How to Get Your First Travel Nurse Assignment

Are you ready to try being a travel nurse but not sure how to find your first job? Travel nursing has become a popular career choice in the last decade due to a burgeoning job market, excellent pay rates, superior flexibility, and the chance to travel the world. Use these tips to find the right first assignment.

Decide What’s Important

Sit down and list the reasons you want to be a travel nurse. It offers great pay, new horizons, and an opportunity to travel the country, but it’s important for you to find the agency and the assignments that are the best fit for your needs. List specifically where you want to travel and what kinds of facilities you want to work in.

Before you start searching, decide what you want out of your pay package, housing, medical benefits, and 401k. Have an idea what you’re looking for so you can compare offers.

Showcase Your Skills and Experience

You completed an accredited college nursing program. You obtained the education and passed the tests for becoming a registered nurse.  You have at least a year of nursing experience in your specialty area. It’s time to put all that on your resume and send it to the right agencies.

Include your skills checklist, your work history and all your certifications. Don’t be afraid to brag a little. Gather documentation that verifies your licenses and certifications. You’ll need your medical records to qualify for a job, so obtaining a copy ahead of time can help speed up the process.

Find the Right Agency

Go back to your original wish list when you start looking for a travel nurse agency. Find one that offers the destinations, housing options, career advancement opportunities and pay you want. If you know someone who has done travel nursing, ask what agency they preferred.

Use online resources to compare agencies. Once you’ve narrowed down your search, complete their online application process. Be patient and stay available while you wait for that first interview. Before long you’ll find that perfect opportunity.

It’s quick and easy to apply at Emerald City Medical Staffing. Check out our latest jobs today.

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