What to Expect As a Traveling Healthcare Worker?
by DebtFreeEmma | Apr 5, 2018
What to Expect As a Traveling Healthcare Worker?
Traveling in medicine can be a great option for new and seasoned nurses and therapists. To be a travel nurse or therapist, you often need the same requirements as standard positions: CPR certified, professionally certified/licensed, clear background check, and 0-1 year of experience for allied and 2 years for nurses. Click here to read more about the requirements to travel.
The whole travel healthcare process can seem overwhelming, but if you choose a good mentor, recruiter and company-then the whole experience can be very fun!
You should be able to choose how often you work, where you work, and in what settings you work. You can really experiment with your career as a traveler.
This may include certain: state, city, setting, pay rate, and mentorship capacity. Your recruiter will apply you to your approved positions. It should take about 1 day to 1 week to fill out your forms and several days to narrow down your job search and start applying to positions through your recruiter.
Travel Process Timeline:
Traveling positions move fast.
If you have been selected for an assignment, you should hear back in 1-3 days and schedule a phone interview. The phone interview usually takes place in the next 1-2 days after you are chose to interview. To read how to ace your interview click here.
If all goes well, and the facility wants to hire you, just let your recruiter know you accepted the position.
The whole travel therapy and nursing process happens fast! In total, it can take 1-2 weeks for all of this to be completed and for you to receive your first travel contract!
The more you travel, the faster this will become as you will be more experienced and much of your paperwork will already be completed.
How Will I Be Treated:
Expect to be treated just like any other new employee when you first arrive.
Each assignment has its own “feel” and some are more accepting than others to travelers. But I believe that if you are professional, hardworking and a team player, you will quickly feel at home in the assignment.
Travelers are expected to carry a full caseload quickly-so expect a short on boarding experience.
Your recruiter will continue to be with you during your contracts and will be a great resource for any questions you may have.
Be prepared to discuss your next contract at least 2 weeks before you current contract is ending.
Overall, expect to work hard but also play hard. Expect to meet new people, learn new things, feel lost or overwhelmed at times, and expect to hopefully make great money! To read more about the exact steps to becoming a travel therapist click here.
Guess what??
I have a free mentorship program that can connect you to amazing travel recruiters and answer all of your travel questions!
