If you're interested in travel nursing but unsure how to become a travel nurse you're in the right place. Here you'll get my best advice on how to get started with leverage & confidence to find and land the highest paying travel nurse jobs.

I'm Veronica, and I'm a travel nurse. After my years of travel nursing, chats with 100’s of fellow travel nurses and recruiters from 500+ agencies, I’ve got the inside scoop on travel nursing to help you.

You're in the right place to learn how to make informed job decisions based on objective overviews on the travel nursing job market.

Understanding the travel nursing job market will give you the power to spot your highest-paying travel nursing job deals fast & the leverage to negotiate travel nursing pay and contracts with confidence.

Table of Contents

  • How to become a Travel Nurse in 5 steps: Quick Start!
  • What is a Travel Nurse?
  • What do Travel Nurses do?
  • Travel Nurse Requirements
  • What is needed to become a travel nurse?
  • What degree do you need to be a Travel Nurse?
  • How long does it take to become a Travel Nurse?
  • Do Travel Nurses make good money?

How to become a Travel Nurse in 5 Steps: Quick Start!

1. 🩺 Become an Experienced RN

  • Earn your degree: RN Travel nurses can have a BSN or ADN. You can also travel nurse with your NP or APRN, your ADN or ASN or AAS, your LPN or LVN, or your CNA.
  • Pass your licensing exam, get your state licenses.
  • Gain 1-2 years specialty experience & certifications: 1 year at minimum, 2+ years is better

2. 📂 Get your Docs & Data Security organized

  • Prepare your Docs to apply: Licenses, Certifications, Updated resume, 2 references from past year (usually 1 from Charge RN)
  • Get your burner phone number and your private email BEFORE you contact travel nursing agencies to avoid spam.

3. 💻 Research the Travel Nursing Job Market BEFORE talking to agencies

4. 🖐️ Choose 2-5 best travel nurse agencies to work with

5. 🤝 Work with 2-5 recruiters you trust to land jobs & start work

  • Have your recruiters from 2-5 different agencies submit you to jobs that meet your pay & location goals.
  • Research potential facilities, housing availability, & travel plans before committing to contracts.
  • Understand travel nursing contracts before signing.
  • Begin your first assignment after close communication with your recruiter & facility leadership!

What is a Travel Nurse?

A travel nurse is a nurse that works a temporary assignment to supplement full-time staff, usually in a hospital or healthcare facility.

Traveling nurses are usually hired and paid through travel nurse agencies to fill short-term staffing gaps in hospitals and facilities nationwide, rather than being employed directly by the units needing their assistance.

Travel nurses often work far enough from home that they need temporary accommodation for the duration of their travel nurse assignment. If they simultaneously pay for accommodation back home, this is called "duplicating your living expenses", and allows travel nurses to be eligible for tax-free living stipends from the government.

Tax-free money is one of the biggest benefits of travel nursing.

Can you become a Travel Nurse without traveling?

Yes! Don't get too caught up on the "travel" part. You can "travel nurse" while sleeping in your own bed at home. You can accept a temporary travel nurse assignment that you commute to from home.

The catch with "local travel nursing" is that you won't be eligible for tax-free living stipends since you're not "duplicating your living expenses", so all your travel nurse income will be taxed.

Even though local travel nursing compensation packages are fully taxed, these temporary positions often pay higher and offer more flexibility than staff nurse jobs.

What do Travel Nurses do?

Travel nurses fill critical staff shortages in facilities nationwide possibly due to:

  • Parental leave
  • Vacation
  • Staff injury/illness
  • Nurse retention gaps

Traveling nurses work in a multitude of different environments, such as:

  • Hospitals - the most common setting for travel nurses
  • Outpatient clinics
  • Long term care facilities
  • Home health
  • Schools
  • Rehab centers
  • Vaccine clinics

The main job of a travel nurse is to fill a critical hole in staffing.

Because travel nurses are hired to supplement full-time staff, a travel RN is expected to hit the ground running with minimal hospital orientation.

Travel Nurse Responsibilities

A travel nurse has the same responsibilities to the nurse staff on whatever unit they're hired to.

A typical travel nurse schedule on assignment is:

  • 12 hour shifts - Days or Nights
  • 3 shifts per week
  • 36 hour work week
  • 13 weeks is a standard travel nurse assignment

The catch is that traveling nurses are expected to supplement nurse staff by taking a full patient assignment after only a few days of orientation, usually 2-3 days orientation - much less than staff nurses receive upon hiring.

