurse enhance your nursing skills, but imagine the incredible adventures that await you. No day will be the same, you can meet new people and explore new places, and the pay can be quite substantial.
Learn the many ways you can advance your career as a travel nurse, growth opportunities available, and more.
Table of Contents
- What Are the Growth Opportunities for a Travel Nurse
- 10 Ways You Can Advance Your Career as a Travel Nurse
- How Can a Travel Nurse Agency Help Support Career Growth?
- Grow Your Career as a Travel Nurse With Trusted Nurse Staffing
What Are the Growth Opportunities for a Travel Nurse?
Travel nurses have ample opportunity to learn and experience different:
- Facilities
- Specialties
- Locations
- Technology
- People
Exposure to such a variety of places, people, and skill sets allows you to build invaluable work experience so that you may take your career in any direction you want.
The recruiters at Trusted Nurse Staffing have placed thousands of nurses in various positions across the country, and we can help you too. Interested in getting started? Use the Pronto job search to find a variety of available travel nurse assignments.
10 Ways You Can Advance Your Career as a Travel Nurse
#1: Expand Your Professional Network
It’s all about who you know, right?
A global survey conducted by LinkedIn found that 80% of professionals consider networking to be an important aspect of career development and growth.
Various travel assignments across the country might expand your network of colleagues and friends, potentially providing resources that may open doors for new opportunities.
Networking with fellow nurses might lead to:
- New job referrals
- Employment recommendations
- Professional development opportunities
- Insight into the best assignment locations and facilities
- Research and collaboration opportunities
- Mentorships
Becoming a travel nurse may be a surefire way to grow a professional network and increase career options for either continued travel assignments or a future long-term, permanent position.
#2: Build New Skill Sets and Be Exposed to Multiple Specialties
Working in different facilities might allow for exposure to multiple specialties and a broad range of patients which may provide major growth opportunities for traveling nurses.
Various medical specialties that might advance your career as a travel nurse include:
- Post-anesthesia care
- Operating room
- Hospice
- Labor and delivery
- Emergency room
- Oncology
- Pediatrics
- Neonatal intensive care
- Cardiovascular care
Travel nurses often care for a large amount of patients in a variety of specialties. Sometimes, a travel nurse may be asked to float to various units within a health system to support staffing needs.
The more experience you have, the more desirable you will be to a future employer. Travel nurse specialties that are in high demand might provide a diverse range of exposure and experience that may help with salary negotiation for future jobs.
The more knowledge you gain from different areas of specialized care, the more confidence you have when making career choices in the future.
#3: Experience Varied Work Settings
One of the best ways to advance your career as a travel nurse is to work in varied work settings. This gives you the advantage of skills learned as well as the knowledge of what work environment you prefer when it comes to future jobs.
Here are some examples of travel nurse work settings:
- Private hospitals
- Public hospitals
- Clinics
- Home health care
- Physician’s offices
- Schools
- Correctional facilities
- Residential care facilities
- Governmental agencies
- Rehabilitation centers
Technology used, as well as processes and procedures, can vary from facility to facility, exposing nurses to things that do and do not work well.
This helpful knowledge and experience gained from an array of healthcare settings can be transferred to your next assignment.
Interested in learning more about the places you can work as a travel nurse? Find your dream travel nurse assignment on Pronto!
#4: Gain Cultural Competency
Cultural competency in healthcare means providing effective, quality care to patients who have diverse attitudes, beliefs, values, and practices and travel nursing is an excellent way to build this.
As you travel to different assignments there will be ample opportunity to understand new cultures, as well as successfully navigate and provide care in diverse cultural settings.
If each assignment is treated as a learning experience, you’ll continue to learn and grow professionally. You’ll find new ways to bridge the gap between your own culture and your patients, leading to improved satisfaction, better health outcomes, and reduced healthcare disparities.
Consider these ways to enhance cultural competency as a travel nurse:
- Educate yourself
- Be open-minded and respectful
- Actively listen and communicate
- Identify cultural nuances
- Collaborate with interpreters
- Embrace cultural humility
Given the increasing diversity of patient populations, research supports that healthcare organizations integrate culturally congruent care into their philosophy and mission.
Employers seek out job applicants who understand the importance of cultural competence. As a travel nurse, the experiences you gain through practicing cultural competency skills may set you above other applicants and help advance your professional career.
#5: Hone Your Soft Skills
The growth opportunities for a travel nurse not only include enhancing medical skills but also offering the chance to hone your interpersonal skills as well.
Employers and patients will appreciate these particular skills practiced as a travel nurse:
- Adaptability
- Flexibility
- Teamwork
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking
Travel nurses work across the country with new people all of the time. Being the new kid in the block on a regular basis teaches you to communicate effectively and adjust to new work environments like a pro.
As a travel nurse, you meet the demands of whatever comes your way, and you find ways to work effectively as a team even in new situations.
#6: Foster Versatility and Confidence
Travel nurses have to adapt quickly to new environments, procedures, and people on a regular basis. Employers and healthcare facilities value a travel nurse’s superhero mindset — you can make a difference no matter where you are.
Repeated practice and willingness to perform in new surroundings may push you out of your comfort zone and the resilience grown from that may help you build confidence.
Research indicates that higher workplace confidence in healthcare settings may elevate the patient’s perception of their care, helping to advance your career at an accelerated rate.
Want a challenge that can cultivate confidence in your nursing skills and promote personal growth? Trusted Nurse Staffing can help. Contact us to connect with a recruiter.
#7: Work Alongside Peers With Varying Levels of Experience
Oprah Winfrey once said, “A mentor is someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself.”
Research shows that effective mentoring may inspire you to grow significantly both personally and professionally.
At some facilities, travel nurses may have the opportunity to work with senior nurses and doctors who have been staff providers for years at the same facility.
No matter what career stage you are in, mentorships can help advance your career as a travel nurse. Mentorships offer:
- Professional advice and insight
- Support and encouragement
- Higher levels of resilience
- Increased confidence
- Perspective on career decisions
- Expanded professional network
- Career development opportunities
- Increased competence in problem-solving
- Improved well-being
#8: Pursue Advanced Licensure or Certifications
Travel nursing offers the unique opportunity to explore different specialties. One growth opportunity for a travel nurse is the pursuit of advanced licensure and certification.
Advanced certifications not only refine your skill set but can often lead to increased earnings in some facilities.
Some examples of advanced certifications that can boost credentials and career progression are:
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN)
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
- Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN)
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC)
Future employers recognize the ambition shown by travel nurses who pursue higher education through obtaining advanced nursing licensure or certifications. Specialized certification provides proof that you are dedicated to your ongoing professional development and emphasizes your commitment to providing quality patient care.
One survey conducted by the American Board of Nursing Specialties found that 86% of nurse managers preferred to hire certified nurses over non-certified nurses when everything else was equal.
Travel nurse agencies often provide reimbursement for these pursuits.
With Trusted Nurse Staffing, we encourage our travel nurses to actively pursue professional development opportunities. That’s why we provide license, certification, and CEU reimbursements as well as tax-free student loan reimbursements up to $5,250 every year.
#9: Develop Proficiency in Various Electronic Records Systems
Various emerging technologies, such as electronic record keeping (EMR) or electronic health records (EHR) systems, are becoming more popular as facilities integrate new technological advances into their health systems. According to the CDC, just over 88% of office-based physicians alone are using EMR/EHR systems.
As a travel nurse, you may gain proficiency in the more common systems as you continue to work in different hospitals and medical settings. Functioning knowledge of these various electronic records systems can give you an advantage when it comes to getting hired because employers seek out nurses who have taken the time to become proficient in technology that will ensure that their patients receive the best medical treatment possible.
#10: Discover Your Career Goals Organically
Imagine yourself standing in the ice cream shop trying to choose just one flavor. With so many choices, it can quickly become overwhelming.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could try a sample of each flavor before making a commitment to just one?
That’s the beauty of travel nursing! With the opportunity to experience a variety of specialties without having to commit to a specific type of nursing for the long term, you do get to sample all the flavors!
Wherever you are in your nursing career, or if you don’t know exactly where you want your career to go, travel nursing can help you create goals and plans to achieve them.
You might be considering these questions:
- What’s most important for my nursing career?
- Do I want to continue my education?
- What medical specialty am I most excited about?
- Do I want to find better pay and more benefits?
- What further skills do I need to build my resume?
Travel nursing can be a fabulous way to narrow down your long-term career goals and discover what you are truly passionate about.
How Can a Travel Nurse Agency Help Support Career Growth?
Working with a reputable travel nursing agency may save time and frustration because we take care of the many aspects of planning that goes into a travel nurse assignment. The right nursing career experts will make you feel comfortable, prepared, and excited to begin your journey as a travel nurse.
Working with a travel nursing agency like Trusting Nurse Staffing can help advance your career as a travel nurse by offering:
- Job security
- Competitive compensation
- Employer-sponsored health benefits
- Referral bonus programs
- Student loan assistance
- Work flexibility
- Insurance benefits
- License and certificate reimbursements
- Ongoing assignment advocacy
Competitive Compensation
A travel nurse pay package is designed to attract nurses to a particular assignment. Travel nurse agencies work with hospitals and healthcare facilities to develop these packages by combining many factors, including:
- Location
- Contract length
- Specialty
- Experience
- Travel reimbursements
- Tax-free stipends
- Critical need for a specialty at a hiring facility
Benefits
A job as a travel nurse is stacked with benefits that can be totally different from traditional nursing positions, like:
- A flexible schedule
- Great pay
- Choice of geographic location
- Section of your healthcare facility
- Lack of workplace politics
- Meeting new people
- Work in a variety of settings
- Avoiding burnout
- Learning new skills
- Padding your resume
Not to mention, some travel nursing agencies might offer benefit packages that include:
- Healthcare
- Dental
- Life insurance
- Tax-free stipends
- Certification reimbursement
- Student loan assistance
- Access to a travel recruiter to find assignments and provide support throughout your contracts
It feels good to know that being adventurous does not always have to be hasty and reckless. With all of these benefits, taking a little adventure can be quite stable and grounding when advancing your career as a travel nurse.
Ideal Placements and Contract Flexibility
One of the most exciting benefits of being a travel nurse is the opportunity to choose the part of the country you want to work.
Looking to catch some gnarly waves? Wax up your surfboard and look for an assignment in California, Hawaii, or Florida.
Have you always wanted to hit up a Broadway play? Choose an assignment in New York City.
Maybe you want to stay closer to home to be near your family. You can do that too!
It gets better — as a travel nurse, you get to choose when you want to work. You can pick and choose your assignments and schedule time off when you want.
Want to take a backpacking trip to Europe in late September? Take a month off and do just that.
Maybe your sister is getting married and you love to help plan big events. Just take a break between traveling assignments, and you can be there to host the bridal shower, pick out cake flavors, and give the maid of honor speech on the big day.
Flexible work in ideal locations of your choosing, it can’t get much better than that!
Grow Your Career as a Travel Nurse With Trusted Nurse Staffing
At Trusted Nurse Staffing we are ready to help grow your career as a travel nurse.
You can rely on us to place you on assignments across the country that may advance your career. What sets Trusted Nurse Staffing above other traveling nurse agencies?
- We are a small company that takes pride in providing exceptional service. You will have 24/7 access to your recruiter if you happen to have any questions day or night every day of the year.
- We have a whole department dedicated to quality assurance, and our mission is to provide you with the best travel nurse experience possible.
- We offer perks including a swag-filled welcome box and a loyalty rewards program.
- We offer flexible contracts ranging from per-diem up to 52 weeks in length.
- There are housing, meal, and travel allowances — all tax-free as long as they’re used for duplicate expenses.
- We provide full, pre-paid health insurance and options for both low and high-deductible dental and vision plans.
- We want cream-of-the-crop nurses like yourself to partner with us. If you refer a friend, we offer a $1,500 referral bonus program.
- We even offer student loan assistance after you have been with us for just 30 days!
With so many reasons to join us, we look forward to working with you to grow your career as a travel nurse. Use Pronto to find your dream travel nurse assignment today!