What is a Travel Nurse?

Travel nurses are skilled professionals from various clinical backgrounds and are employed by nursing agencies. They are typically placed in healthcare organisations to fill nursing shortages and work across a variety of environments from urban locations to rural and remote areas. Travel nursing is the ideal working holiday for those interested in a registered nurse job in Australia, as well as a great way to experience unique and exciting destinations and new environments. Registered nurses wondering, "is travel nursing worth it?" - Read on to find out if travel nursing is right for you.

A travel nurse is a registered nurse that works in a non-permanent or temporary nursing role to support and assist healthcare organisations facing staffing shortages. On average, work assignments in one specific location are around four to six weeks, however, can range anywhere from two to 26. Travel nursing allows health professionals to merge their patient care skills and their passion for travel to work across the country. Whether you're working in a rural, remote, or coastal location, a travel nurse position provides new opportunities to develop unique skills and experience the beauty of Australia.



What is Travel Nursing Like?

Travel nursing programs are a great way to connect with community members in other states and obtain valuable life experience. Working in different regions can also benefit your career, as you develop skills and knowledge in specialty areas that other nurses do not. Overall, the lives of travel nurses are often fast-paced and exciting with rewarding opportunities for personal and professional development.



How do I become a Travelling Nurse?

If you are interested in becoming a travel nurse, follow this guide from Indeed which outlines the necessary steps to take when pursuing this career path:

Qualification requirements for travel nurses

If you haven't already, obtaining a Bachelor of Nursing degree or its equivalent, is the first step in pursuing a nursing position. During these programs, students learn essential nursing theory and skills they will use throughout their careers. Topics covered in these courses typically include anatomy, mental health, microbiology, pharmacology, public health, and pathophysiology.

Develop Your Skills

To excel in a travel nurse role, you must have a vast skillset that includes both hard and soft skills. Although tertiary nursing programs help to teach theory and develop technical skills required in the nursing industry, soft skills can only be developed through practical experience.



Key soft skills for travel nurses include:

Communication

Travel nurses work with a different variety of people including other nurses, doctors, surgeons, patients, and their family and friends. Being able to communicate effectively with colleagues, as well as patients is essential and involves active listening and clear verbalisation.

Organisation

Like all nursing positions, travel nurses work across many different hospital or facility areas and oversee several patients at once. In addition to this, daily duties of travel nurses can vary as unforeseen obstacles arise. Being organised is a necessary skill to manage day-to-day tasks.

Teamwork

Along with communication, teamwork is an important skill for a travel nurse because they work with many different healthcare professionals. As travel nurses often work in one specific location for a short period of time, having strong relationship-building and teamwork skills are looked upon favourably by employers.

Attention-To-Detail

As nursing involves working with medication and care plans, travel nurses must be detail-oriented to ensure the highest possible standard of patient care.

Adaptability

Travel nurses move around frequently so being able to quickly adapt to new environments is essential. Building relationships with staff nurses in a location and working to understand the needs of each clinical environment can help travel nurses to work more effectively.

NMBA Registration

NMBA is the national board for registered nurses and midwives in Australia and operates as part of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Before beginning work as a travel nurse in Australia, all nurses must register with NMBA.

Gain Experience

A travel nurse position usually requires candidates have a minimum of two years' experience in the nursing sector. If you are new to nursing, undertaking a graduate program can be a great way to kickstart your professional career. As travel nursing involves temporary placements, having a wealth of experience allows travel nurses to work effectively without supervision on a short-term contract.

Focus on Professional Development

Accumulating critical care experience across different facilities helps prepare candidates for work in temporary positions as a travel nurse. Keep a lookout for professional development opportunities outside of your full-time position such as overtime work at a local hospital or healthcare facility.

Research a Nursing Agency

Many staffing agencies specialise in the placement of health professionals and offer contracts for travel nurses across the country. These agencies already have relationships in place with healthcare facilities and can save you time in researching for jobs.

AHP Aged Care, currently have travel nurse contracts available across the nation.



Travel Nursing in Australia

There are a number of benefits to being a travel nurse in Australia including pay advantages, the ability to travel, and the opportunity to expose yourself to new perspectives.

Travel Nurse Salary

Take home a higher pay for your time and commitment as a travel nurse. According to Indeed, the average annual travel nurse salary in Australia is $104,475, however salary expectations can vary depending on a variety of factors such as location, employers, and experience. Most travel nursing contracts also include that accommodation and housing costs are covered.

Experience Unique and Exciting Destinations

Travel nursing gives nurses the ability to work, whilst experiencing unique and exciting destinations. Often times, nursing agencies will cover these travel costs. In your free time, experience all the beauty Australia has to offer whether its swimming at one of our pristine beaches, visiting an iconic landmark, or spending a week exploring your placement destination with travel nursing.

Step Out of your Comfort Zone

As a travel nurse, you will be exposed to many different communities and cultures as you move around Australia. Each location has something new to offer whether it's a rural, remote, or metropolitan location. Temporarily living amongst these different communities and breaking out of your comfort zone can assist in significant growth, personally and professionally.



Interested in a travel nursing career?

AHP can offer you the opportunity to take your nursing career across the country with travel contracts available Australia-wide. If you are passionate about travelling and nursing, and want to:



• Increase your exposure to other clinical needs in new environments
• Learn from the best by working amongst other clinicians in a multidisciplinary setting
• Build your resume by highlighting your flexibility and ability to adapt to new clinical environments
• Enjoy earning higher rates for your time and commitment
• Connect with new people, visit new places, and enjoy an all-expenses paid trip around Australia

Consider a working holiday with AHP for an amazing introduction to the travelling nurse space.

If you are a nurse interested in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, contact our head office team on 1800 247 677 to learn more about our available travel contracts.

About AHP Aged Care

At AHP Aged Care, we provide temporary and permanent placements for allied health and nursing services within the aged care industry.



Unlike many recruiters, AHP Aged Care work alongside aged care providers across public and private health sectors, developing positive partnerships and aligning our innovative aged care services with their financial and clinical needs. Our team is composed of recruitment consultants who have spent years in the health and aged care space. Because of this, we fully recognise the challenges faced by the aged care industry and can leverage our knowledge in providing qualified and expert aged care staff that stimulate independence, dignity, comfort, and quality of life for all elderly patients.

Careers for Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses, and Assistants in Nursing

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