How i Plan to be Successful in Completing the Nursing Program

“He That Travels Far Knows Much,” said Thomas Fuller. These are my favorite inspirational quotes. Literally, people who travel widely have a wide knowledge. This quote is from Thomas Fuller, who was an English churchman and historian. I always wanted to broaden my views and venture into the unknown exploration. My family sends me to study overseas. They hope I can study well, then find a pay well job.

Choosing a Career Path

They encouraged me to choose nursing as my major.

One day, I thought that I was not willing to work in one place forever. I want to travel throughout the world, enjoy the scenery along the road, take a lot of beautiful pictures, to see different things and people. What kind of nursing job can I do these things? I kept that question in my mind.

Discovery of Travel Nursing

In the beginning, I just wanted to be a nurse in the future. I have no idea what kind of nurse I want to be. One day, I learned something about the job of travel nursing from YouTube. I made up my mind to choose travel nurse as my dream career. What I knew about travel nursing is that it is one of the big adventurous jobs in the world, flying to different cities, working in different hospitals, to meet different kinds of people from all over the world. Why did I choose travel nurse as my future career? Because I’m an adventurous person, I became a nurse and decided where I wanted to go in parts of the United States or overseas so that I could both enjoy travel and help people in need.

I need to learn more about travel nursing. How can I start to work as a travel nurse after I graduate from 4-years university? What is the primary requirement for entry to the travel nurse? Are there any certifications I should have before becoming a travel nurse? Is travel nursing worth it? Summarizing the list of questions, I created my research question: How do I become a travel nurse? Figure out these questions would help me to succeed in becoming a travel nurse.

From the beginning of my research, I was overwhelmed by the rich harvest of information I got. I was planning to start my research by searching for some background information on travel nursing on Google. Firstly, I found a definition of the term travel nursing on Wikipedia, which includes information about the concept of travel nursing. Secondly, search the keywords travel nursing and requirements online.

There was much great information about travel nursing. I decided to use the website of the Nursing Journal. The majority of information was provided by Nurse Journal. That site strives to provide accurate, complete, updated information. The information on travel nursing was explained in a simple and understandable way. Besides, I can find answers to my research questions on it.

What to do next is that I interviewed my academic advisor for my research paper. I gained a wealth of information from my academic advisor. She told me that there are many ways I can pursue becoming a nurse in the future. There are two types of nursing programs I can pursue. One is an associate degree; the other is a bachelor’s degree. For the fundamental requirement, I have to finish 2-years of college, then transfer to a 4-year university. When I graduate and pass the nationwide examination for the licensing of nurses, I will be licensed as a registered nurse. Then, I can choose what specific field I am interested in. That’s all she knew. She encouraged me to find more information on travel nursing in the school library or on Google.

After finishing the interview with my academic advisor, I started to search for the key term travel nursing. However, I couldn’t find any titles that related to travel nurses. That means I have to look for more information on Google. My brain became disordered with abundant information. My original search question kept the same: How can I become a travel nurse? First of all, I wanted to understand the concept of a travel nurse. Then, solve all the questions step by step.

Concept of Travel Nursing

According to the information from the encyclopedia, travel nursing is a concept of nursing tasks for the shortage of nursing staff. The industry provides services to nurses who work in temporary care jobs, most of which are in hospitals. The so-called ‘travel nurse,’ a nurse who doesn’t work at a regular hospital, has a flexible term, working in a medical facility for 4 to 13 weeks, three days a week, and the rest of the time, it’s a real ‘tourist expert’ (2018). It is because the American baby’s damp generation has grown into old age, the demand for medical attention has increased, and the nurse shortage. In the United States, temporary nurses or auxiliary nurses make up about 30% of the nursing workforce, but travel nurses are just 1.5% to 2.0% of the emergency care nurses. (M. Faller, 2017).

Based on my research results, I discovered that to become a travel nurse successfully, I need to gain a two to four years degree in nursing, then pass the exam and be a registered nurse at least. The travel nurse has to be a registered nurse. It can be done in three different ways: You can go to nursing school in the hospital. This path needs four years to complete. The associate degree in nursing (ADN) takes about two years. Then you can continue learning for one to two years for a bachelor’s degree. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) requires four years to complete.

In accordance with The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), any people who want to work in nursing should hold at least a bachelor’s degree (2018).

