Whether you’re just now venturing into the lucrative adventure of travel nursing or are an experienced travel nurse deciding whether to continue, you may wonder where your career can take you in 2024. The good news is that the demand for travel nurses continues to soar, presenting exciting opportunities for travelers seeking new experiences, professional growth, and higher compensation. We’re eager to share some of the top reasons why this year is the perfect time to become a travel nurse and what high-demand states you’ll want to watch!
High Paying Job Opportunities
Travel nursing salaries are undeniably lucrative, influenced by factors like assignment location, specialty, and willingness to work various shifts, often exceeding permanent staff pay. Particularly lucrative are roles in oncology, NICU, pediatrics, cardiac nursing, and CRNAs, which are high-demand specialties. Rural locations, especially in states like California, Alaska, Connecticut, and New York, offer higher pay, with travel nurses typically earning $2,500 – $3,000 weekly.
Professional Development
Being a travel nurse offers you a unique opportunity to work in a variety of healthcare settings, be it a large urban hospital or a small rural clinic. By working with the right agency that will provide continuing training and educational opportunities, this job and patient diversity enables you to expand your skills, gain valuable experience, and enhance your resume. If your goal is to choose a specialty and someday possibly a perm staff role, this also gives you a chance to be exposed to those specialties in the different clinics and facilities you will work in.
Flexibility and Freedom
2024 has presented a lot of amazing new location options for travel nurse jobs. Every travel nurse is looking for something different, and you’re likely no different! If you’d like to spread your wings and see what’s out there, you may consider trying a state you’ve never considered before, like Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, or Nebraska. These states are among those in the highest demand for travel nurses in 2024, in addition to California, Massachusetts, Texas, and New Jersey.
Networking and Professional Connections
Travel nursing provides you with the opportunity to meet and work with healthcare professionals from diverse backgrounds. Building these connections can help you meet your professional goals and open doors to future career opportunities by expanding your professional network in 2024 and beyond. Professional networking also exposes travel nurses to different healthcare approaches, techniques, and perspectives, which can enrich your own approach to care.
Fulfill Critical Patient Needs
By alleviating staffing shortages in high-demand healthcare facilities, you can help ensure that their patient base receives timely and quality care. Travelers help maintain continuity of care, particularly in regions experiencing severe staffing shortages. You can directly impact patient outcomes while supporting and uplifting the healthcare professionals working as core staff that you’ll be working alongside. As a traveler, you play a crucial role in meeting patient needs and supporting healthcare teams wherever travel takes you.
Is Travel Nursing Right for Me?
While travel nursing can be a lucrative career, you have to do what’s best for you! Make sure you weigh the pros and cons against your lifestyle and learn all you need to know about travel nursing to help make an informed decision.
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When you think back to the heart of why you started healthcare traveling, what lights your fire the most? Is it the chance to broaden your clinical knowledge? Enjoy a taste of true work/life balance. Or to wander coast to coast?
Your care journey to date has been as inspiring and unique as you are. Which is why you deserve a rewarding career that helps you reach big goals and achieve lifelong dreams – whatever they may be! Traveling can help get you exactly where you want to be, both in life and location.
It’s time to get back to the heart of it all and remember your “why.” Nursing or allied health traveling can help you:
Move at Your Own Pace
Work 13 weeks and take 4 off. Work 8 weeks, take another 3 off! Traveling lets you conjure up a flexible work lifestyle without sacrificing career security. You can work at your own pace with confidence, knowing your career is still cared for with:
Benefits up to 4 Weeks Between Assignments
Traveling literally gives you room to take a step back and breathe! Your day-to-day can be highly stressful and emotionally taxing, which is why it’s important to pencil in some guilt-free “me” time. With Medical Solutions and our sister company, Aureus Medical Group, your benefits are active for up to 4 weeks between assignments.
