Finding a career that you love, one that offers exciting and engaging experiences, and one that pays well may seem like three different quests. If you’re hoping for a job that also helps other people, you might as well give up your search, right?
Not so fast. If you’re interested in the medical field but also want to seek excitement and travel the world, there’s a position that’s perfect for you. It also happens to be one that is always in demand. Sound too good to be true? It’s called international travel nursing, and it’s very real!
What Do Travel Nurses Do?
You might be wondering how someone can travel and be a nurse. Don’t nurses spend most of their time cooped up in hospitals and clinics? Not when you’re a travel nurse. These medical professionals see the world while helping patients travel for a variety of reasons.
Unlike typical traveling, traveling nurses don’t hang out in a new place every day or every few days. Instead, they set up temporary residence in new places all around the nation – or the world, in the case of international travel nursing – for several weeks or months at a time. While there, they serve at clinics or hospitals or in private settings, depending on where and who they work for.
Where Can I Sign Up?
Sound great? Many people consider travel nursing every year, but it’s not for everyone. You’ve got to be willing and able to travel and relocate often – and you need nursing certification and experience.
Most agencies that employ travel nurses will ask that you have five to ten years of nursing experience in addition to your nursing degree. This is just to ensure that the talent and skill you’re bringing with you around the world is up to the level that is required in the areas where you will be placed.
Talk to your local hospital, medical school, or travel nursing agency for more information about how to become a travel nurse. You never know how much you’ll love this exciting and fast-paced career until you give it a try yourself!