Travel nurses are in high demand, particularly in areas with shortages. But, knowing what skills are necessary to land high-paying travel nurse jobs is important.
Adaptability is one of the most important in Texas travel nurse jobs. With each new assignment, travel nurses must adjust to a new city, healthcare facility, charting systems, and policies.
Time Management Skills
Time management is another important aspect of good communication for travel nurses. Creating a schedule before an assignment and using reminders to keep track of work and free time is helpful. Travel nurses can also learn about the hospital before their start date to show they’re prepared.
Travel nurses enjoy the freedom of traveling to new destinations. During their assignment, they can explore local culture for over a few days, discovering hole-in-the-wall restaurants and hiking trails only found in certain areas of the country.
Strong Organizational Skills
Strong organizational skills are one of travel nurses’ most important traits. From charting and scheduling to planning daily tasks, travel nurses with strong organizational skills can better complete all their assigned duties promptly.
Travel nurses must also build strong relationships with healthcare teams to succeed in their assignments. They often shift to new locations and healthcare facilities each contract period. Building relationships can help them quickly acclimate to new environments and charting systems.
Additionally, if travel nurses are looking to land high-paying jobs, they must be able to organize their paperwork and keep it in order. This includes their submission profile (resume, job application, background questions, attestation statement, skill checklist, licenses, etc.). Submitting this information to hospitals promptly will increase their chances of landing top-paying assignments. One way to do this is by using a travel nursing app, allowing nurses to own their submission profiles.
Excellent Teamwork Skills
A travel nurse must be comfortable working in multiple settings and with various medical practitioners. Each location has a unique patient population, and each practitioner brings expertise. Excellent teamwork lets travel nurses connect with their peers and build strong relationships quickly.
Hospitals and healthcare staffing agencies know that a good travel nurse can hit the ground running without requiring a lot of hand-holding. They’re looking to fill a temporary staffing need, and they want nurses to be able to start work as soon as possible.
A successful travel nurse must be able to submit documents to their agency in a timely fashion to avoid contract delays. Having a recruiter who responds to questions promptly, updates you on the progress of your submittals, and helps you feel heard is key. It would help if you also looked for an agency that offers continuing education, tuition reimbursement, and career-building opportunities. These are signs that they care about their nurses and are invested in their careers.
Strong Analytical Skills
Travel nurses are typically hired to fill gaps in staffing at hospitals and healthcare facilities. These gaps can be caused by turnover, maternity leave, or other reasons. Regardless of the reason, these positions are usually short-term and come with a high pay rate.
Because every assignment is different, nurses need to be able to adapt to new situations and learn the ropes quickly. They must also be able to think outside the box and find creative solutions to patient care needs.
This is a great career choice for nurses who are fearless of change. Travel nurses have the unique ability to see new places and work with various healthcare professionals. They may go from working in a rural critical access hospital to an urban teaching hospital and then to a large metropolitan hospital, all within the same assignment. This range of experience makes a travel nurse an extremely valuable team member.
Excellent Communication Skills
The nursing field requires strong communication skills with patients and colleagues. This includes written and verbal communication, but it also means a clear understanding of medical terminology, protocol, and standards of care. This requires effective communication skills, including listening and asking questions. It also includes knowing when to use different forms of communication, such as email versus phone. Serious conversations, like a layoff or change in salary, are often best conveyed in person.
Travel nurses work with diverse groups of people, so they need to build trust and relationships quickly. They must have compassion and empathy for patients and their families, but they must also effectively communicate their clinical expertise with doctors, lab staff, and other hospital personnel.
While all registered nurses must be adaptable, travel nurses need special flexibility and communication skills. They are constantly adjusting to new cities and towns, healthcare facilities, and staff, so they must be open to change and willing to learn and adapt. They also need to be able to communicate their availability for different assignments and negotiate terms with recruiters. This can include negotiating shifts, start dates, and vacation time. This is important for getting the highest-paying travel nurse jobs.