Varying Contract Lengths
Travel contracts are available in all shapes, durations, and sizes, but you choose assignments that best support your needs and goals. Need to be in a specific region at a specific time of the year? Let’s make it happen – search through hundreds of jobs across the country today. Considering the occasional contract for some supplemental income? No problem – your recruiter is here for you anytime you need them. Want the flexibility of travel but need to stay close to home? Hold tight – something exciting is in the works!
Whether it’s per diem, PRN, strike, a 13-week contract, or an extension, you’ll find career freedom in the flexibility of healthcare traveling.
“I hadn’t been home for a major holiday in two years because I was working as a perm staff. But after I started working as a traveler, I got to be home with family for the holidays.” – Mariah T., BSN, RN – Stepdown/PCU
Shake up a Tired Routine
Picture the year ahead: you could spend the summer in Seattle, check out Fort Worth in the fall, then beat the winter blues down in Palm Beach. Each new assignment (and everywhere in between!) is a chance to branch out from the same old routine. Most importantly, traveling gives you the flexibility to take breaks when you need to between contracts or arrange to be near loved ones for important events.
So hike that mountain trailhead, follow your inner foodie, or take a day trip with a new friend – traveling helps you try things you might never experience at home.
“I’ve been able to visit some unique locations and stay at places that I otherwise may not have traveled to, like an Airbnb horse ranch in Montana that’s run by adults who have disabilities. It was such a great experience.” – Abigail M., BSN, RN – ER
Invest in Yourself While Helping Communities in Need
Each new assignment is an opportunity to advance your clinical knowledge, learn from other inspiring clinicians, and go where help is needed most. From soft skills, clinical skills, knowledge of protocols, state laws, and so on, everything you learn on assignment adds to your ever-growing list of abilities.
Expand Your Skillsets
Challenge yourself to adapt and grow as you work in different facilities and acuity levels, from nonprofits to trauma centers to community hospitals, in both urban and rural settings. Learn new technologies and strengthen your communication skills as you experience firsthand how different healthcare systems function across the country.
Help Those in Need
You were called to care for a reason, and traveling helps you find new, rewarding ways to help patients, hospitals, and communities in need. You could be a fresh face for an understaffed, small-town community hospital or much-needed support for first-time travelers in a large unit. You could even provide medical support to kids with serious illnesses at a life-changing summer camp!
Advance Your Education
Thinking about pursuing another degree or certification? The flexible nature of travel can help you take those extra steps in your education journey. You have more time to devote to these professional goals and passions without placing your career on hold.
“I was able to complete my practicum while traveling because my recruiter at Medical Solutions always had my back. He was able to find me assignments around Miami for 10 months so I could be near my clinical site.” – Cindy W., RN – ICU/PACU
Where Will Care Take You Next?
If you’re dreaming of a change of pace but want the flexibility and security of an in-demand career, travel with Medical Solutions! Jobs are available in every corner of the U.S., with new openings added each day. You can quick apply now to connect with a member of our team, search for jobs here to get a feel of what’s out there, or call 1.866.663.3548 to get in contact today!
It’s a beautiful year to explore some incredible new locations, travelers. And when it comes to spots for your next travel nursing assignment, the cool thing is that every traveler is looking for something different, which means great-fitting jobs for everybody! Or, as Amy Poehler says, “There’s a lid for every pot.” When it comes to travel nurse assignments, there tend to be locations so popular that they’re nearly universal and always sought after, those simply in high current demand, and those hidden gem locations that only the savviest travelers will discover.
Here are our top 20 travel nurse destinations for 2022!
1. Anchorage, AK
Travel nursing assignments in Anchorage offer great adventure with Alaska’s unique location, culture, and otherworldly natural beauty making it a fantastic travel nurse destination. As the state’s largest city, Anchorage offers a neat blend of both wild and urban places to experience. Here you can explore trails, peep wildlife like moose, bears, and whales, see (and hear!) glaciers, and tons more in the wild. Explore the indigenous culture at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, or shop for Native crafts and art, fresh seafood, or other wares. Bonus: Shopping in Anchorage is tax-free! And yes, it gets cold here. But bundle up, and you might see the northern lights or midnight sun, go dogsledding, take a day cruise, kayak with expansive views of unspoiled nature, and so much more. It’s an enjoyable place to spend 13 weeks building your career in care! Barrow, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Soldotna are a few other incredible cities for Alaska assignments.