Due to the nature of filling critical staffing needs with minimal orientation, nurses who become travel nurses should be VERY experienced in their travel nurse specialty.

Hospital units that need Travel RN's are often:

  • short-staffed
  • high patient census
  • high-acuity patient loads

These are high stakes work environment for an inexperienced nurse. That's why it's recommended to have 2+ years nursing experience in your specialty before traveling.

What Degree do you need to be a Travel Nurse?

To meet the job requirements to become a Travel Nurse, you need either a BSN degree or an associate degree like the ADN, ASN or AAS.

Travel RN's need anyone of these degrees:

  • BSN - Bachelors of Science in Nursing
  • ADN - Associate Degree in Nursing
  • ASN - Associate of Science in Nursing
  • AAS - Associate of Applied Science in Nursing

All RN's will need to meet the job requirements to become a travel nurse, including up-to-date licenses & certifications and 1-2+ years of recent nursing experience in your specialty. Keep reading to find the full requirements to become a travel nurse.

Travel RN's can search the latest highest paying travel nursing jobs without worrying about spam right here on StellarNurse.com.

Can you become a travel nurse with an ADN?

Yep. Associate Degree prepared Nurses can become travel RN's. You can work in a travel RN position as a nurse with your BSN, ADN, ASN or AAS, as long as you pass your NCLEX-RN and you meet the job requirements.

Some healthcare facilities prefer a BSN, but an Associate Degree ADN, ASN or AAS is the minimum requirement for travel RN's.

Can CNAs be Traveling Nurses?

For sure. CNA's can become travel nurses. There are travel certified nursing assistant jobs available nationwide.

You'll need to have your CNA certification and meet the other CNA travel nurse job requirements, which usually include 1-2 years of recent specialty experience & up-to-date licenses & certifications.

Can an LPN be a Travel Nurse?

Definitely. Nurses with their LPN/LVN's can become travel nurses. Like travel RN's, travel LPN's and LVN's need 1-2 years experience before they can become travel nurses.

Though StellarNurse only has travel RN job listings for now, lots of other job boards list travel positions for LPN's or LVN's.

"Travel Nursing" isn't only for RN's

Travel Nurses can have a wide variety of degrees or certifications:

  • RN - BSN degree or ADN, ASN, AAS degree
  • NP or APRN degree
  • CRNA degree
  • LPN or LVN degree
  • CNA certification

"Travel Nursing" isn't only for Nurses

There are a large variety of travel healthcare work positions available nationwide, not just for nurses.

Allied health workers can take "travel nursing" jobs or travel healthcare work. Allied health specialties in high demand include:

  • Respiratory Therapists
  • Physical Therapists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • OR Techs
  • X-ray Techs

All travel nurses and healthcare workers can research travel nurse salary trends and track current pay trends compared to historical pay insights going all the way back to 2019. You can also find the highest-paying travel nurse agencies and the top-paying locations.

Only travel RN positions are currently available here at StellarNurse.com, but we plan to open travel nurse job listings for all kinds of travel nurses & travel allied health workers in the future.

Travel Nurse Requirements

All kinds of nurses & healthcare workers can become travel nurses or work in travel healthcare positions, as long as you meet the requirements.

Travel Nurse requirements for all specialties include:

  • Earn your Nursing degree, ie. BSN or ADN
  • Pass professional exams, ie. NCLEX-RN
  • 1-2+ years of recent experience in your travel nurse specialty
  • Updated resume highlighting recent 1-2+ years in specialty
  • 2-3 recent references - at least 1-2 from your charge RN, manager or supervisor
  • Up-to-date certifications for your specialty - ie. BLS or ACLS
  • Current professional license, ie. RN
  • Current State licenses where you work

Organize your required documents

Travel nursing will force you to get organized - that's for sure! Keep digital copies very accessible on your laptop or smartphone, whatever device you use regularly and will have with you during travel nursing.

For travel nursing you'll need:

  • Your updated resume
  • Your up-to-date state licenses & certifications
  • Proof of any vaccinations required
  • 1-2 recent references from your charge RN, nurse manager or supervisor

You'll need to have these documents ready to present in order to complete multiple agency profiles and apply to jobs. It'll be your responsibility to keep your licenses, certifications, resume & references up-to-date as you travel between assignments & employers.

Prepare your references by having their contact email and/or phone number available to present for agency profiles & facility applications. Notify your references that they'll probably be contacted.

Don't be shy about requesting references and contact info from your current or previous nurse managers, charge nurses or even their bosses, like the Director of Nursing. Try to leave jobs on good terms. That way you can gather references and have the option to return if you need it.

