- Treatment Plan: Hypertravelosis
- Step #1: Determine Why You Want To Travel
- Step #2: What Do You Want/Need Out of Travel Nursing
- Step #3: Where and When Are You Willing to Go
- Step #4: Understanding the Myths
- Step #5: Know Your Deal-breakers
- Step #6: Building your Travel Portfolio
- Step #7: Research Travel Nurse agencies
- Step #8: Submission of Your Profile
- Step #9: Working With Your Recruiter (s)
- Step #10 Prepare For the Interview
- Step #11 Preliminary Contract Negotiations
- Step #12: Determine if The Job is A Good Fit
- Step #13: Sealing the Deal
- Step #14 Getting Ready for The Journey
- Step #15: Packing for the Travel Nurse
- Step #16: Prepare Your Vehicle
- Step #17: Keeping Track of the Paperwork
- Step #18: Make It A Great Road-Trip
- Step # 19 Arrival on Location
- Step # 20 Settling In (unpacking and finding the necessities)
- Step # 21 The countdown Begins: Your Travel Nurse Assignment Day One
- Step # 22 How to Make the Most of Your Travel Nurse Contract
- Step #23 Travel Nurse Contract – 8 Weeks to go…
- Step #24 Travel Nurse Contract – 4 Weeks to go…
- Step #25 Travel Nurse Contract – 2 Weeks to go…
- Step #27 Travel Nurse Contract Evaluation – Wash, Rinse, Repeat…
- Step #26 Travel Nurse Contract – The Final Week
“CONGRATS” If you’re at this point, you have completed all the previous steps and are ready to think about leaving and heading out for your Travel Nurse Adventure. I’m excited, are you?Hopefully you have done some research on the city where you are going and have a few things in mind already that you want to do/see during your off time. This is important because you may have some bad days and having something local to look forward to will keep you motivated.
So what do you need to do now?
The following 10 steps will put you well on your way to an enjoyable journey.
- Know what you’re doing with your primary residence. Are you renting out your home, leaving it empty or having a friend stay there? Perhaps you rent and will be ending your lease. Knowing what you are doing with your primary residence is a very important step in the planning. Just remember, there are tax implications if you are Travel Nursing and do NOT have a primary residence.
- Banking Knowing in advance what your bank allows and doesn’t when it comes to traveling is an important and often overlooked step. Does your bank operate in the area that you are going to be traveling? Do you get charged fees for transactions from another bank? These fees can add up quickly. Make sure to notify your bank that you will be traveling so they don’t put a hold on your account. Many banks will block any ‘questionable’ transactions as a safety measure for you. It’s worthwhile to make a quick phone call to the bank and let them know that you are going out-of-state. I would also recommend that you have a back-up credit card or savings account in case of emergency with enough available balance to cover anything unexpected. You should always carry important banking phone numbers with you. It’s a good idea to make a paper or digital copy of the front/back of all of your credit cards and save in a secure location in case of theft/loss.
- Mobile phone Know your mobile phone providers limitations. Do you get charged additional for ‘out of network’ coverage? Do you have roaming fees that you need to be concerned about? It’s also a good idea to analyze your current plan and make certain that you have the amount of time/minutes available that you will need. You may find that your mobile phone usage increases when you are away from family and friends. You don’t want to be surprised with additional fees. If you don’t currently have a mobile phone, consider getting one.
- Personal Portfolio We already discussed building and keeping a Travel Nurse Portfolio. You should make certain that you have backup copies (paper or electronic) of all of these documents. In addition, you may consider the following:
Birth Certificate- Social Security Card
- Insurance Cards (auto, life, home, etc)
- Passport (if applicable)
- Work Visa (if applicable)
- Health Information/prescriptions
- Mail When your leaving your primary residence for an extended period of time, the last thing you want is your mail stacking up in the mailbox. Once you have your new temporary address, don’t forget to make arrangements for a mail forwarding service of some type or a friend/family member to pick your mail up for you and forward it. The USPS will forward your mail for free. In addition, there are multiple mail forwarding services available for a small monthly fee. Research and find a method that works for you.
- Automobile (prepare or store) If you’re driving to your assignment, you will need to make certain that your vehicle is safe and prepared for a long road-trip. Consult with a local mechanic and have your vehicle checked, change the oil, fill the fluids, assess the belts, etc. If you are storing your vehicle you will need to prepare it for storage. Consult with your local mechanic and find out what is necessary for your particular make/model vehicle. There are many storage facilities that will store a vehicle for a monthly fee.
- Health insurance Contact your insurance company and find out if there is anyone in-network in the area that you will be traveling. Ask if there is anything specific that you will need to do if you need to seek emergency medical attention if out of network. You should contact the benefits number on the card or the website for information.
- Medications Make certain that you have enough refills for any required medications. Explain to your physician that you will be traveling out-of-state (give the dates) and find out if you need to obtain an additional refill prior to traveling.
- Pets Traveling with your pet can be a rewarding experience. As a pet owner, making certain that your pet is prepared for travel is an important step. If you will be leaving your pet behind with a family member or friend or even a long-term boarding facility (which I do not recommend), you need to make sure that appropriate care instructions are left behind as well as emergency instructions and contact information. Be aware that Hawaii has specific pet importation laws that require months of pre-planning. If you are traveling out of the country, research the countries specific importation requirements.
- Secure Valuables Whether you are packing up your home and putting everything into storage or leaving an empty house behind, it’s important to take into consideration any items of value or importance. Make sure that these things are secured or stored safely. Safety deposit boxes are a good resource for paperwork, wills, jewelry and smaller items. For larger items, you may consider leaving them with a trusted friend or family member or paying for an insured storage facility.
Another consideration is Travel Insurance When taking a long or expensive vacation, we are likely to consider taking out travel insurance. Most travel nurses do not consider this option when traveling for a contract. Travel Insurance can not only cover your personal belongings but provide additional medical coverage for you if more than 100 miles (general rule, check with individual provider) away from home.
Do you have anything to add to this list? Any suggestions to make preparation smoother?
TheGypsyNurse
Owner at The Gypsy Nurse
As a travel nursing educator, Candy aka Gypsy Nurse, RN has worked in healthcare for nearly 20 years, working up the ranks from CNA to LPN to RN. For the past eight years, she’s worked as a travel nurse, allowing her to practice and live in 14 states throughout the U.S. She regularly shares advice for those interested in travel nurse jobs on her website at: www.thegypsynurse.com.
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Lesli
This is my first travel assignment but I have traveled before. Since I travel by myself I leave a copy of my travel route, and how many miles I’ll be traveling, with my family, my closest cousin and a friend. I call before I leave each day and when I arrive at where I’m staying for the night. By doing this at every stop someone knows where I’m at and where I should be at the end of the day. It makes everyone rest a little easier
TheGypsyNurse
I do something similar…there is always someone that knows where I am each day of traveling and where I am heading! Welcome to Travel Nursing Lesli…hope that your first contract is going great!