2. Jacksonville, Florida
On the other hand, this hotspot in northern Florida is the largest city in the Sunshine State and a heavenly place for your next travel healthcare job. From downtown high rises to the most extensive urban park system in the nation, JAX (as the locals call it) has something for everyone to enjoy. Originally dubbed “The River City by the Sea,” the presence of St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean make JAX a water lover’s dream indeed. Think sun, sand, boating, fishing, and diving — plus arts and culture, a lively music and nightlife scene, foodie-approved dining, fun riverwalks, and tons more. Also, the cost of living is solid in this city, so blessed by beaches! Explore Jacksonville travel nursing assignments and see if this sunny hotspot is the right fit for you.
3. Falls Church, Virginia
This charming town of approximately 15,000 offers travelers a little bit of everything. It may be small, but it’s just a 25-minute drive to everything Washington, D.C. has to explore — including some of the nation’s top tourist sites, museums, and more. However, this quaint, historic town has plenty to explore, too, like classic Victorian architecture, arts and entertainment, great dining and shopping, parks and hiking, Great Falls and the Potomac River, and so much more. Enjoy access to the big city but only when you want to venture in and spend the rest of your assignment in this adorable enclave! Explore Falls Church travel nurse jobs and see if this is the Goldilocks spot for you.
4. Phoenix, Arizona
The larger Phoenix area is a conglomeration of suburbs and cities, so this entry comes with many bonus location options and tons to do and see. Phoenix travel nursing jobs are a great choice this year for travelers who want to escape colder weather, explore the Southwestern U.S., golfers, hikers, nature lovers, art lovers, and others. Nearby Chandler is also a popular spot for an Arizona travel healthcare assignment. Not in the mood for a major metro area but still feeling a location in the Southwest? Check out Show Low, Arizona.
5. Tacoma, Washington
With a location just south of supersonic Seattle, many travelers will choose a healthcare travel job in Tacoma this year. Like its famous neighbor to the north, Tacoma has great art (it’s known in particular for glass art), creative culture, and it sits on the Puget Sound. But it all comes with a lower cost of living — which can go a long way for travelers’ take-home compensation! This is a hidden gem and an excellent spot for a travel assignment. Nearby Gig Harbor, Washington (just 20 minutes away) is also a prime location. On your days off, you can explore everything the Evergreen State offers — from the Seattle city scene to the natural beauty of its many mountain peaks and forests.
6. Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia should be on your mind when it comes to your travel nurse career. With its consistently available jobs and chock-full of Southern charm attitude, most travelers find Atlanta travel nurse assignments to be just as sweet as a peach! This capital city has many exciting features like pro sports teams, fantastic dining, shopping, history, and more to explore on your days off. Check out the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, Georgia Aquarium, Centennial Olympic Park, the Fox Theatre, Stone Mountain, World of Coca-Cola, and Piedmont Park.
A travel nursing assignment in the Aloha State is a dream for many travelers for obvious reasons. Make your dreams come true with a travel nurse job in Honolulu! There’s probably no need for us to explain why Hawaii is on this list of popular travel assignments for the year. But to nutshell it for anyone who doesn’t know, this city and its surrounding area are known for surfing, beaches, lovely tropical climate, Pearl Harbor, lush flora, volcanoes, rich Polynesian culture, nightlife, and tons more. It’s basically paradise, OK? Hilo, Waimea, and Kealakekua are a few other great cities for Hawaii travel jobs.
8. Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is an incredible little city (population just over 30,000) in north-central West Virginia, not far from the Pennsylvania and Ohio borders. The city sits along the Monongahela River and is known for its arts culture, mountaineer history, great people, and a strong food and drink scene. It’s a college town — the Art Museum of WVU, Mountaineer Field, and WVU Core Arboretum are big draws for those who take travel nurse jobs in Morgantown. And also a nature town — explore Cheat Lake, Coopers Rock State Forest, WV Botanic Garden. About 150 miles east is Martinsburg, another excellent travel nursing location to consider in West Virginia.
