Traveling Nurses Easing Staff Shortages

With the acute shortage of nurses nationwide, travel nursing has come into his own within the health care profession.

Today, a trained nurse with experience in a high-demand specialty short-term placements almost anywhere in the country-including exotic resort locations such as Hawaii and the Caribbean-throughout the year.

Registered nurses with at least 10 months of clinical experience and good references are eligible. This temporary assignments, usually lasting 13 weeks are often staff functions in critical care settings in locations ranging from rural areas cruise ships and areas.

Travel nursing offers something for everyone in every career stage: the allure of travel and unique settings; rewarding positions at top teaching hospitals and research institutes; and challenging work in hard-pressed, underserved areas.

"For a nurse or nurse practitioner with a flexible schedule, travel nursing can be a very attractive career option as it provides higher wages, flexibility, variety and often the opportunity for business travel," said Andrea Higham, Director of the Johnson & Johnson campaign for Nursing's future, a public awareness and image-building campaign that is the approach of the deficit of the welfare by nursing scholarships and nursing student recruitment activities. "It's one of the many areas of speciality where current demand far exceeds supply."

Those interested are typically start with positioning their companies to openings. Candidates request, discuss their plans and interests with a recruiter, and the implementation of telephone and in-person interviews with potential health facilities.

If the applicant is offered a position, it helps travel company with the details of the travel documents, credentialing and licensure, hospital orientation, housing (some offer free or subsidized apartments) and even arrangements for furniture and utilities.