How to Become a Travel Nurse (Degrees & Requirements)

If you hold an RN license and have at least a year of experience in your specialty, you can take your nursing on the road. Travel nurses work short-term assignments across the country, and sometimes overseas, filling staffing gaps wherever facilities are short. The pay usually runs above permanent staff, the schedule is flexible, and the work changes constantly.

What travel nursing is

Travel nurses provide care on short-term assignments that typically run eight to 26 weeks, with most around 13 weeks. You choose where you go and which specialty you work.

"To safely care for patients, there must be adequate staff and resources," says Jessica Legaspi, a former travel nurse practicing in Portland, Oregon. "Not having enough bodies to handle the volume opens the door to potential harm. This is where travel nurses come in: to fill in the gaps, whether it be from prolonged, unfilled full-time positions, maternity leave, leave of absence, or other reasons."

Five steps to becoming a travel nurse

1. Earn your LPN, ADN, or BSN

You need at least an LPN education or a two-year associate degree from an accredited program before sitting for your state exams. A bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree makes you more competitive. There are no schools built specifically for travel nurses, so you train through the same accredited programs everyone else does.

2. Pass the NCLEX

Pass the NCLEX, administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, and apply for your RN or LPN license in the state where you plan to work.

3. Gain experience

Get at least one year of permanent nursing experience in the specialty you want to travel in.

4. Get your paperwork in order

Have your licenses, certifications, and clinical records ready. Most facilities only consider candidates who meet their requirements upfront.

5. Find an agency and apply

Decide your preferences on setting, location, and assignment length, then find an agency that offers that kind of work. The application process is nearly identical to applying for staff positions.

"Resumes, interviews, certifications required in each unit, vaccinations, and passing a long series of computer tests" are all part of it, Legaspi says. "The difference is for every contract, you have to complete a new set of requirements since every hospital will have its own unique combination."

Tailor your resume for travel work. List every license and certification, the bed count of the units you've worked, and any computer skills.

How travel nursing works

You're placed in a hospital, clinic, or other facility based on its needs and your preferences. Demand spikes during seasonal illness and health crises. Duties vary by specialty and setting, but travel nurses do the same core work as staff: assisting during exams and procedures, administering and monitoring medications, dressing wounds, recording symptoms, and running basic labs. Dialysis is one example of a consistently in-demand travel specialty.

Flexibility, critical thinking, and initiative matter most.

"I always ask potential travel nurses, 'How confident are you with your critical thinking skills?'" says Legaspi. "You need to be independent. You need to really know your stuff. You have to be prepared to function as though you have worked in that unit for weeks."

Finding travel nursing jobs

Most travel nurses work through an agency that places them based on specialty, location, and assignment length. Because agencies work with different facilities, sign on with several to widen your options.

Some destinations are highly competitive. Cities like San Francisco, New York, and Honolulu draw a lot of applicants, and they also carry the highest cost of living, so your pay goes further in less coveted locations.

When comparing agencies and contracts, find out:

• What locations the agency serves
• How the pay package is structured
• What health insurance is provided
• Whether housing is free or covered by a stipend
• Whether paid time off is offered
• Whether there are signing or end-of-assignment bonuses
• How much time off you get between assignments

"There are hundreds and hundreds of travel nurse agencies plus thousands of recruiters looking to land a contract," Legaspi says. "I choose a recruiter based on their availability to answer questions, their attitude, and if they're treating me as an actual individual, not a contract. I also ask about the resources they provide once I start: Who is my HR person? Who handles my payroll? Who is my emergency contact?"

Four questions to ask a new employer

Once your agency lands you a job, ask a few questions of your own. Legaspi suggests:

• Why do you need traveling nurses? "This tells me if there have been vacant positions or people on leave. It's a small sneak peek into their staffing. I also ask about staffing ratios and average census to tell me how busy the department is."
• What accreditation do you hold? "This tells me what certifications they'll require."
• What is your patient population like? "It gives me an idea of what disease processes and chronic conditions I'll be caring for."
• Can I take time off? "I present the days I need off during the interview and contract negotiation. They're usually open to it as long as the requests are reasonable."

Housing during your assignment

Agencies typically arrange furnished housing and cover utilities, or offer a stipend so you handle it yourself. Some nurses pocket extra by finding cheaper housing than the stipend covers. Untaxed meal and travel stipends may also be available, but these benefits affect your taxes, so do your homework.

Online groups and social media connect travel nurses with housing and with each other.

"It can feel intimidating to find accommodations in a new city," says Rachel Norton, RN, a critical care travel nurse, "but there is a huge online community of travel nurses you can go to for advice on neighborhoods, to find roommates, or connect with fellow travelers."

You can also travel in your own area, staying home or renting nearby. That works well for nurses whose families can't relocate.

