Careers in healthcare can be exhausting with very little payoff. Healthcare providers report feeling stressed, burnt out, and anxious most of the time due to the high amount of work with few holidays in between.
However, one profession offsets the workload with insane salaries while also giving you a chance to explore new places and meet new people. You can probably guess what it is. That profession is, of course, travel nursing!
Travel nursing is an exciting opportunity for people with nursing degrees to earn a whole lot of money and enjoy themselves while doing their jobs. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has exponentially increased the demand for travel nurses across the US. The good news is, this increased demand has led to a rise in travel nurse salaries too!
So, are you thinking about becoming a travel nurse? Here are the top qualities that you’ll need to become a successful travel nurse this year. Let’s dive in, then!
The Top Qualities Of A Successful Travel Nurse
Providing care to sick patients is not an easy job. It has a unique set of challenges related to how one handles their patients, how they deal with attendants, and how they do all of this while preserving their mental health.
In the case of travel nursing, it’s a lot more complicated. Why is that, you wonder? The answer is — nursing is already a touch profession. If you throw in the constant traveling and moving around that comes with the territory of being a travel nurse, it becomes a very difficult job indeed.
Travel nurses need to have a certain set of qualities to be successful in their profession. If you’re interested to know what they are, read on!
Quick Adaptability
Travel nurses need to travel far and wide to provide care to ill patients in understaffed hospitals. Doing so means they’ll quickly need to adjust to new environments so that they can help the hospital’s employees and patients to the best of their ability.
If you truly want to become successful at travel nursing, you should be ready to adapt to any kind of environment that the hospital presents to you.
Preparedness
It’s very important for travel nurses to be prepared for everything. This preparedness will allow them to face any challenge that they encounter head-on. But what does being prepared mean? Let us explain.
Sometimes, your new assignment will be in a very cold region. If you go there without the appropriate clothing, you won’t be able to begin your job until you shop for suitable clothes for the weather. This situation will delay your presence in the hospital and leave a bad impression on your employers.
A travel nurse needs to research everything about their assignment before they go there, so they have everything to make an excellent first impression on the hospital’s management. In addition, having everything you’ll need on hand will save you from a lot of unnecessary worries.
Flexibility
It’s easy for traditional nurses to fall into a habit when it comes to doing their job. They are used to doing things a certain way, and they don’t have to change their routines for anything.
This quality is one of the most important in a travel nurse because it determines how well they adjust to the hospital. As most understaffed hospitals need travel nurses to get to work immediately, this flexibility will be very important for them to begin their new assignments.
Positivity
Now, you may be surprised to see this quality here but rest assured, we’ll explain why it’s so important in a travel nurse.
We have already established that nursing is a challenging profession. Travel nursing has its own unique set of challenges. If you want to be a successful travel nurse in 2021, you’ll need to have a positive outlook on everything. Why is that?
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging worldwide with hospitals filled to capacity, it is hard to keep a steady head. By having a positive and optimistic outlook on everything, travel nurses can prevent themselves from being overwhelmed by their workload and the work situation.
Knowing How To Pack Efficiently
It may seem like a small issue to you, but packing is a major part of the life of a travel nurse! When someone applies to a travel nursing agency, they are effectively pledging to move from place to place for a long time. Take it from someone who knows, living out a suitcase is not easy!
A travel nurse should know how to pack efficiently to take all of their essentials with them while also having some options for other situations. In addition, knowing what to keep, what to throw away, and what to give to charity is also a very important quality in a travel nurse. Trust me, having well-rounded luggage does half the job for you when it comes to travel nursing.
Getting Used To Travelling
Many homebodies shudder at the thought of traveling all the time. However, it’s a piece of cake for the rest of us because we love doing it! It’s critical for a travel nurse to be comfortable traveling a lot because moving from one assignment to another might be exhausting for people who hate traveling.
If you experience certain health issues or have had bad experiences while traveling, this job may not be for you as it requires quite a lot of moving around and traveling.
However, if you’re someone who enjoys the steady hum of a bus or the buzz of an airplane, you will excel at being a travel nurse!