To become a registered nurse, you have to have to pass the N-CLEX exam (National Council Licensure Examination). Once you do so, you can begin to professionalize and select the areas of heart care or pediatrics. To become a travel nurse, you will be supposed to be a registered nurse at least. Nevertheless, most employers would like to see your graduation at least one year of working experience before considering hiring you.

Licensing and Professional Standards

In order to get a license, you have to pass the N-CLEX exam. Nurse Journal (n.d.) indicated that Nurse licensing contracts are in place so that states maintain standards. NLC also allows travel nurses to work in several states. However, they must ensure that their license is the latest; they have to be able to prove that they are participating in adequate continuing professional education. In addition, different states have different demands, which means that the nurses should keep tracking the news on the NLC website at any time to ensure they can meet all the requirements of the states.

Travel nurses must be very flexible and work in different environments throughout the country. They must have excellent communication skills because they must be able to understand not only the patient’s medical needs but also their social needs. They should have a real appreciation of the details and have excellent analytical capability. It is generally expected that travel nurses work internationally with knowledge of their local language.

Once you identify the degree that you want to study and you have finished your training, you need to take the exam of N-CLEX. That means you have to first apply for a license through your state’s Board of Nursing. Qualifications vary from state to state. So, I need to study these. There are four “requirement categories” identified in N-CLEX. Create an environment that is safe and effective in nursing care, such as a focus on infection control. Being honest shows that you can handle the pressure of work and adapt to change. Health promotion and maintenance, which means you focus on prevention and early intervention rather than treatment. Physical integrity means that you are the right person to take care of the patient and put their comfort in the first place.

Duties, Responsibilities, and Benefits of Travel Nursing

As a travel nurse, your duties and responsibilities depend on the profession you choose. For example, as a specialist in surgery, you may be able to help during the operation. If you had cariology, you would work in ICU or cardiology. You can have travel assignments lasting eight weeks to a year. However, on average, most of them are 13 weeks. Normally, your housing would be part of your compensation package, which is often arranged by a travel care company.

One of the great resources is Nurse Traveler, where you can see international opportunities. If you continue with your specialty education, you can end up as a nurse educator or nurse practitioner. You can get a further professional certification, so your job will be more diverse as a travel nurse opens the door to a unique educational, clinical, and management profession. Your desired salary is usually higher than that of the normal registered nurse.

In addition, you will have an excellent compensation scheme, including housing, dental insurance, medical insurance, bonus, catering subsidy, and so on. You are usually guaranteed a certain amount of work time. In 2010, the average salary of a registered nurse was $64,690, and the top 10% was over $95,130. Because travel nurses are more likely to work in a crisis, they are more likely to enter the top ten percent. There’s a serious shortage of registered nurses. As a result of the progress of medical technology, we are faced with the problem of an aging population and prolonged life span. That means the need for nurses is also increasing. The prospect of registered nurses is believed to increase by 26 percent in the next few years, and that applies to travel nurses. A recent study has also shown that demand will continue to increase, and the shortage of nurses will be up to 260,000 by 2025 (AACN). However, I was surprised by that data.

Is Travel Nursing Worth It?

Is travel nursing worth it? Usually, travel nurses are paid more than ordinary nurses because they are usually required to fill the gaps in cover positions. So, they make a great contribution to the medical institutions where they work. Another benefit of travel nursing is the flexibility of the schedule. Most assignments work for 13 weeks. You can arrange one assignment after another, or you can rest in the middle. This gives you the flexibility to travel outside of work, spend time with friends and family, or even go on vacation. It is absolutely worthwhile if you enjoy traveling and experiencing new places and new people. Travel nursing not only makes you earn and take advantage of your degree, but you can also get paid while traveling. The last great thing about travel nursing is that it gives you access to many different medical systems. You can work in the countryside or the city, and each has a distinct experience (Lenay. R, 2018).

Reflecting on My Research Journey

After research, I have come to the conclusion that if I make a plan for myself, I will be able to use my time efficiently. An organized plan can help me develop a study schedule. This project let me learn a lot about doing research. First of all, it took more time to do this research than I thought. As a result, I learned to organize my time more efficiently. My ability to write was also improved. Before I started writing, I had learned to organize my ideas with an outline. I also learned how to assess the information on the website. In addition to the benefits of academic writing, I’ve got a lot of information that will help me know more about travel nursing.

References

1. Faller, M. (2017). The World of Travel Nursing. MedNurse Publications.
2. Lenay, R. (2018). Travel Nursing: An Adventure and Career. Nursing Insights Publishing.
3. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2018). The Future of Nursing Education. Journal of Nurse Education.

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