Travel nursing vs per diem nursing

Per diem (per day) nurses have no set schedule. They work day by day, filling in as needed at local facilities. They get a lot of flexibility but no guaranteed work, and they must adapt fast to each facility's policies. They usually don't receive benefits, but in exchange they can earn high hourly wages and potential tax breaks.

What degree do you need?

There is no "travel nurse" degree. Travel nurses need the same education as anyone working in hospitals and clinics.

Registered nurses (RNs) are the most common travel nurses. They hold at least an ADN, though many employers want a BSN. An Institute of Medicine effort in 2010 pushed for 80% of RNs to hold a BSN; that target was scaled back, and the discussion continues. RNs run diagnostics, analyze results, help set treatment plans, and support patients and families.

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are advanced practice nurses with more authority. They hold at least an MSN plus specialty certification. They conduct exams, prescribe, and diagnose, though some states still require physician oversight.

Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) can travel too, though it's less common. The role doesn't require a college degree, but LPN education must be completed in a state-approved program, and you still pass the NCLEX. LPNs handle entry-level duties: vital signs, wound dressing, medication, records, and helping patients with daily tasks.

Salary and job outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports RNs earn a median income of $93,600 a year. Travel RNs often earn more than permanent staff, though contract terms vary widely. There's no official travel-nurse salary data, but most postings advertise pay that meets or exceeds permanent rates for the same qualifications.

Some agencies offer higher base pay with fewer allowances; others offer lower wages with sizable stipends for meals, travel, and housing. Many also provide medical, dental, and vision insurance, and some offer paid time off, license reimbursement, and end-of-assignment bonuses. Taken together, travel RNs can be among the highest-earning nurses in healthcare.

Getting licensed

You need a license covering each state where you practice. The time to secure licensure ranges from a few days to several weeks. Knowing where you want to work ahead of time helps, since assignments often start on a few weeks' notice.

A handful of "walkthrough" states issue a temporary license within a few days while your permanent one processes. Depending on the state, these last one to six months.

The Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) lets you hold one multistate license valid across member states. More than 40 states and territories have enacted the compact, with several others in various stages of implementation.

Most agencies make applying and submitting documents easy. Norton, who has traveled on and off since 2010, remembers when nurses faxed their credentials. "Recruiters and agencies often took days to collect the appropriate documents and source jobs I was a match for," she says. Now applicants upload credentials, certifications, and experience into an online profile, and agencies match nurses to openings far faster.

Further certification

There is no travel-nurse certification, but depending on your specialty, additional credentials like critical care may be required, and extra certification makes you more competitive in any case. Common options include ambulatory care, ICU, emergency, medical-surgical, and pediatric nursing, available through bodies like the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

Travel nursing specializations

Travel nursing splits into specialty-driven roles and situational ones.

Medical specialties

• Labor and delivery: Monitor mother and child during birth and assist with delivery.
• Pediatrics: Treat children and adolescents up to 18.
• Oncology: Oversee care for patients undergoing cancer treatment.
• ICU: Care for acutely ill patients with life-threatening conditions.
• Emergency: Provide emergency care for trauma and illness.

Situational specialties

• Rapid response: Called in after disasters like earthquakes or hurricanes, or during outbreaks.
• Strike: Fill in for nurses on strike. You may land in an understaffed, unfamiliar unit outside your specialty, and assignments can end abruptly or stretch on. You need to be ready to start with little notice and move fast when one ends.
• Electronic medical records conversion: Brought in to train staff on new records software and cover nursing duties during the transition. These run about four to 13 weeks.
• International: Assignments in Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and elsewhere. They usually run one to two years, require a working knowledge of the local language, and typically need a visa, sometimes with agency or hospital sponsorship.

Moving from staff to travel nursing

Your first assignment can be exciting and overwhelming. Going from a predictable schedule to a shifting one takes adjustment. A few things that help:

1. Stay close at first. Take an assignment in your own state, near friends and family. You may be able to bring a pet or partner, depending on your contract and housing.
2. Use the buddy system. Travel with a friend who's also a travel nurse, work with the same agencies, and try to land assignments at the same facilities.
3. Keep it simple. Travel light. If the agency arranges housing, you won't need furniture. Ask your recruiter what's included and whether they offer a packing list. Often you only need clothing and personal items.
4. Review your taxes. Understand how your taxes work before you go, especially with out-of-state work and non-taxable allowances. Your agency may help, or hire an accountant. Save your receipts.
5. Plan ahead. Arrive early enough to settle in, arrange a rental car if needed, shop for essentials, and learn your commute.
6. Plan a pre-visit. Visit the hospital before your start date, meet your manager, tour the unit, and ask about orientation.

You may get a day or two to learn the unit's procedures, but expect to jump in fast. Take initiative and ask questions. Don't be surprised if you get the patients or tasks others avoid; full-time staff often test travelers early. Walk in confident that you can handle any assignment under pressure, and you'll fit in quickly.