I am a LPN with 5 years of experience. I have traveled before. I am due to complete my ADN program in May 2004 and was wondering if I will have have one year experience as an RN before I can travel.
I also am an LPN graduating from ADN program in May!! YAY!! I can't wait!! I think companies will take into consideration years of experience as an LPN but I think most do want you to have a year experience as an RN. There are LOTS of travel companies out there and you can find most all of their websites. A good magazine I get is Healthcare Traveler...
www.healthcaretraveler.com
I was thinking of doing some local travel (have a family and can't go long distances right now)...
Good Luck! I hope this helps!
Most hospitals will not take a contract from a traveler without any RN experience. When you are submitted from a company to a facility all your experience is in front of them. When I went from LPN to RN I thought that there would be much of a change and actually there is. With my first assignment and two years of being an RN I still had to sell myself because most managers do not think you have enough experience to be set free without a preceptor. Remember if you are a traveler you get maybe one to two days orientation which is here's the coffee pot, and there is the bathroom, etc. Then they go do something else and you go find them if there is a question. These are not real hospital orientations. Traveler are staffing patches.
There are some companies out there who will staff you but be careful.
There are also some that take into consideration your LPN experience and require you to have less RN experience, say 6 months.
Some of it depends on the facility as well.
I would get some experience on the floor as an RN before I travelled anyway, just so you're prepared...