9. Santa Cruz, California
Sun, sand, surf. If these are a few of your favorite things, talk to your recruiter about a travel nursing job in Santa Cruz. Many people visit this charming seaside destination, but it’s a real treat to spend 13 weeks (or more!) really exploring and taking it all in as a traveler. There’s so much to do and see here; let’s do a quick roll call: the famous Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (complete with rides, entertainment, dining, and attractions), lots of great beaches like Main Beach and Cowell Beach, the Santa Cruz Wharf, whale and dolphin watching in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, great surfing and a surfing museum, quaint Downtown Santa Cruz, historic Santa Cruz Mission, Mystery Spot, incredible hiking and views, and all just a quick drive to the famous Highway One route along Monterey Bay. The San Francisco/Oakland area, just about an hour-and-a-half north, is another excellent area for travel jobs — or day trips!
10. Redding, California
California’s so huge and full of hidden gems that we’re giving The Golden State two spots on the list. Nature lovers will adore Redding, Northern California’s largest city north of Sacramento, with a population of 91,000+. Redding sits at the Sacramento Valley’s north end, just an hour south of Mount Shasta. The natural beauty is stunning and plentiful when you take a Redding travel nursing assignment, but the cost of living is low! Redding is known for the fact that hundreds of miles of State and National Parks and Forests are within just a 30-mile radius of the town. Must-sees include Sundial Bridge, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lake Shasta, and many more. Redding is nicknamed the “Gem of the U.S. Trails System” and the “Trails Capital of California.” We weren’t kidding when we said this place was a gem!
11. Lewes, Delaware
This hidden gem sits right where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean in the state’s beautiful Cape Region. Lewes is a tiny, picturesque town, and it’s perfect for travelers who love the sea, sand, and sun! The town’s also got a walkable historic district with cute shops, restaurants, museums, and more. And despite its small-town quaintness, the medical facilities in Lewes are excellent. The town’s known for its great cost of living, and the state’s well known for being a tax-friendly place — always a plus for travelers. There’s a biking/hiking trail to Rehoboth Beach, which is a mere six miles away, plus Lewes is adjacent to Cape Henlopen State Park, which boasts lots of beautiful beaches and more. Ready for a travel nursing job in Lewes?
12. Terre Haute, Indiana
Located in west-central Indiana, just 5 miles east of the Illinois border, this city of 60,000 sits along the Wabash River and is known as “The Queen City of the Wabash.” Terre Haute is family-friendly and known as an educational hub. Culture, art, architecture, football, dining, outdoor activities, and more beckon when you take a travel nurse assignment in Terre Haute. The cost of living here is well below average, allowing travelers to make their compensation stretch. Terre Haute is also just about an hour’s drive each to Bloomington and Indianapolis and about a 3-hour trip to Chicago. So, it’s a great home base for regional trips!
13. White Plains, New York
White Plains is just northeast of New York City near the Connecticut border. This outer suburb of The Big Apple is known for top-notch shopping and dining and also for great schools, culture, and healthcare facilities. It sounds like the perfect spot for a traveler who may want to explore NYC but doesn’t care to live in the city that never sleeps. When you take a travel nursing job in White Plains, you can access all of New York City’s culture, dining, theater, sightseeing, and more after just a quick half-hour train ride down. Also, White Plains has some pretty great stuff to explore itself, like the White Plains Performing Arts Center, Saxon Woods Park, Battle of White Plains Park, Percy Grainger Home, Westchester Mall, White Plains Farmers Market, and more. Daring travelers may also enjoy a helicopter tour of the NYC metro area!
