I’m a New Grad, “Can I travel?”

I get these all of the time. God bless new grads! The life blood of the industry.

But………….

The truth of the matter is that you new grads need to get a bit of experience under your belts before hitting the road. Hospitals are hiring travel nurses because they have a shortage. They simply are not going to spend a lot of time training you in a specialty when they may only have you for a 13 week assignment.

Your best bet? Get a job, learn a marketable specialty, and THEN try going the travel route. Agencies always say a minimum of one year experience. The more the better. A year goes pretty fast and a travel assignment takes a few months to line up all of the ducks. So it isn’t to soon to contact a smart recruiter and let them know they have a prospect for going traveling in a few months. Good luck!

Conrad