Reality: two years exp. minimum needed to travel; comments welcome

[Danattherock]

Lots of BS here. I took to traveling over 5 years ago with exactly one year experience. A friend of mine had 6 months experience on M/S and started traveling. It just depends on the company. Anyone telling you that you can not travel after one year experience is misinformed.

[musherdeb]

yeah you can get jobs early in but all i was saying was that you really need some experience behind you before you start traveling. it is frustrating to work with nurses that are traveling and dont have a clue what they are doing in some areas because they dont have the experience in. ok so how much experience can a nurse with 6 months have? unless they were an LPN for many years before. and what unit is a nurse with only 6 months exp going to work in?
I would never say that a nurse should not travel i was only suggesting that they get some sound experience under their belt. some of these hospitals are not nice to travel nurses and you need more than just hands on experience you also need to be able to deal with other people as well. especially the folks that just dont want you there.
so yeah you can get a job with only 6 months exp but what are you bringing to the floor and what job are you doing?
i still think you need some solid experience under your belt before you travel.
i said 5 years only cause then you are truly set. if you are in an ICU or ER there is no way you are experienced after 6 months. it takes up to 5 years to be damn good in those areas.
just a thought. i am sure there are plenty of other nurses here that will agree with some of this.
good luck if you are getting jobs with only 6 months. i wish you the best and i am not being mean i really mean it.

[AmandaWIRN]

Lots of BS here. I took to traveling over 5 years ago with exactly one year experience. A friend of mine had 6 months experience on M/S and started traveling. It just depends on the company. Anyone telling you that you can not travel after one year experience is misinformed.

I would not call it BS... Perhaps, at some facilities, 6-12 months is sufficient experience to work as a traveler on a med-surg floor, but it is NOT sufficient experience to work as a traveler on any type of specialty unit.

Also, as Deb said, while someone who has been a nurse for only 6 months may be able to get by as a traveler on med0surg, I can guarantee that the regular staff on that unit will NOT appreciate having someone who is supposed to be very experienced come in with little experience, making premium pay, and having to ask for help all the time.....

[TammySue]

With all due respect, you are making a lot of incorrect assumptions. I apologize ahead of time ...

while i understand your post, and that you have a lot of experiences, i would be hesitant to hire you if i picked up on that attitude ... because i would think this could be a problem employee who is not willing to listen to others and learn and change. it isn't fair, i know, but your age and your past could work against you in an interview if you don't handle it right. i also am 47, i entered nursing as a second career about 12 years ago, and the biggest lesson i learned was that i don't know everything and i need to continually ask for help. to this day, i try to maintain that attitude and be a team player.

just a view from this side of the screen ... sometimes another POV can help us out when we hit a wall.

[mjade28]

Your not being mean...just honest!!!