Travel nursing involves registered nurses accepting temporary, short-term assignments in different locations to fill staffing gaps in healthcare facilities. Contracts typically last around 13 weeks, allowing nurses the chance to explore new cities while earning competitive pay. The appeal of combining professional expertise with the flexibility of travel makes this a highly sought-after role for experienced nurses. Success in this field requires careful preparation, starting with the necessary academic background to ensure a strong clinical foundation.
Educational Foundation
A career in nursing begins with earning a degree that qualifies an individual to sit for the national licensing examination. The minimum academic requirement for obtaining Registered Nurse (RN) licensure is traditionally an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a diploma from an approved nursing program. However, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is increasingly becoming the preferred qualification by many hospitals and staffing agencies, especially for travel assignments. Many larger healthcare systems and those with Magnet recognition often mandate a BSN for all new hires, including temporary staff.
The BSN curriculum includes a broader focus on leadership, research, public health, and complex patient management. While an ADN holder can secure an RN license, pursuing a BSN strengthens a candidate’s profile and expands the available job opportunities in the travel market. The additional educational depth is viewed as an asset for travel nurses who must adapt quickly to diverse and often high-acuity clinical environments.
Gaining Essential Clinical Experience
Travel nurses are expected to function as immediate, independent members of the clinical team with minimal orientation time. Therefore, significant, recent experience in an acute care setting is a prerequisite for securing a contract. The industry standard requires a minimum of one to two years of continuous experience in a specialty area before an agency will consider a candidate for travel work. This requirement ensures the nurse possesses the competency and judgment necessary to transition seamlessly into a new facility’s workflow.
General medical-surgical experience is a good starting point, but the most abundant and highest-paying contracts are in specialized areas of high demand:
Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Emergency Room (ER)
Operating Room (OR)
Labor and Delivery
Facilities seeking travel nurses for these units need highly skilled practitioners capable of managing complex patient populations from their first shift. For highly specialized fields like Neonatal ICU (NICU), most facilities require at least two years of dedicated experience due to the fragility of the patient population.
Achieving and Maintaining Licensure
All prospective travel nurses must first hold an active, unencumbered Registered Nurse license, which is achieved by graduating from an approved program and passing the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). The most efficient way for a nurse to practice across state lines is through the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), an agreement among member states that recognizes a single multistate nursing license. The NLC allows a nurse whose primary state of residence is a compact state to practice physically or electronically in any other compact state without obtaining an additional license.
The NLC operates under a mutual recognition model, where the nurse’s license is issued by their primary state of residence. This arrangement streamlines the licensing process for travel nurses, enabling them to accept assignments quickly. For assignments in states that are not part of the NLC, a nurse must apply for a single-state license through a process known as licensure by endorsement. Licensure by endorsement requires submitting an application, paying fees, and verifying their original license with the new state’s board of nursing, a process that can take several weeks or months.
Required Certifications and Specialized Training
Beyond the standard RN license, all travel nurses are required to possess and maintain certain foundational life-support certifications. Basic Life Support (BLS) certification is universally mandatory for all nurses, regardless of their specialty or practice setting. Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) is required for the vast majority of acute care travel assignments, especially those in the ICU, ER, and telemetry units.
Specialty-specific certifications significantly increase a nurse’s marketability and potential pay rate. Examples include Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) for those working with children and the Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC) for emergency or trauma roles. Obtaining national certification in a specialty, such as Certified Critical Care Nurse (CCRN) or Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), demonstrates advanced expertise and often places a nurse’s application at the top of the hiring pool. These certifications must be kept current, and documentation must be readily available to both agencies and facilities.
Preparing Your Professional Portfolio
The transition to travel nursing requires organizing a comprehensive professional portfolio long before applying for the first contract. This portfolio must include an updated résumé that precisely details all clinical experience, including facility names, unit types, and the specific patient populations served. Copies of all current licenses, including the NLC status if applicable, and all required certifications must be securely documented and ready for immediate verification.
A proper portfolio also requires verifiable credentials beyond clinical training, such as official transcripts and records of Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Health documentation is equally important and typically includes immunization records, results from a recent physical examination, and proof of required screenings, which may include tuberculosis and drug testing. Securing professional references, particularly from recent nurse managers or supervisors, is a necessary step, as agencies require quick, verifiable endorsements of a nurse’s clinical performance and reliability.
Partnering with Travel Nursing Agencies
The travel nursing agency serves as the intermediary, connecting the nurse with healthcare facilities that have temporary staffing needs. Finding the right partner involves researching agencies based on their reputation, contract terms, and the responsiveness of their recruiters. Working with a dedicated recruiter provides the nurse with access to job boards, assistance with licensing, and negotiation support for pay packages and stipends.
The recruiter will conduct an initial screening to confirm the nurse meets the minimum experience and credential requirements before submitting their profile to a hospital. Establishing clear communication with a recruiter about desired location, specialty, and compensation is important for a successful partnership and efficient job placement. Nurses should carefully review the agency’s policies regarding insurance coverage, cancellation clauses, and the non-taxable stipends offered for housing and meals.
Understanding the Assignment Commitment
The typical travel nursing contract establishes a commitment of 13 weeks, which is the standard duration preferred by most healthcare facilities to cover staffing gaps. While assignments can range from short-term needs of four to eight weeks to extended contracts of up to 26 weeks, the 13-week term is generally the most common. Nurses must be prepared to honor the full length of the contract, as early departure can negatively affect their professional standing and future job prospects.
Logistical planning for the assignment is a significant part of the commitment, especially concerning housing. Nurses often receive a housing stipend, which is a non-taxable allowance intended to cover accommodation costs, allowing the nurse to arrange their own living situation. Alternatively, some agencies offer agency-provided housing, which simplifies the process but may offer less flexibility. Travel nurses receive minimal on-site orientation, meaning they are expected to quickly grasp the facility’s policies, procedures, and electronic medical record (EMR) system. This requires a high degree of professional adaptability and confidence in one’s clinical skills from the very first day.