Travel Nurse vs. Staff Nurse

A travel nurse is a nurse who is constantly changing places and tends to work in short-term facilities or home healthcare, while a staff nurse has a permanent position in a long-term facility like a hospital or healthcare clinic.

Can you become a travel nurse right out of college?

No, you can not become a travel nurse right out of college. Before you become a travel nurse, you must have achieved Registered Nurse status, apply to your state's board of nursing, and pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) for registered nurses.

How hard is it to become a travel nurse?

It can be somewhat difficult to become a travel nurse, as there are many challenging steps along the way. Education. You must first become a registered nurse. To do this, you have to get either an associate's or bachelor's degree in nursing. Then you have to pass the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). This is a relatively hard exam that tests you on your nursing knowledge and practical applications.

What is a traveling nurse and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.,

Kim Raines

A traveling nurse is a registered nurse who works on temporary assignments in various healthcare facilities nationwide. These nurses work with different patient populations, from children to seniors, and across multiple healthcare settings, such as hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities. They help fill staffing shortages and provide quality care for needy patients. They typically work for a few weeks or months, then move on to their next assignment when their contract ends.

What general advice would you give to a Traveling Nurse?

Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.

Associate Dean of the School of Nursing Professor of Nursing, Quinnipiac University

One of the suggestions for new graduates is the importance of self-care. We have long known of the demanding nature of the nursing practice. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the nursing role's critical importance and the unique contributions made by nursing professionals. As the healthcare environment is extremely complex and challenging, nurses must remember to advocate for themselves and prioritize self-care.

ScoreTraveling NurseUS Average

Salary

6.6

Avg. Salary $83,961

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 8.93%

Black or African American 11.86%

Hispanic or Latino 8.70%

Unknown 4.24%

White 65.83%

Gender

female 84.10%

male 15.90%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.1

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.8

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Traveling Nurse?

Pros

Flexibility in scheduling and work locations
Exposure to different healthcare settings and patient populations
Ability to gain experience in a variety of specialties
Access to continuing education and training opportunities
Opportunity for personal and professional development

Cons

Limited job security and potential for gaps in employment
Limited access to company benefits and perks
Isolation and lack of social support while on assignment
Difficulty maintaining work-life balance while on assignment
Potentially higher expenses related to travel, housing, and other living costs.

Key steps to become a traveling nurse

Explore traveling nurse education requirements

Most common traveling nurse degrees

Bachelor's

47.1 %

Associate

38.3 %

Master's

6.9 %

Start to develop specific traveling nurse skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	14.60%
Acute Care	9.82%
Healthcare	8.90%
Acls	5.71%
Surgery	5.70%

Complete relevant traveling nurse training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New traveling nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a traveling nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real traveling nurse resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed traveling nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed traveling nurse in most of states. 43 states require traveling nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License Url
Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse (RN)
California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Registered
Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Registered Nurse

Gain additional traveling nurse certifications

Traveling nurse certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific traveling nurse certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for traveling nurses include Basic Life Support for Healthcare and Public Safety (BLS) and Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC).

More About Certifications

Research traveling nurse duties and responsibilities

Manage critically ill patient as a result of trauma, including vent management, ICP monitoring, and CRRT.
Manage and further help stabilize elective and/or urgent surgical patient in their post-operative, post PACU admission to the floor.
Manage bedside care per MD orders, administering medications, ensuring patient safety, assisting in ADL care, etc.
Monitor chemotherapy and administration of oral chemo medication, obtain laboratory specimens to manage client status via central lines.

Prepare your traveling nurse resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your traveling nurse resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a traveling nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Traveling Nurse Resume templates

Build a professional Traveling Nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Traveling Nurse resume.

Apply for traveling nurse jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a traveling nurse job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do traveling nurses rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Traveling Nurse reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2021

Pros

Caring for patients

Cons

Staffing ratios, unfairness, constant expectations. Healthcare is a business but doesn’t treat nurses like business employees

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

helping people and saving lives

Cons

the pay is not good not enough for the lifestyle I would like to live

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Pros

The feeling I get when helping people.

Cons

Nursing isn’t what it was 12yrs ago when I started. It is all about “family centered care” and not what is actually best for the patient. Not only am I a nurse and caring for the patient, but I’m the house keeper, waitress, and coffee go getter. There is no more respect for nurses and their patients.

What is a traveling nurse and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Traveling Nurse?

What are the pros and cons of being a Traveling Nurse?

Traveling Nurse career paths

Key steps to become a traveling nurse

Explore traveling nurse education requirements

Most common traveling nurse degrees

Start to develop specific traveling nurse skills

Complete relevant traveling nurse training and internships

Obtain the necessary licensing

Gain additional traveling nurse certifications

Research traveling nurse duties and responsibilities

Prepare your traveling nurse resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Traveling Nurse Resume templates

Apply for traveling nurse jobs

How Did You Land Your First Traveling Nurse Job

Average traveling nurse salary

How do traveling nurses rate their job?

Traveling Nurse reviews

Traveling Nurse FAQs

Travel Nurse vs. Staff Nurse

Can you become a travel nurse right out of college?

How hard is it to become a travel nurse?

Search for traveling nurse jobs

Traveling Nurse jobs by state