14. Omaha, Nebraska
Take a travel nursing job in Omaha, and you’ll see why more folks should stop and stay awhile in “flyover country.” This mid-sized city sits on the eastern edge of Nebraska with a population of around 475,000 and a metro area population nearing one million. The state’s most populous city, Omaha’s full of friendly faces, sees all four seasons and has plenty to do on your days off. The historic Old Market, Dundee, Blackstone, and Benson are hip neighborhoods to explore for a night out and some foodie fun. The famous Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is a must-see. Sports fans can take in a Creighton Bluejays basketball game or make the 45-minute drive to Lincoln during football season to join the famous Nebraska Cornhuskers “sea of red.” Plant one foot in Nebraska and one in Iowa on the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. Admire art deco architecture at Joslyn Art Museum and Durham Museum. Hike Fontenelle Forest and Lauritzen Park. Omaha’s big enough to have great dining, shopping, art, music, museums, and theater, but also petite enough to have a slower pace than major cities.
15. San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio may be known for The Alamo, but that’s not all you’ll remember from your time in this incredible city! In addition to warmer temps, travel nursing jobs in San Antonio come with lots of opportunities for historic sightseeing, shopping, dining, golfing, caving, day trips, and more. The must-dos are many here, but you’ll definitely want to see the Alamo, the famous San Antonio River Walk, Missions National Historical Park, the Pearl District, Market Square, and El Mercado. You can also take culinary classes at the Culinary Institute of America. Day-trippers will love jaunts to New Braunfels (a charming small town with a country music legacy) and Bandera (Cowboy Capital of the World).
16. Kansas City, Missouri
If you like BBQ, jazz, shopping, pro sports, and fine arts, consider K.C. This urban Midwest mecca sees all four seasons and has much to explore year-round, making it the perfect travel nurse destination. Here you can root for the Royals and cheer on the Chiefs, stroll Nelson-Atkins Art Museum and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, sample world-class BBQ and Beard-nominated fine dining, explore the American Jazz Museum, and tap your toes at local jazz clubs, have a blast at Worlds of Fun and a make a splash at Oceans of Fun — and tons more. Explore K.C. travel nursing jobs to find your perfect fit. Prefer to head a bit further south in The Show-Me State? Osage Beach is another great location that allows you to explore the Lake of the Ozarks!
17. Roseburg, Oregon
This gem in southeast Oregon has a population of about 25,000 and is known for its cool culture and stunning natural beauty. Roseburg sits in the heart of the beautiful Umpqua Valley. Its charming, walkable, historic downtown is known for unique shopping, restaurants, and galleries. On the outdoors tip, you can’t skip a stone around here without hitting an epic trail, waterfall, or forest. That means great rafting, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and scenic views. Luckily for you, this is also the land of historic, award-winning wineries and craft breweries galore if you’re thirsty after all of that fun in the great outdoors. Cheers to you because Roseburg travel nursing jobs are a great choice! Klamath Falls, about three hours southeast of Roseburg and known as the gateway to Crater Lake National Park, is another excellent location for travelers in Oregon. Roseburg is a great travel nurse destination for outdoor lovers.
18. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Travel healthcare jobs in Myrtle Beach come with the city’s famous 60-mile stretch of sandy beaches and boardwalks (part of the Grand Strand along the South Carolina coast), attractions, entertainment, golf, dining, and shopping galore! Broadway on the Beach is a bustling, touristy entertainment complex that’s a must-do for many. But from Vegas-style shows to more traditional theater to fine art offerings, there’s a bit of something for all tastes here in Myrtle Beach. The seafood, of course, is fantastic here, but you’ll find a full menu of foodie faves as well — from fine-dining sit-downs to boardwalk grab-and-gos to fresh ingredients you can whip up in your kitchen. In addition to the beautiful beaches, nature stuns everywhere in Myrtle Beach. Duck the beach crowds for some me-time at Myrtle Beach State Park, Huntington Beach State Park, Brookgreen Gardens, Conway Riverwalk, and Murrells Inlet MarshWalk. Also, whether you prefer golf or mini-golf, Myrtle Beach is a wonderful place to tee up on your day off.
