Graduate destinations: a guide for future travel nurses

Preparing for the next stage of your journey

You need to get some clinical experience under your belt first, but you can start planning and preparing for a career as a traveling nurse as soon as you qualify. Here’s what you need to know to take that first step towards a career that will take your nursing skills and talents nationwide.

Congratulations on your Graduation!

Earning a nursing qualification is no walk in the park, that’s for sure. You have to be a special kind of person to take on a career course that trains you to deal with life and death situations. It’s tough, it’s intense, it grows you up big time and – WOW! – you made it! We really hope you had an awesome celebration. And a vacation.

So now, here you are on the threshold of your Real World Future. After all the years of knuckling down to your studies, it’s not surprising if you have developed a bit of wanderlust and are hearing the call of the open road. What’s that? Travel Nursing? Oh, yes please!

You probably already know that travel nurses need to have some stable employment experience before they can start. When you take on a travel assignment almost any facility will need you to arrive ready to hit the ground running with confidence. So it makes sense to earn your wings in a hospital where you can find your feet and get used to the very real demands of the job with a support network around you.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t start working on a plan to become a travel nurse. In fact, there are plenty of reasons for nurses in the early stages of their career to jump at the chance to travel.

    • It’s an excellent way to grab hold of your adult independence. A chance to find your feet as the real You.
    • It’s an amazing way to develop your career. Every hospital and facility is different. You will have the opportunity to see all kinds of specialist teams in action.
    • Travel nursing is also a brilliant idea for “Empty Nesters”. Now’s your chance to shake the dust off your suitcase and leave the routines of working parenthood behind. Fresh fields and pastures new in 3…2…1!
    • You’ll have a great view of how hospital working cultures operate. Some you will like better than others. This is valuable experience to have if you decide to settle into a perm job later on.
    • The money is really good!
    • You get to meet ALL kinds of people in this vastly diverse country of ours. It’s an amazing, eye-opening, mind-expanding education that will improve your patient care a great deal.

With Wayward Medical, you get to enjoy all these advantages with the support of a great team behind you. Lean on our experience and know that whatever happens, we’ll be there to help.

Love it! How soon can I start?

Wayward Medical specialises in postings for both Long Term Care and all skilled nursing facility jobs. Different types of role have different requirements for new travelers.

Travel Nurses

You need a minimum of one year in a stable job.

Medical laboratory workers

Labs vary but usually require between 6 months or a year.

Cardiopulmonary Travelers

The requirements tend to be a little higher depending on the specialism. They will want at least one year and maybe two.

Radiology Travelers

Radiology departments tend to want up to two years. There is a lot to know so work hard and keep studying. Every patient adds to your experience and your value to a prospective Radiology employer.

Make good use of your wait time

If you are a new graduate with your sights set on a travel nursing career there is plenty you can do while you work on your experience and skills.

Work hard and take advantage of the experience of the old hands at your facility. Watch out for opportunities to expand your skills and develop your confidence. Be the best nurse you can be. (Well, that’s advice for all time and all nursing situations, whatever your plans.)

Your first working year is a time to assess yourself and work out what kind of nursing career will suit you best.

Start browsing jobs and get a feel for what kind of requirements employers have, what are they looking for? Is there anything you can do to make yourself more employable as a travel nurse?

Do you need to save up to cope with your initial transition to travel nursing? Many people do. You can read about what to expect in our post What does it cost to start out as as travel nurse? 

Wayward Medical’s website (where you are right now!) has plenty of advice, tips and in depth information about working as a travel nurse. Start reading, start building your dream.

Above all, Wayward Medical will be here for you when you are ready. Contact us for an exploratory chat any time.

Arrange a chat with a Wayward recruiter

We’ll help you to create a personal plan for success as a travel nurse, and make sure you know exactly what you can expect from us and when. Arrange a chat with one of our travel nursing experts to discuss your individual situation today: