Travel nurses are essential because they play an important role since nurses are important for healthcare facilities to function fully, making it one of the most demanded jobs in the medical industry. These are the people all health care facilities turn to when they need more nurses to cover certain shifts. There are the top travel nursing jobs that you could also choose from, but here are some steps to becoming a certified travel nursing assistant.
Requirements for a travel assignment
What are the License Requirements For Travel Nursing?
- You get to choose whether you could finish an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in nursing
- Some agencies prefer to hire a BSN-prepared registered nurse but it is not a formal requirement
- Licensed in the state that you are planning on working at as a CNA
- State license in the state in which you work
What are the Certification Requirements for Travel Nursing?
- Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Credentials in the specialty
How Many Years of Experience Do You Need?
- For travel nursing, you are going to need at least one year of experience
- 2 years of hospital experience
- If you plan on working in a specialized unit, then you should have experience commensurate with that specialty
How much do nurses who travel earn per year?
You could make more money in a month as a travel nurse compared to a staff nurse if you only work one or two-month-long assignments. If you want to make more money, then you could take several assignments in a 12-month period.
Your pay would depend on your contract and your skill set. Here is an example of a standard total pay package of a travel nurse.
Taxable base wage $3,200
The housing stipend monthly $1,200
Meals stipend $800
Mileage stipend $500
Bonus when you sign-on $2,000
Is it hard to become a travel nurse?
A lot of people are very reluctant to become travel nurses because they think it’s hard, but once you start traveling, then there would be millions of reasons to keep on going on this fun adventure. Here are some reasons why you should be a travel nurse:
- You get to see the country in ways most people do not experience
- Your schedule will be flexible
- You will be well compensated
- You will get to help people who really need it
- You will meet all kinds of people
- You will learn skills beyond nursing
How long do they usually stay in one place?
The length of a travel nursing assignment would vary depending on the facility that you choose to work at. There are some contracts that could last 2 weeks, but the most common would have to be 13 weeks.
What are The Best Highest Cities for RNs in 2021?
- San Jose, California
- Oakland, California
- Tanaina, Alaska
- Wasilla, Alaska
- Summersville, West Virginia
- Hayward, California
- Jackson, Wyoming
- Norwalk, Connecticut
- Seattle, Washington
- Vallejo, California
What are the Highest Paying Travel Nurse Specialties in 2021?
- ICU Travel Nurse
The annual salary of an Intensive Care Unit Travel Nurse is about $138,909, making them the highest paying travel nurse specialty in 2021, with an hourly wage of $66.86
- PACU Travel Nurse
$ 124,195 is the annual salary for an Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) Travel Nurse, who earns approximately $ 59.71 per hour.
- Travel Nurses who are in Labor and Delivery
A Labor and Delivery Travel nurse makes $114,690 annually, making them the third highest paid travel nurse specialty, with a salary of $55.17 hourly.
- Cath Lab Travel Nurse
A travel nurse who works in a cath lab is paid $ 54.98 an hour, so that makes their annual salary a total of $114,352.
- OR Travel Nurse
An Operating Room (OR) Travel Nurse takes fifth place, making about $113,613 annually and $54.62 hourly.
The potential for travel nurses in these areas could be even higher because the list above is the average salary for Registered Nurses, but the cost of living also comes into play when it comes to these types of situations.
References:
https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/blog/10-benefits-of-being-traveling-nurse/
https://www.travelnursing.org/why-travel-nurses-make-more-money/
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