Onestaff Medical provided this article.
While there are many different types of travel nursing specialties to choose from, some travel nurses may choose to take on supervisor positions at a hospital or other healthcare facility. Between providing compassionate care and supporting other nursing staff, travel nurse supervisor jobs are important positions that need to be covered in order for a hospital to run smoothly.
There are a number of responsibilities and duties that travel nurse supervisors take on that can be challenging, which is why it’s important that nurses in this position exhibit excellent communication, organization, and adaptability skills.
If you’re looking to work in a higher-level nursing position and travel at the same time, a travel nursing supervisor position may just be perfect for you.
What Are Nursing Supervisors?
Nursing supervisors play a large role in coordinating and managing nurses and other hospital support staff. Having a supervisor in each care unit of a hospital or clinic ensures that all patients are adequately treated and that the right care coverage is being provided.
Nurses may take on many responsibilities in their day-to-day role as a supervisor. They must be extremely organized in order to juggle multiple tasks, people, and patients, as well as ensure all hospital protocols are both efficient and up to standard.
The responsibilities of a nursing supervisor may include:
- Coordinating and communicating with physicians, as well as patients and their families
- Managing patient medical records and data
- Maintaining smooth operations at the healthcare facility by monitoring patient flow
- Handling various administrative responsibilities and clerical work, as well as managing budget
- Creating schedules for nursing and support staff, and resolving staffing issues
- Educating nursing staff on proper care protocols
- Providing clinical support and care for patients, including in emergencies
- Responding to patient complaints or concerns from senior administrators
- Evaluating staff performance
Among other things, nursing supervisors should exhibit both leadership and conflict-resolution skills. While some nurses may already have these skills in the bag, others might not; fortunately, these skills can be learned over time through training and experience.
Can You Get These Jobs as a Travel Nurse?
If you are a traveling nurse and you’re wanting to become a supervisor, you’re in luck! It’s definitely possible for a travel nurse to move into this type of position, as long as they have the experience and education to be successful. Additionally, all kinds of medical facilities need nursing supervisor roles, including hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare institutions. This means that if you are a traveling nurse, there are still a range of different locations for you to choose from to work in this type of managerial role.
Supervisor travel nurse jobs require both managerial and patient care skills. Besides skills we’ve already discussed, travel nurse supervisors should also be:
- Proficient at using patient management and recordkeeping systems
- Knowledgeable of healthcare best practices to perform a variety of clinical work
- Adaptable and flexible in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment
- Interpersonal with exceptional written and oral communication skills
- Skilled in listening to others and promoting a collaborative environment
- Able to teach, delegate, make decisions, solve problems, and resolve conflicts
If you’re ready to become a travel nursing supervisor, let’s found out what steps you need to take to get there.
5 Tips for Landing a Nursing Supervisor Role as a Travel Nurse
Just like any other managerial position, nursing supervisor roles require a certain level of education, licensing, healthcare knowledge, and other important skills. Individual healthcare facilities like hospitals may also have their own qualifications and requirements for nursing supervisors, so it’s important to consider this as you choose locations to travel to.
Fortunately, if you’ve been working in the healthcare field, you may already have some of this covered. If not, here are some tips we recommend for landing a nursing supervisor position as a travel nurse.
1. Get a Master’s Degree
Some travel nurses working in supervisor positions have a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), which is a great program to learn patient care protocols as well as critical thinking, leadership training, and communication skills. Many healthcare facilities require nursing supervisors to have an MSN because the degree program can effectively prepare you for the demands of executive leadership and the administrative side of the position.
Although a master’s degree isn’t required for becoming a travel nurse supervisor, having a higher level of education can help you to stand out from a large group of qualified candidates. A higher degree shows that you’ve achieved a certain level of knowledge and experience to be successful in the nursing field. It also demonstrates that you are passionate and proactive about taking a step forward in your career and creating new opportunities for yourself.
2. Focus on Your Experience
Before stepping into a travel nurse supervisor position, you will likely need a certain level of experience. As a supervisor, you’re expected to have a certain skill level, which includes problem-solving, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking skills. Having clinical experience that’s both proven and mature is essential for being successful in a managerial role.
Many healthcare facilities ask that nurses have at least three to five years of experience before pursuing a leadership position. This is because having multiple years of clinical experience allows you to have a larger perspective of the responsibilities of a nursing team.
As you focus on gaining experience, think about what in-depth medical knowledge you can glean from performing day-to-day tasks, dealing with patient concerns, and solving problems that arise. You can also work with a mentor who can guide you as you transition to a higher-level nursing role.
3. Obtain the Proper License
As a traveling nurse, you may already have some licensing to work in certain units or specialties. When looking to become a travel nurse supervisor, there may be extra licensing to consider to give you the deep knowledge you need to provide patient care.
Besides a degree, travel nurses must also have a nursing license for the state in which they are employed. Keep in mind that your travel nursing agency can also help you obtain certain licenses—and may even pay the fees for you—if you wish to travel and work in other states. In addition, you may also consider acquiring the following licensing:
- Basic Life Support
- Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support
- Neonatal Resuscitation Training
- Trauma education
- Nurse Executive Certification (NE-BC) and Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification (NEA-BC), both through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
- Certified Nurse Manager and Leader, as well as Certified in Executive Nursing Practice, through the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL)
4. Showcase Your Leadership Abilities
One of the most important skills that a travel nursing supervisor must exhibit is leadership. Travel nursing leaders play a huge role in influencing the work environment, whether through safety measures, quality of care, or patient outcomes. This is a large responsibility, which is why it’s so important for nurses in this role to have stellar leadership skills.
Being able to effectively lead other nurses and support staff means mentoring them and giving them a space to comfortably express their opinions and ideas, especially regarding improvement or protocol modifications. If an environment can be created where ideas thrive, your nursing staff will see that you empathize with them, meaning you understand the personal and professional stress that accompanies the long hours of being on the job.
5. Share Your Ideas
Travel nurses wishing to become supervisors shouldn’t be afraid to express their ideas or visions for change in the workplace. In fact, their ability to understand the strengths and weaknesses of others and how they can be improved is crucial for being a successful visionary in the healthcare world.
Travel nursing supervisors who can challenge the status quo, engage in change, and listen and encourage other nurses will be more successful in their position than those who aren’t. That’s why it’s important for them to share their ideas with others.
While travel nurse supervisors do have more responsibilities and duties they must take on, it can be a really rewarding position that offers new challenges and can help to improve patient care.
Are you looking for your next travel nurse assignment? Click here to view our job board. Do you need housing for an upcoming travel nurse assignment? Click here to search our housing page.
If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:
Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)
Sources:
- https://healthcaretravelers.com/supervisor-jobs
- https://www.zippia.com/registered-nurse-supervisor-jobs/
- https://www.vivian.com/nursing/nursing-supervisor/travel/
- https://onlinenursing.duq.edu/blog/role-of-the-nursing-supervisor-in-hospital-settings/
- https://online.maryville.edu/online-masters-degrees/master-science-nursing/careers/nursing-supervisor/
- https://www.joyce.edu/blog/why-nurse-management/
- https://onlinenursing.duq.edu/blog/6-tips-for-success-as-a-nurse-manager/
- https://academicpartnerships.uta.edu/articles/healthcare/great-nurse-manager-qualities.aspx
- https://www.zippia.com/registered-nurse-supervisor-jobs/what-does-a-registered-nurse-supervisor-do/
