Travel Nursing: Requirements and Expectations

With icy roads, subzero temperatures, and hour-long commutes, sometimes, the comforts of home come at the price of sanity. Everyone, at one point or another, has thought about leaving it all behind and escaping to paradise.

Aloha from HealthCare Staffing Network! If you're a mobile nurse in mainland America or Alaska who's been yearning for a stint in paradise, perhaps expanding your professional resume while steeping yourself in the beauty of Kauai, the gorgeous Garden Island, is something to consider.

Many beginning travel nurses like to begin their experiences a bit closer to their home states, just to get their feet wet and see if they enjoy traveling. But eventually, exotic locations--especially those in Hawaii--hold great allure for travel RNs who can't resist the urge to broaden their horizons while making great money. Call it a working vacation! Agencies make it easier on adventurous nurses. HealthCare Staffing Network, in particular, offers thirteen-week contracts for RNs/LPNs with full benefits and possibilities for extension.

Traveling, while exciting and lucrative, is a big commitment. To have an ideal experience, there are certain questions that all nurses should entertain. We'd like to offer our answers to some of the pertinent questions-everything from what's required to getting there to what to expect from the assignment and your agency.

Qualifications/Requirements
The most basic qualification any nurse can have-whether s/he travels or not-is experience. Typically, travel-friendly hospitals (whether in Hawaii or on the mainland) want their nurses to have at least one year of verifiable clinical experience and a couple of excellent verifiable references. Written references are even better. Hospitals have to have confidence that you're the type of nurse who is ready and willing to jump in and do whatever's necessary to provide the best patient care.

All travel companies require at least two basic items, which are submitted directly to hospitals: an application with complete work history and skills checklists for each specialty under consideration. Carefully consider your background when filling out these forms, but don't be too hard on yourself. At HealthCare Staffing Network, we try to make the process as painless as possible. Our Web site quickly and easily enables you to submit your application materials online. From there, we represent you to the hospital. They consider your qualifications and the interview process starts. If, and when, an offer is extended, further documentation (signed agreements, copies of licenses, certifications, health information, etc) is required to secure your position.

Licensing
Licensure can be the biggest obstacle in any traveler's plans. Be informed. An essential resource is www.ncsbn.org. This Web site offers users tons of information that empowers any mobile nurse to contact any Board of Nursing and inquire about licensure by endorsement in any state (including Hawaii). However, in this case, we've already done your homework for you.

The Hawaii Board of Nursing (808-586-3000) indicates that licensing normally takes 2-4 weeks to ensure verification of licensure in your home state. Verification in some states is a breeze; in others, it's a little more like pulling teeth. If you're planning to cinch an assignment in Hawaii, the best practice is to at least get the process going sooner rather than later. In other words, if you think Hawaii might be the place for you, then go ahead-even down the road-be proactive. Do your homework. Plan ahead. Spend the money. But most of all, start early.

Travel - Getting There and Getting Around
HealthCare Staffing Network will always provide you with free airfare to get to Hawaii and then back home again.

A couple of thoughts on getting around-really, there's no need to rent a car. The weather's nice enough that many travelers find it's often just as easy and enjoyable to walk where they're going. It does rain, though, and rainstorms can come and go with sudden frequency. But, if it does rain, the worst that will happen is, you'll get wet-and then, you'll dry off again. The warm weather makes even heavy rain fairly tolerable in any case. Parking can be problematic. Public transportation (buses) is available on some, if not most, islands. Our traveler nurses have said it's quite good. http://www.kauai-hawaii.com/

Still, if you must have a car, it's great to know that Hawaii car rental is known to be among the cheapest in the United States. You can use your traveling RN assignment to make this experience even less expensive.

GREAT TIP: Go to the DMV and show your travel RN identification. They'll grant you a temporary ID for a kama'aina (pronounced kama-eye-na, meaning "local" or "native") rate. This will actually reduce car rental expenses (down to sometimes less than $20/day) as well as many other purchases, including inter-island airfare, hotels, entertainment, and even restaurants.

Here's one scenario. Say you're working with HealthCare Staffing Network in Kauai and decide to take a PRN assignment in Maui or Oahu. The PRN agency will pay for your round-trip airfare, and many nurses will get the agencies to grant them an extra day on the other island. Then, use your kama'aina discount to get a great lodging deal. There you are.you're island hopping!

Hawaii Hospital Expectations
Did someone say overtime? At HealthCare Staffing Network, we've always counseled our nurses that it's a fair question to ask. The key, like anything else, is to ask that question at the right time. Wait until you've established good rapport with your interviewer and have had time to talk some shop.

Many of the hospitals in Hawaii are known to be pretty generous with overtime because they stay busy. It's usually available if you want it, but may be less likely on smaller islands.

Also, it's important to know that nurses who work in Hawaii, whether travelers or not, are required to pay about $45/month in union fees. While these fees are not hefty, they are something to prepare for.

In addition, if your central focus is to get your hands on the latest-and-greatest in technology, you may be disappointed (especially in rural areas). Still, some of Hawaii offers top notch facilities-some of which were voted among the top 100 in the United States. It's definitely nothing to sneeze at.

Study up!
At HealthCare Staffing Network, while we strive to provide as much advance information about an assignment as possible, it's always a good idea to do a little research on your own. Look into the housing options and make sure your recruiter understand your needs. Research the hospital online and with other travelers. Become an expert at the interesting culture that will soon surround you.

For one thing, Hawaii is a cultural melting pot of Hawaiian, Japanese, Samoan, and many other cultures. They love to celebrate their heritage. You'll have many opportunities to discover the island Aloha, but it's great to know in advance what to expect and what's expected.

Of course, the most obvious draw is the tropical paradise feel of the islands. The different shores present a host of exciting opportunities; in fact, often, the weather can be entirely different on all four shores at the same time-rainy and cool; arid, windy, and dry; mountainous and secluded; and then the perfect beaches with great waves. If an area is mountainous, you'll have the opportunity to hike into some places that are only accessible by foot-well worth the hike--and privately view the insides of volcanoes that carved out and defined the islands thousands of years ago. Usually, the north shores boast incredible waves with 25-foot faces. In any case, it's never boring.

In Conclusion .
If you've thought about going to Hawaii for your next travel assignment, then go! Make your friends jealous. Have an adventure. Escape. But go with an agency that's going to take good care of you and has the reputation of HealthCare Staffing Network. Among agencies, HSN has earned its place in the "coconut grapevine" as an agency who takes great pride in how good our nurses have it. Go with an agency you trust.

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