New GRad Travel Nurse

[Chris Kerr]

Does all travel nusrse companys require experience before going with them. I am interested in fort myers to travel to.

[judyjem]

Hey Chris:
I worked with a travel company as a recruiter and can tell you that 100% of our contracts required a minimum of 1 year experience and some hospitals expected 2 years experience. Hospitals with staffing shortages expect a traveler to start working with minimal supervision and orientation. Good luck...Ft Myers has needs.

[AmandaWIRN]

I highly advise at LEAST 1-2 years experience in your specialty before traveling- you will not get much of an orientation at travel assignments- 1, maybe 2 days, then you are on your own, and are expected to "hit the ground running." As a new grad you will not have the experience required to do this, as you will learn more in your first year or two as a nurse than you did in nursing school, trust me!

[gabi]

I was looking for the same thing, traveler nure.I am a new grad too, but I have some experience working in nursing home and private care. I have call some treveling companies and I got the same answer at least 1-2 yrs in the hospital.
:frustrated:

[AmandaWIRN]

Originally Posted by gabi

I was looking for the same thing, traveler nure.I am a new grad too, but I have some experience working in nursing home and private care. I have call some treveling companies and I got the same answer at least 1-2 yrs in the hospital.
:frustrated:

Working as an aide/CNA or even an LPN while in nursing school is not considered sufficient experience to work as a travel RN. Even if you have been a CNA for 30 years, you will still learn more in your first 1-2 years as an RN that you did in nursing school. CNA's don't do assessments, don't give medications, and don't do a LOT of the procedures that an RN does. The MINIMUM experience needed to be a safe, confident, & competent RN is 1-2 years as an RN in your specialty area.

[Moonie]

Chris and Gabi. Take the very sage advice above. Travel nursing is an impossible task (even if an agency managed to get you an assignment) for a new grad - no matter what else you did before you worked as a floor nurse.
What we mean when we say "hit the ground running" is there is no orientation or maybe 1-2 shifts to find your way around. You won't be offered mentoring in basics such as charting, inserting iv caths or foleys. These just take practice and when you are expected to be a fill-in-nurse (traveler), there is no practice time.

I clearly remember as a new grad I felt very satisfied when I was able to collect all the items I needed to start an IV on the first sweep without putting it together in my mind first. And that took weeks: Remember, you're putting together alot of other tasks at the same time. Again, these things take time / practice.
Real floor nursing is nothing like what we learned in nursing school. Trust me, your first job, with a mentor, is your real education. As a traveler, I can say with certainty, you don't want to even try it as a new grad.
Congrads, though, on finishing nursing school. I also remember that excitement. Welcome to the World of Nurisng.

[NurseBre]

well I just wanted to say I am an LPN, have been for over a year, and I do many many many IV starts, I am IV certified. The only thing I am not allowed to do is blood transfusions(in the state of MO) and IV push meds. BOth of which are easy to pick up once you get your RN. I have just finished RN school and learned absolutely nothing new. You are right that floor nursing is different than what you learn in school, but as an LPN I have taken teams as well so nothing is new to me. I feel discrimmination against LPN's is not necessary if they have worked acute care. and to be honest all it takes is 6 months to become comfortable in floor nursing. If you every truly become comfortable that is, there is so much happening every day in large hospitals its always changing.

[AmandaWIRN]

Originally Posted by NurseBre

I have just finished RN school and learned absolutely nothing new.

This statement alone is VERY frightening...

[Robert F]

Originally Posted by AmandaWIRN

As a new grad you will not have the experience required to do this, as you will learn more in your first year or two as a nurse than you did in nursing school, trust me!

Boy, you ain't just whistlin dixie.

[Kdog]

REG NurseBre,
There is a huge amount of learning in RN school vs LPN training.
I can't believe you did not learn anything. Are you aware of the Nurse Practice Act?