Are you an LPN (Licensed Practicing Nurse)? Do you crave the excitement of life on the road? As an LPN you know that you are the glue that holds the medical staff together. As an LPN you are in high demand all over the world in all aspects of the medical field. As the population gets older and requires more medical treatment this demand will just get higher. As a whole the U.S. is currently experiencing a moderate shortage of LPN Travel Nurses, with more severe travel nurse shortages in certain areas. This shortage will also grow if current trends continue.
Now the search begins. The number of places you can work as an LPN are literally endless. There are jobs available in all 50 states. There are nurse travel agencies that will help you find employment. Most sites say that if you have one year of experience as an LPN you will pretty much be able to find a job wherever you want.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. What is a travel nurse anyway? A travel nurse is like being a temp in any business. An agency will get you an assignment in a specific location and off you go. The assignments can be as short as 8 weeks and as long as 26 weeks. Plan on 8-13 weeks being the general rule for how long an assignment will last.
If you really enjoy the job, and the medical facility you are working with would like to hire you on a permanent basis, most agencies have a course of action in place for permanent hiring.
In the case of most LPN Travel Jobs, the cost of housing and travel is covered by the hospital or medical facility. Many times you will be provided with a furnished house. Other times you will be given a housing allowance and given assistance in finding a good place to live in the area of your assignment.
The pay scale for LPN Travel Nurses is above average. All the normal things will come into play as far as pay is concerned including experience and level of expertise. You will need a license to work in every state that you work in. The nurse travel agency will help you follow the steps to become certified in each area. Many nurses get with one travel agency and jump from assignment to assignment. The agency will generally offer 401K, health benefits, and retirement.
A great website with lots of information is www.nursetown.com. You can search this site for available jobs, get all of your questions answered, and apply for jobs online. This site is full of useful information for anyone that is interested in becoming a traveling LPN.
Head over to www.nurse.tv. This site has jobs all over the world and you can apply right on their site. Read about what other nurses had to say about their experiences. Find out all about the locations that are available and choose one that you like.
www.aureusmedical.com is a site that seems to be geared towards jobs in the United States. This site will help you understand what you need to know to get certified in the location you are heading to, and will help answer your questions about becoming a traveling LPN.
Do as much research as possible before you pick an agency to represent you. Talk to other nurses that have done work as traveling nurses and have worked for that agency. Since most traveling nurses stick with one agency, this will be one of the most important decisions you make when you decide to become a traveling LPN. Good Luck! The world is literally your oyster.