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Entity offers advice on becoming a professional travel nurse.

Admit it, you’ve been envious since you saw the first episode of “Scrubbing In.”  Well, ENTITY has good news for you – you’re not alone and it’s not impossible to become a certified travel nurse.

Travel nurses have an extensive list of benefits. According to Rasmussen College, outside of having the opportunity to experience four different parts of America a year, your travel expenses are paid, housing is included, healthcare is accounted for and retirement is often part of the package as well.

In addition, travel nurses often collect larger earnings than other nurses at their host hospitals, as they are being paid extra to work in hospitals with a greater need. It’s the total package: you’re getting to help more people, meet more people and make more money while doing it.

If you’re all ready to sign up now, here’s your guide to the dotted line.

1 BECOME A REGISTERED NURSE.

This is a pretty long step. It takes a lot of hard work and schooling to become a nurse, but there are a couple of different ways to go about it. The first way is by getting a diploma from a local hospital. A diploma is a badge of experience that qualifies you to work as an RN after completing three years of work at a hospital. Alternatively, you could go to an accredited college or university and receive your Bachelor of Science in Nursing, which takes four years. Some people consider ADN (nurses registered with diplomas) as technical RNs and nurses with BSNs as professional nurses. However, if you choose to get your diploma first, there are online transition programs (called ADN to BSN programs or BSN completion programs) that will fill the gap between your ADN and BSN.

2 PASS THE NCLEX.

The NCLEX is basically a board exam for nurses. It determines whether or not a nurse who’s done well academically is ready for the big leagues.

3 WORK IT OUT AS A REGISTERED NURSE FOR A YEAR.

Congratulations, you’ve got your degree! Now, on to the next step. Most travel nurse agencies require that prospective travel nurses have from a year to a year and a half experience working as a registered nurse. Now that you’ve made it this far, enjoy your year at home before you take off to see the world!

4 FIND A TRAVEL NURSE AGENCY.

There are a pretty good amount of travel nurse companies out there, so take the time to find the right fit for you. Some agencies emphasize volunteering and will send nurses to places like the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Some arrange housing for you, offer immediate 401k contributions, and per diem work. Travel Nursing has a comprehensive list of all the top travel nursing companies and the benefits that they offer.

Now that you know what you have to do, you are ready to start on the exciting path toward becoming an official travel nurse.

Edited by Ellena Kilgallon
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