HI! First, congratulations! I don't know how much you have researched travel nursing or anything yet, or if you have talked to any travel companies or not, but every travel company I know of has a requirement of a minimum of 1 year experience before allowing you to travel. I don't think that was exactly your question though, but I did want to make sure I said that first off.
I have been traveling for last 8 years, have been a nurse for 15 years and i could have traveled way before 8 years but opportunity didn't present itself till then. Travel nursing is a great way to experience many places, cultures, skills etc. How do you know when you think you are ready to travel? A couple of things need to be in place for that.

1. You have to have gotten your self into a routine that you are comfortable with. 2. You have to have great time management skills. 3. You have to be comfortable/confident with your assessment and time management skills. 3. You have to be able to adapt very quickly to a new routine......
The reason I say this is because when you get to a travel assignment, you get a general hospital orientation day (like a new hire), and ONE 8 or 12 hour shift orientation on the floor with a preceptor....thats it. I'm not trying to scare you or anything or make you think that you are just dropped off and have to wing it all the time.....but, it depends on the facility you are going to and how they treat travelers. i have been to some where they hardly even talk to you much less offer to help you, and I have been to others that they bend over backwards for you and help you out to the point where you are like "OK already, let me work by myself!" It just all depends. The good thing though is if you go to a facility where there are a lot of travelers, the travelers look out for one another and show each the ropes and such.
I'm not sure if I amswered your question the way you wanted it but I have been up for 20 hours and I am rambling...LOL! Basically, bottom line is if you feel you can hold your own and adapt relatively easily, don't let your self get walked on, and confident in your abilities, then its probably safe to say that is when you are ready to go. Some people are fine by the time they reach their one year experience requirement, others a little longer. I would say though that maximum 2 years or so you should be very comfortable to venture out if not before.
Have a great day! If you have any other questions i can answer, please feel free to email me at [email protected]

Denise

Thank you for replying, you gave me some great things to think about.
I got hired at the hospital where I live now after I graduate, it should be a great place to gain some experence. I may email you though as questions come up. Thanks again. Curt

I heard it can be rough being a travelling nurse. Is that true?

It can be rough, it really depends on the facility and how their attitude is towards travelers. The bad thing is you don't really know for sure until you get there, but message boards like these are helpful as you can ask if others have heard anything or had experiences at a hospital you are going to. I have seen posts where other travelers will post messages like "DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GO TO HOSPITAL X, IN CITY X" and then they will go on to explain conditions there.
My personal experience hasn't been too bad. So far, i have only worked at one hospital that I felt was the unsafest enviroment to work because of the crazy high nurse/patient ratios and high acuity patients and it was all i could do to get through 13 weeks. I was a new traveler at the time and only on my second assignment and didn't realize that I could have broken the contract and didn't have to suffer through it. They don't recommend breaking contracts but in a situation that is highly unsafe and you can document reasons why, most companies will see that as legitimate. You can't just cancel because you don't like location or something .....it has to be a real unsafe reason or something like that.

What else did you mean when you say you hear it can be rough? Like I said most places are very nice and the staff is grateful you are there to help ease their workload rather than be resentful because travelers make more...that used to be true, but these days many hospitals offer higher wages or premium incentives to get their own staff to work overtime and they end up making close to what travelers make. Other than how the facility is and the people that work there are, I don't see anything "rough" about being a traveler. I mean I make good money, my housing and utilities are paid for, my travel to and from destination is paid for, some companies even pay rental car for assignment....so that is all good in my book. I travel with my 2 cats, so i don't ever have to share an apartment, i always have private housing (not all companies do...some put you in with other travelers), I get paid weekly, and the biggest advantage of being a traveler to me is that I don't have to get involved with the politics of the hospital which is a huge plus.

If you have more questions, please feel free to ask, either here or privatley at [email protected]

Have a great day!
Denise

I have traveled over a year now and yes it can be horrible at times. Of the four places I have been two of them the nurses resent you, treat you horribly. You get no training. Most the time you seem to get the worst assigments too. I pick up that travelers are resented and dumped on. Of the places I have been only one did I get no resentment and they treated me well

I've been travelling for about 8 months now. I came from Canada and now am working in Florida. It's a little rough getting used to the quick orientation and trying to learn all the new ways and routines in a new facillity, but unlike some of the others, I've had a terrific time! I have worked 3 different facilities and found the staff awesome! Totally helpful and friendly. I don't feel like I get dumped on at all. But the way I see it, nursing is nursing wherever you go! It's just learning new forms and paperwork that stinks! I love meeting new people and learning new things from the variety of people I work with. I think the main thing is to keep a good attitude and to look forward to the challenges.

Hey Candy!

What part of FL are you in? I am just curious because I had great assignments in Orlando with good ratios and wonderful staff, but I have heard from a few people that FL is not a good assignment. I liked it so much, I stayed for 3 years and worked multiple hospitals that were all in the same "system" and every facility was like that. I have a feeling that you may be at the same system, but only if you are in Orlando that is.

Let me know!

Denise

[email protected]