Are you wondering how to be a travel nurse? Are you looking for traveling RN jobs but don’t know where to start? Or do you already have the right travel nurse requirements but don’t know where to specialize in?
There are different nursing specialties that travel nursing cover so here are the types and salary differences of traveling nurse :
- Emergency Room
ER Nurses have the lowest number of Emergency Room Travel Nurse openings but the demand for, but this specialty’s demand is continuing to rise.
The Emergency Room (ER) traveling nurse requirements are the following:
- Active RN license and specified state
- RN degree from an accredited registered nurse program
- BLS, ACLS, and PALS required (certifications may vary by location
- Medical Surgical/Telemetry
Most Med Surg nurses are required to be Telemetry competent and vice versa.
They are expected to care for patients of all ages and they need to run and learn on the go since they are going to be managing the care of adult patients experiencing cardiac problems, communicating and educating patients and families, assessing and coordinating patients’ discharge planning and interpreting cardiac rhythm strips and provision of appropriate nursing treatment.
The Medical Surgical/ Telemetry traveling nurse requirements are the following:
- Active RN license in the specified state
- RN degree from an accredited registered nursing programs
- BLS and ACLS required
- One year of recent experience as an RN in a medical surgical/ telemetry environment
- Two years of RN experience
- Women’s health
There are three under specialties that fall under ‘Women’s health’, namely the following:
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
This type of traveling nurse cares for newborns who were born prematurely, or have life-threatening illnesses.
- Mother Baby/ Postpartum (MBPP)
If you choose this field, you will educate and support the new mother and must recognize potential complications after giving birth.
- Labor and Delivery (L&D)
The role of this nurse is to monitor and assist mothers and babies before, during, and after birth. They require competency with adult and pediatric care.
- Intensive Care Unit
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) travel nurses are in charge of looking after patients who have experienced invasive surgery, accidents, trauma, or organ failure. They are responsible for monitoring and assessing a patient’s progress and in managing patient’s medication doses, anesthesia, and ventilatory support
The Intensive Care Unit travel nurse requirements are of the following:
- Has an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Passed the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN)
- Active RN license
- Operating Room
The operating room traveling nurse continues to be one of the highest-paying specialties for nurses. They are best known for collaborating with surgeons in the Operating Room.
- Circulatory Nurse
They are responsible for setting up the room, interviewing the patient, assisting the Anesthetist, and monitoring and documenting the surgical case.
- Scrub Nurse
They help the surgeon during the procedure. They assist with passing instruments, closing wounds, and maintaining sharps and gauze counts.
- Cardiovascular Operating Room
OR travel nurses will continue to find high-paying opportunities but because the Cardiovascular Operating Room (CVOR) Nurses are even further specialized, they will continue to be in high demand.
The CVORs specialize in cardiovascular surgery. They help in sedating the patient, assist the surgeon during the procedure, and also are in charge of making sure the sterile procedures are followed and the equipment and medications are available.
- Long Term Acute Care
The Long Term Acute Care (LTAC) Nurses are always going to be high on demand since the number of aging Americans continues and will continue to rise. The LTAC Nurses spend a lot of time giving their patients baths, helping them eat, and interacting with their families.
- Psychiatric
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses (PMHN) have a variety of roles and various settings. They are expected to interact with individuals, their families, and any other group associated with the patient. They are expected to be hands-on, assess their mental health needs, develop appropriate diagnoses, and implement effective outcomes.
The PMHN requirements are the following:
- Active RN license in the specified state
- RN degree from an accredited registered nursing programs
- BLS and ACLS required
- 2 years of RN experience
- At least 2,000 hours of clinical practice in the field of mental health or psychiatric nursing within the previous three years
- 30 or more hours of continuing education
There are different types and salary differences of Travel Nurses in New York alone, it all differs from state to state. So inquire and become a travel nurse now.