19. Aurora, Colorado
If you love the mountains and city life, a travel nursing assignment in Aurora is an excellent travel nurse destination for you. Aurora is Colorado’s third-largest city, and it’s only about a half-hour drive from downtown Denver, so you’ll have access to all the world-class dining, art, sports, shopping, culture, events, and attractions that the larger Aurora/Denver metro area has to offer. But, the great thing about this location is that even though you’re surrounded by all the benefits of urban living, you’re never too far away from a serene mountain getaway here! So, you can add hiking, skiing, rafting, kayaking, paddleboarding, golfing, fishing, and so much more to your to-do list when you work a travel job in Aurora. This is a fantastic location for nearly any traveler — the mountain air and majestic views of colorful Colorado will do wonders for your mental and physical health!
20. Augusta, Maine
This quaint New England town of about 20,000 sits right on the Kennebec River. Augusta is the Maine state capital, located just an hour from Portland. This adorable town is known for its historic downtown (it’s a nationally designated Main Street community!) and streets lined with Victorian architecture. Speaking of historic, the Augusta’s Old Fort Western is the nation’s oldest surviving wood fort, built back in 1754. Not far from the fort, you’ll find Waterfront Park and the Augusta Greenway Trail, which is part of the larger, 6.5-mile Kennebec River Rail Trail and is a great spot for strolling and biking. Travelers also love the 224-acre Viles Arboretum, with its six miles of trails. Now imagine hiking, biking, and strolling all of that with the iconic New England fall colors all around you. This travel nurse destination sounds like heaven! Nearby Lewiston, Bangor, and Portland are also great locations in Maine for travel jobs — or fun spots for day trips from your Augusta travel nursing job!
Hopefully, our list of top 20 travel nurse destinations for 2022 gave you some inspiration and got you dreaming of where care will take you this year and beyond! Even if none of these hotspots for travel nurse destinations feel right for you right now, you can keep them in mind for later down the road. Plus, we’ve always got tons of open jobs — with new ones added every day! Are there any travel nurse destinations we missed on this list? Comment them below.
Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming assignment? Click here to search our housing page.
If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:
Our expert team of travel healthcare recruiters gets a lot of great questions from aspiring travelers, including the very common: How much experience is necessary to be a travel nurse?
The experience requirement for travel nurses is typically 1-2 years. However, this question ultimately depends on each unique facility, specialty, and other such factors. But overall, if you want to know how to get started travel nursing, there’s more to it than that. So, let’s take deep dive into travel nurse experience requirements and a couple of closely related topics that will help you become a travel nurse!
Experience requirements or necessary for travel nurses
There’s no formal, industry-wide time requirement. However, the current industry standard is that travel nurses should have at least 1-2 years of recent, in-hospital, or in-facility experience to be hired as a travel nurse. Various facilities and/or units may require more experience, but such enhanced experience requirements are usually specified on a job posting. It’s also the kind of info your recruiter would share with you before you apply for a travel healthcare job.
Why Do You Need Experience to Work as a Travel Nurse?
If you already worked your tail off in nursing school, did clinical rotations, passed the NCLEX with flying colors, and can land a perm nursing job, why wouldn’t you be able to hit the road as a traveler? It’s a fair question, but there are several good reasons why, and the bottom line is that it’s ultimately about protecting you, facilities, and patients.
Travel nurses are expected to hit the ground running when they arrive at a new assignment. Orientations are often short, and there’s a lot to learn when you start at a new hospital — like meeting your colleagues and understanding the hierarchy, learning hospital protocol, navigating a new charting system, and simply finding your way around in a new space. To provide excellent patient care from day one while also finding your way in a new facility, your clinical skills must be road-tested and rock solid.
For you, travel nurse experience requirements help protect your license, pad your resume, and facilitate a successful travel nursing experience. You don’t want to have a negative first experience, overstress yourself, or let your patient care suffer because you rushed into a travel healthcare career. For hospitals, experience requirements help reassure them that their travelers will reliably provide great care from day one of an assignment they need to depend on. It’s why they’ve already hired additional healthcare professionals, after all! And most importantly, travel nursing experience requirements ensure better patient health outcomes and better overall patient care.
