A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), known as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) in some states, can work as a travel nurse, though opportunities differ significantly from those available to Registered Nurses. Travel nursing involves taking short-term contracts, typically lasting between eight and thirteen weeks, to fill staffing gaps in facilities away from the nurse’s primary residence. The LPN scope of practice generally involves providing basic patient care, administering medications, and monitoring patient health under the supervision of a Registered Nurse or a physician. This defined role dictates the types of temporary assignments available to LPN travelers.
The Role of the Traveling Licensed Practical Nurse
The LPN scope of practice is determined by the state board of nursing, limiting the complexity of care LPNs can provide and restricting their travel assignments to specific environments. Traveling LPN contracts are heavily concentrated in long-term care (LTC) and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). These facilities consistently require assistance with patient volume and depend on LPNs for medication administration, routine wound care, and monitoring the status of generally stable patients.
LPN travelers also find assignments in non-hospital settings, such as community clinics, rehabilitation centers, and correctional facilities, where the patient population is less acute. Acute care hospitals rarely use traveling LPNs due to the high acuity of patients and the need for advanced skills, such as titrating intravenous medications or performing comprehensive initial assessments. LPN travelers should expect their assignments to be almost exclusively within the long-term care or clinic environment.
Essential Qualifications to Become a Traveling LPN
Before an LPN begins the job search, certain professional prerequisites must be met to satisfy the requirements of travel nursing agencies and healthcare facilities. The most fundamental requirement is possessing an active and unencumbered LPN or LVN license in the nurse’s home state. An unencumbered license means there are no ongoing disciplinary actions, restrictions, or suspensions against the nurse’s ability to practice.
Most travel nursing agencies require a minimum of one to two years of recent, consistent professional practice in settings like Skilled Nursing Facilities or Long-Term Care. This experience ensures the traveling nurse possesses the necessary clinical proficiency to integrate into a new facility with minimal orientation. Standard certifications, such as Basic Life Support (BLS) or Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), are mandatory for almost all travel assignments and must be kept current.
Understanding LPN Licensure and Multi-State Practice
Licensing mobility presents a significant logistical challenge for a traveling LPN, distinguishing their path from that of a Registered Nurse. The primary mechanism allowing nurses to practice across state lines is the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), which grants a single multi-state license. However, LPNs are generally not included in this standard compact agreement, meaning they cannot rely on a single license to practice in multiple NLC member states.
Due to the lack of NLC participation, a traveling LPN must obtain a license by endorsement for every state where they accept an assignment. This process involves submitting a separate application, paying fees, and often undergoing a new background check and fingerprinting for each state’s board of nursing. Fees typically range from $100 to over $300 per state, and processing time can take weeks to several months. This administrative burden necessitates that LPNs plan their next assignments well in advance, often beginning the licensure process before their current contract is complete.
Finding and Securing Travel LPN Assignments
Securing a travel assignment begins with partnering with specialized travel nursing agencies experienced in placing LPNs in non-acute care settings. The availability of LPN travel assignments is significantly lower compared to the volume of contracts offered to Registered Nurses, requiring a focused job search effort. LPNs should prioritize agencies known for staffing long-term care and correctional facilities, as these are the most reliable sources of contracts.
Effective job hunting requires preparing a professional profile that highlights relevant experience in long-term care, rehabilitation, or clinic settings. It is beneficial to work with a recruiter who understands the specific limitations and opportunities of the LPN scope of practice. Securing an assignment involves reviewing contract details, which typically specify an assignment length of eight to thirteen weeks, and understanding the compensation package, including an hourly base rate, a non-taxable per diem allowance, and a housing stipend.
Key Differences Between Traveling LPNs and Traveling RNs
The professional and financial realities of travel nursing vary substantially between LPNs and RNs, primarily due to differences in assignment type, pay, and scope of practice. Compensation for traveling LPNs is generally higher than staff LPN wages but is substantially lower than the pay rates commanded by traveling Registered Nurses. This pay disparity reflects the higher demand for RNs, particularly in acute care, and the greater clinical responsibilities they assume.
Assignment availability is another difference, as RNs benefit from a vast network of contracts in high-demand acute care hospital environments nationwide. Traveling LPNs are restricted to a smaller pool of opportunities, predominantly in long-term care, offering less flexibility in location and setting. This restriction is linked to the distinct scopes of practice defined by state boards of nursing.
Registered Nurses are typically responsible for managing complex, unstable patient conditions, initiating and titrating certain intravenous medications, and performing comprehensive initial patient assessments. The traveling LPN role focuses on executing routine procedures, providing direct patient care, and administering medications to patients whose conditions are generally stable. This difference in clinical responsibility dictates the types of facilities that hire nurses from each credential level.
Evaluating the Pros and Cons of Travel Nursing for LPNs
Traveling offers LPNs the benefit of potentially earning a higher income than they would in comparable staff positions. This career path also provides rapid professional development by exposing the nurse to a variety of clinical settings, different patient populations, and diverse electronic health record systems. The ability to choose the timing and location of assignments provides professional flexibility often unavailable in permanent staff roles.
Despite the advantages, LPN travel nursing presents several disadvantages, primarily centered around the limited nature of the opportunities. LPNs must contend with a restricted selection of contract locations, often confined to long-term care or skilled nursing facilities rather than the diverse hospital settings available to RNs. The administrative burden of obtaining a license by endorsement for every new state is a time-consuming and costly process that adds complexity to the job search. Furthermore, the constant requirement to relocate and adapt to new working environments can be a source of stress.