Getting Started
How to get started traveling
Congrats! You have decided to become a traveler. Now what?
The first thing you have to do is to find a travel company that caters to your profession. Several companies have travel contracts available for multiple medical professions. Shop around to find a company that has a great benefits package. Some companies also offer free continuing education credits, discounts on products and services, tuition reimbursement, and assistance in applying for other state licenses.
The best part of taking a travel assignment is that you can discover places you may not have seen before. This picture was taken in South Haven, Michigan along the south shore at sunset.
Once you have chosen which company (or companies) you want to work with, put in your application just like any other job. You will need your resume, references, previous employer information, and anything else you typically use to apply for jobs. I keep all of this information in a folder I have saved on my computer so it is assembled in one place. Don’t forget to have copies of your national licensure, state licenses, driver’s license, diplomas, and certifications you hold for your profession. For me, this includes ACLS, PALS, NRP, BCLS, and RRT-ACCS. You may not need all of these when you are applying to the travel company, but you will need them once you start applying for contracts.
Another bonus of traveling to another hospital? Working at hospitals that have views like the one at Bozeman Health Deaconess in Bozeman, Montana. Now that you have officially been accepted by the travel company, you can start looking for contracts. This is the fun part! You now have access to the major details of the contracts available. The dollar amount, hospital system, city of the contract, and the size of the facility are typically available so you can decide if the contract might be one that you want to apply for. Sometimes they have more information about the hospital, these might include Magnet status, trauma level, charting system, and if the hospital is a teaching hospital. I like to use this information to do research about the area the hospital is located in, as well as the healthcare system itself. If the contract looks like one you’d like to take, simply let your recruiter know you are interested. From there, you wait to see if you get the contract. Some hospitals want to interview you, others won’t. Keep putting in for jobs until you get one. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get the first contract you put in for, or even the first few. It took me three weeks and many applications to find a contract that I was looking for.
Do your research. Finding the right fit can sometimes be challenging.YAY! You signed a contract and are getting ready to leave for your assignment! Now, it’s go time. If the contract is pretty far away from where you currently live, you need to find a place to stay. There are a few different ways you can find lodging. You can stay in an extended stay hotel and drive back and forth when you have some time off. (If it’s within a reasonable distance from your home residence) Another option is to find a furnished rental and stay the duration of your contract. Really, it’s up to you which way you want to go. My contracts have been far enough away that I have rented a house/apartment and stayed the duration of my contract. We (my husband and I) have utilized Airbnb and Furnished Finders. Both sites have their strengths and weaknesses. If you want variety and don’t mind packing up and trying different locations, Airbnb might not be a bad option. The main downside is that you have to pay for the duration of your stay upfront, which can get a little costly. Airbnb has started offering long term rentals, which are sometimes at a slight discount from the daily rental price. Furnished Finders is great because you pay for the rental monthly just like you would with a traditional rental. When we rented through Furnished Finders, we were even able to tour the rental before we signed the rental agreement. Either way, having a place to stay (with a washer and dryer) is a must. Also, some locations have seasonal pricing, so consider this when booking as it may affect your overall costs. Things get slightly more challenging with pets, but you can still find reasonable accommodations if you are up front with your needs. Airbnb includes pet friendly rentals for those who wish to travel with their furry family members. Tips for traveling with pets will be discussed in another blog post.
Maybe your new rental will have access to a lake. This picture was taken in Coloma, Michigan overlooking Paw Paw Lake. Even Zombie weather can't make this calm day less beautiful.You need to consider what you are going to bring with you. Scrubs, stethoscopes, pens, etc… need to be packed along with the clothing you want to wear outside work. In my opinion, the whole point of traveling is to experience new places, and scrubs aren’t always adequate restaurant attire. However, be cognizant of the number of things you bring. I brought way too much stuff I didn’t really need, or use to my first contract. I didn’t know what to expect, so-much-so that my husband made fun of me for packing the whole house. We are constantly occasionally at the gym, so we also had to pack our gym bags and our favorite smoothie blender to maintain our daily routine. As my husband likes to remind me anytime I start packing for a new contract, you can bring some of your favorite stuff, but maybe not all of it.
Pack all the things your furry family members need to be comfortable at your rental. Marty here never forgets to pack a bone or tasty treat for the road.Apart from personal belongings and finding a place to stay, you will also need to fill out paperwork for your new facility. Sometimes you will be required to take competency tests, typical new hire paperwork, a drug test, and show vaccine verifications. Again, I have most of the information or papers that I need to complete these tasks saved on my computer for easy storage and access. Every new contract they will likely ask you to resend information you have already sent. Be prepared to upload it to your profile, or email it to your agency. This happens enough that it’s really worth the time to organize it in the same folder.
I recently had a great experience with these cool things called Hoodoos in a place called Rock City outside of Valier, Montana. More to come on these in a future blog post.
The last thing you need to do is to tell your friends and family about your exciting new location so they can rejoice with you. If your people are like mine, they will want to know where you are going next so that they can live vicariously through your adventures! I also recommend setting up an Instagram or other social media platforms, allowing you to easily share pictures of your experiences with friends and family. I love keeping up on the adventures of my fellow traveler friends, they can give you some great ideas for the future assignments you may want to apply for or places to stop along the way.
Happy traveling! Life is an Adventure!
Kat