Travel Nurse Requirements for Certifications

Regarding certifications, almost every specialty requires your current:

  • Basic Life Support (BLS)
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)

Other possible required or preferred certifications could include:

  • Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN) for Critical Care Travel Nurses
  • Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) for L&D and NICU Travel Nurses
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) for Pediatric Travel Nurses

PRO Tip: Many Travel Nursing Agencies will pay or reimburse you for certification fees. Ask your travel RN companies about this, and how it affects your overall pay package.

Travel Nurse License Requirements

When you earn your degree and pass your NCLEX (or other licensing exam) you can apply for your state license with your states' Board of Nursing (BON).

Nurses who live in a compact state can also apply for a multistate license if you meet the licensure requirements, opening up your nursing job opportunities to the 43 states that are currently part of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).

If you live outside the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) or want to work in one of the 7 states outside the nurse compact, you'll need to apply for state licenses individually.

You can apply for additional state RN licenses using your existing state RN license in a process called 'licensure by endorsement', as long as your license is current & active.

State license requirements depend on the state, check each state's Board of Nursing website for full requirements.

For example, California's Licensure by Endorsement requirements include:

  • "Verification of License" form
  • Fingerprint-based background check
  • Online RN Endorsement Application
  • Application fee $350

You should also check license processing timelines. California is notorious for delayed RN license processing times - currently estimating 12 weeks processing time. 😭⏳

PRO TIP: Many Travel Nursing Agencies will pay or reimburse you for state license fees. Ask your travel RN companies about this, and how it affects your overall pay package.

Having a current, active & un-restricted nurse license is required for all travel nurses. Ask your travel nursing agency or state Board of Nursing if you have any questions about restrictions on your license.

How long does it take to become a travel nurse?

You need at least 1 year of nursing experience to become a Travel Nurse - it's better if you have 2!

Although some travel nurse agencies & facilities accept 1 year of experience for travel nurse jobs, 2+ years in your RN specialty will be safer for you, your license & your patients.

Travel nurse jobs require that you are ready to enter an unknown facility and supplement the unit staff by taking responsibility for a full patient load with only a few days orientation.

2+ years experience handling higher-acuity patients in your specialty should allow you to meet those minimum travel nurse requirements.

If you recently switched nursing specialties, but more than 2+ years RN experience, travel nurse companies and facilities will usually still require you to have at least 1 year recent experience in the specialty you want to travel nurse in.

All travel nurses, including CNA's, LPN/LVN's & RN's need 1-2 years of specialty experience before they take a travel nursing job.

Your possible timeline to become a Travel Nurse

The soonest you can become a travel nurse is 1 year after you earn your license & gain experience in your specialty.

Here's how long each step to become a travel nurse usually takes:

  • Get your nursing degree - 2-4 years
  • Gain nursing specialty experience - 1-2+ years
  • Research Travel Nursing industry, jobs & agencies - 1-3 months
  • Compare travel nursing jobs, apply & receive offers - 1-3 weeks
  • Give notice at work & travel to your first assignment - 2-3 weeks

Remember: It's safer for you to have 2+ years of nursing experience before you become a travel nurse.

Travel Nursing for New Grads

New Graduate nurses can't get hired as travel nurses. All travel nursing jobs require at least 1-2 years of nursing experience before you start your first travel nursing assignment.

1+ year RN experience in your specialty is the minimum qualification for travel nurses. I recommend gaining 2+ years experience in your nursing specialty before becoming a travel nurse.

2+ years of nurse specialty experience will more adequately prepare you for travel nursing. Accepting a travel nursing job means you're agreeing to accept a full patient load and give safe patient care in an unfamiliar work environment with only a few days of orientation.

Getting 2+ years of nursing experience will give you more confidence in your travel nurse role, protect your license & ensure you can deliver safe healthcare to your patients.

The best way to prepare yourself for travel nursing as a new grad is to build strong nursing skills for 1-2 years learning how to treat high-acuity patients in your specialty with confidence, and obtain licenses & certifications relevant to your specialty.

Cultivate strong professional relationships with your nursing & healthcare co-workers, charge nurses & nurse managers. Focus on learning from their experience and networking with them for future job opportunities. You'll need great references from your leadership and co-workers for travel nursing jobs in the future.

Research travel nurse salary, taxes & onboarding BEFORE talking to agencies.

Researching the job market before you start talking to agencies will help you

  • understand current pay package rates
  • spot your highest paying travel nursing jobs fast
  • choose agencies that offer the fair pay you deserve