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You’ve FINALLY decided to make your dream of combining your professional experience with the adventure of travel a reality. But – gulp! You’ve never done anything like this before. Where do you start? What should you expect? Here are the details that will quell some of your fears and help you get started toward a wonderful and rewarding travel experience.
Step 1. Complete an Application - The first step in getting started with Advantage RN is to complete an application and the appropriate skills checklist and send them to us. You'll find both of these items when you select
"Apply
Now" anywhere on this website. The Application will help us to better understand your career path. The Skills Checklist will allow us to evaluate your qualifications and match you with assignments that call for your particular skill set and experience. The Reference sheet will give us names of people to contact about your work and performance history.
Keep in mind that most hospitals require that their travelers have at least 12 months of current experience in the area in which you specialize and be a graduate of an accredited professional program in the United States or Canada. Advantage RN healthcare professionals are also required to maintain current basic life support certification, an annual physical, and TB immunity results.
Step 2. Meet Your Recruiter - Once your application is received (or perhaps before filling out your application), an Advantage RN Recruiter will be assigned as your main contact and will work with you throughout your travel nurse career to help you achieve your personal and professional goals. Do you want to see certain areas of the country? Build your resume by working in a prestigious facility? Cross train in a new specialty? Talk to your Recruiter about what you'd like to accomplish as a nurse traveler, so we can ensure your continued success. Remember that floating to another unit where you are qualified is usually expected. Being flexible and receptive to suggestions is a sure way to increase the number of potential fulfilling assignments available to you.
As a new traveler, you may want to ask your Recruiter to put you in touch with one of our seasoned travelers who can give you a bird’s eye view of the world of travel nursing. Armed with first hand accounts of travel nurse experiences, you are probably feeling quite comfortable about your future – and with your Recruiter who is turning out to be more of a confidant and friend than you ever thought possible.
Step 3. Choose an Assignment - With your specific needs in mind, you and your Recruiter will explore assignments that best match your skills and preferences. Do you want to stay close to home or travel across the country? Looking to work overtime? Do you prefer beaches and sun or the mountains and snow? Your Recruiter will explain the licensure process in each potential assignment state and together you will compare each assignment by evaluating pay and job requirements to determine which opening best suits your needs.
Your weekly pay details will definitely be points of discussion. If you need more details on our Tax Advantage program that routinely puts hundreds of extra dollars in your pocket each week, check out our
Tax Advantage FAQ
section
and learn more.
Step 4. Interview Potential Hospitals – Ok, you’ve narrowed down your choices. Some of the openings your Recruiter tells you about sound interesting to you. The next step is for the Recruiter to send your profile to the hospital. Once the initial hospital contact screens your profile it will be passed on to the department in need. Again, your profile will be reviewed, and as a potentially strong candidate, you will be called for a phone interview – typically with the Nurse Manager. Your Recruiter will prepare you for the interview and provide you with questions to ask that will help you choose the right opportunity. Here are some of the
questions and potential issues to ponder before your
interview. Trust us: the more you know about the job and what is expected of you ahead of time, the more comfortable you’ll feel when it comes time to working at the facility. After all, finding an assignment within your comfort zone means more than simply picking a location or a facility. It means asking the right questions to be sure you are choosing the right position.
After the interview, call your Recruiter to let him/her know how it went. Occasionally a Nurse Manager will make a job offer to the right candidate during a phone interview. Most of the time, however, this doesn’t happen, and you won’t know if an offer is being made until after you talk to your Recruiter.
How long does it take between an interview and an offer? That time varies from hours to even weeks and depends on the hospital, the position’s start date and the hospital’s sense of urgency. But don’t worry -- your Recruiter is as eager as you are to find your optimal placement!
Step 5. Accept the Position – Let’s say you asked a ton of questions and built a great rapport during your interview and within 48 hours you get an offer! Congratulations! Your Recruiter will send you written confirmation of your job offer and once you review and sign it (usually within 24 hours) you are “locked” into the position. By signing your Nurse Confirmation you are making a commitment to work at the facility. Our signature indicates a commitment on our part (and an investment of time and money) to ensure you are ready to work at the facility.
Step 6. Say Hello to QA and our Housing Departments
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Once your Confirmation is received, a flurry of activity begins. Our goal is to be sure that the hospital has all it needs from you to begin your assignment and you have a suitable and safe home-away-from-home.
Many hospitals require skill competency and OSHA testing. Advantage RN will set you up with the appropriate tests. A little worried? Don’t be. Our QA Clinical Education Coordinator (also an RN) is trained and ready to get you confident and ready for the test.
Background checks and drug screens will be ordered for you. The background checks screen out sexual predators, nurses with criminal histories and those who have been convicted of Medicare/Medicaid fraud. Drug screening prevents the placement of nurses who have substance abuse problems. Advantage RN must perform these tests to ensure the hospital that our nurses can deliver the professional care they have been hired to deliver. Being JCAHO-certified opens the doors to more top-notch facilities and means more thorough examinations to safeguard our nurses while ensuring the safest and most secure healthcare environment for our hospitals and its patients.
Meanwhile, you’ll be working with our Housing Department to find your new temporary home. They’ll be arranging for utilities and coordinating your furniture delivery and getting your housewares in order. Bringing a pet? Traveling with a friend? Be sure to share all the details with your Housing Coordinator. Keep in mind that the probability of meeting all of your housing demands will vary depending on the location’s average cost-of-living and other variables.
Step 7. Pack Your Suitcase and Embrace Your New Adventure -
It's time to kiss your old life goodbye and
jump
start your new
one. Need a packing list?
Click here and get one!
Want to read an upbeat account of what one of our nurses in Alaska packs before she leaves for an assignment?
Click here for that! And don't forget to contact your new
city's
Chamber of Commerce for information on things to do in the area as well as practical information such as the public transportation schedule. One of the first things you’ll want to do after you unpack is to take some time to locate your new hospital or health facility so you can figure out the best way to get there from your new home.
Have the new-person-on-the-block jitters?
Read our President’s tip sheet
(Fitting In Quickly At Your New
Assignment) before you
begin Orientation. It’s full of tips that will help you on Day One.
Your Recruiter will contact you on a regular basis to make sure everything is just right and that your experience with Advantage RN is a pleasant one. If you experience problems, you can call us 24/7 for assistance.
Well, you’ve done it! Take a deep breath, look around, and smell the roses. You are living the adventure you dreamed about only a short while ago. New friends, new opportunities abound. Chances are you're going to wonder why you didn't travel sooner! Welcome On Board! And thanks for traveling with Advantage RN!
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