So, while it can seem like a pain to have to wait to become a travel nurse when you feel like you’re ready to start traveling ASAP, it’s all for good reasons, and it only benefits you in the end. Be patient and practice your skills; the time will come soon enough. Now is the time to study the travel nursing industry and prepare! Research travel nurse companies, explore travel nursing benefits and join online travel nurse groups so you can learn all the ins and outs in the meantime.
How Many Years Does It Take to Become a Travel Nurse?
Including nursing school, it takes approximately 3-6 years to become a travel RN. But, if you’re already a practicing nurse with the commonly required 1-2 years of in-hospital experience under your belt, then good news: You can start looking for your first job and become a travel nurse ASAP!
Let’s break this all down further into the different preparation phases and how many years it takes to become a travel nurse.
First, there’s the educationyou’ll need to become a travel nurse:
An Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) takes about 2-3 years to earn.
A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) takes about 4 years to earn.
Typically, ADN and BSN are the two main degrees most travel RNs. However, other degrees travel nurses might have are CNA and LPN.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) programs take about 4-12 weeks to complete.
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) programs take about 1 year to complete.
Of course, aside from travel nurses, many travel allied health professionals start their journey with various education requirements depending on their roles. Nonetheless, experience requirements for travel allied health professionals also tend to be 1-2 years in-facility experience. While Medical Solutions offers many allied health jobs to choose from, we’re focusing on travel nurse experience requirements in this article, so we’ll mostly leave that discussion for another day.
After you earn your nursing degree, pass your NCLEX, and secure the necessary licenses and certifications, there’s the gaining experience part of answering the question: How many years does it take to become a travel nurse? As mentioned before, the common requirement to become a travel nurse is 1-2 years of in-hospital experience. But this standard can vary depending on your specialty and each facility’s requirements.
Add the education and experience requirement totals together, and you’re looking at:
About 3-6 years to become a travel nurse if you’re an RN,
About 1-3 years to become a travel nurse if you’re an LPN,
And about 1.5-2.5 years to become a travel nurse if you’re a CNA.
How Do I Become a Travel Nurse?
Suppose you’re entirely at square one of your nursing/travel nursing journey. In that case, you may still be thinking, “Great, now I understand how much travel nurse experience I’ll need after nursing school, but where do I start in the first place?!” Because it can be helpful to consider the big picture when you’re just starting, we’ve outlined the basic steps to becoming a travel nurse or travel allied health professional in this previous blog.
Or, if you’re already a nurse and looking to travel, you’ll need to have one to two years of recent in-hospital experience under your belt before you can apply and get hired as a traveler!
Final Thoughts on Travel Nurse Experience Requirements
As you can see, it’s not beneficial to you or anyone else to start your travel nurse career without the required experience. But, whether you’re currently in nursing school or already working your first perm job to gain the necessary experience to travel, it’s never too early to search for jobs to get a feel for what kind of assignments are currently available. You can also contact our team to get connected with your recruiter, who can start to understand what type of assignments and locations you’d like to pursue. That way, once you have the experience, you’ll be ready to pounce on the perfect first travel nurse assignment.
Whether you were wondering how much experience is necessary to be a travel nurse, how many years it takes to become a travel nurse, or how to get started travel nursing at all, we hope this article was a helpful resource for you. Good luck in your career journey — remember, we’re always here to help you or answer any more questions!
We hope you found this article on the experience requirements for travel nursing helpful. Do you have any other advice for those considering a career as a travel nurse? Comment them below.
Are you looking for your first travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming assignment? Click here to search our housing page.
If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:
Happy Nurses Week 2025! We’re so grateful for all that nurses do—every single day. This week is all about you, and we’re excited to celebrate with a giveaway! Need more details? Visit our Facebook page.