Emotional Intelligence
You’re probably shaking your head and thinking, what does emotional intelligence have to do with it? You won’t believe it, but emotional intelligence has everything to do with it!
Everyone is learning new things all the time. A person needs to have the emotional intelligence to evolve with the times, learn from their mistakes, and try out new things. It also allows them to build empathetic relationships with their patients and their colleagues.
In addition, you’ll also be able to appreciate your job, the opportunities it offers you, and the new people you meet if you are emotionally mature enough to handle it.
Being Good With Money
Travel nursing has a lot of benefits. As we mentioned earlier, one of those benefits is the rising salaries due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re going to be a travel nurse in 2021, make sure you know everything you’ll need to know to manage your finances well.
Even though travel nursing salaries are excellent, it’s still hard to keep track of your expenses when you’ve just moved to a new city in a new home while working in a new hospital. Make sure that you make a budget for yourself and keep track of all your expenses as well.
Since many people pursue travel nursing when they’re first starting out, you can use this time to take advantage of the current situation and save up as much as you can. You’ll thank yourself for it in the long run!
Research Skills
Everyone with a nursing degree is well-educated. So, how can you stand out from the crowd and get rave reviews wherever you go? By being well-researched, of course!
Travel nurses are at a distinct disadvantage when they start a new assignment as they don’t know anything about that place and have a very short time to learn. An efficient travel nurse will do everything they can to learn about the new hospital and its surroundings.
You can do that by joining local social media groups, hospital communities, and neighborhood pages to learn all about the city, its prevalent diseases, and common cases that you’re likely to see at the hospital.
Communication Skills
Travel nurses have a very unique responsibility on their shoulders. Like all nurses, they have to develop a comfortable rapport with their patients. However, they also have to develop a friendly dynamic with their colleagues. Doing so will ensure that their time at the hospital is a comfortable and fruitful one. It also allows them to learn more about the hospital and its inner workings from someone who’s been there for a while.
In addition, they need to be able to have good problem-solving skills in times of a crisis. All of these things require excellent communication skills on the part of the travel nurse.
All of these qualities are critical for a travel nurse to be successful in their new environment. We would recommend that you assess these qualities in yourself before applying to a travel nursing agency to determine whether you’ll be a good fit for this role or not. If you find yourself lacking, don’t worry, everything works with just a little bit of practice!
The Top Requirements That You’ll Need To Fulfil To Be A Travel Nurse
The ones mentioned above were just the qualities you’ll need to be successful at travel nursing. Now, let’s get into the minimum requirements you’ll need to fulfil for a travel nursing agency to consider you.
We’ll begin our journey right after high school, so stay tuned for what you need to do to be a travel nurse after high school.
A Nursing Degree
Most agencies will require their applicants to have a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), or an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) certification to be considered for a place in their ranks.
A License
You’ll need to have an active license to practice in a particular state to be a travel nurse. Keep in mind that you’ll have to pass the NCLEX to get the license. So, get your highlighters out and get to work!
Some Experience
You’re going to need some experience as a nurse in a permanent position in a hospital. Some agencies require a minimum of two years of experience in a particular specialty, whereas some agencies consider applicants with just a year of hospital experience.
Make sure to check out the agency’s website to see what their requirements are.
Certifications
There are a few certifications that you need to have to become a travel nurse. The most important ones are the Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification.
Up-To-Date Paperwork
Before you start applying to agencies, remember that you’ll only be considered if you have up-to-date licenses, degrees, and other such paperwork. Make sure to go through your papers and check that everything is in order for your application.
Keep in mind that these requirements may vary from state to state. Make sure to check out the requirements for the state your agency operates in and find out if you need any other things to begin your journey to become a travel nurse.
The Bottom Line
Travel nursing in 2021 is the best opportunity of your life. You get to travel and see new places, meet new people, and make money while doing a job you love.
However, you first need to ensure that you have all the qualities you’ll need to be a good travel nurse. If you’ve read all the way to the end and realised you’re a perfect fit for a travel nursing assignment, we’re happy to help you on your journey!
So, if you’re ready to begin your travel nursing journey, print out those resumes and start applying today!
