Before Your First Travel Nursing Assignment, Follow This Checklist

Many travel nurses feel exhilaration after accepting their first travel assignment, but they may also feel overwhelmed. The next few months will be some of the most exciting of your life, but they come with challenges you’ve never before faced. Prepare for your assignment using the following checklist.

Update Immunizations

The CDC has a list of recommended vaccines for healthcare workers. Most facilities also have their own list. Obtain requirements as early as possible so there’s time to schedule any vaccinations you don’t already have.

Start a Travel Binder

Gather important documentation and keep it all in one place. Organize your licenses, certifications, immunization records and other documentation and take photos of each one with your cell phone so you only have to pull them out when absolutely necessary. No matter how many times you move, you’ll have everything you need on hand.

Manage Finances

If you have a recurring payment for anything, you don’t want to risk a late fee because your mail didn’t make it to your new location. Save yourself the time and hassle by signing up for an auto draft or online payment options.

Sometimes, when banks receive charges from a new location, they think an unauthorized user has accessed your account. They may freeze funds until they’re able to contact you. Let them know you’re leaving town so you’re not standing at the gas pump halfway to your destination with no access to funds.

Make Arrangements for What You’re Leaving

If your yard is neglected and unopened mail piles up on your doorstep, it makes you a target for thieves. Ask a friend or neighbor to take care of your yard, pick up your mail and do any other little tasks you won’t be able to complete. Even if nothing needs to be done, leave a key with someone you trust just in case.

Pack Light

While it sounds daunting to be gone for months, you’ll find you don’t need as much as you think. Keep packing to a minimum. If you get where you’re going and find you forgot something important, you can pick it up along the way.

Find out exactly what is provided in your temporary housing, then make a list of things you use regularly that aren’t already supplied. Take uniforms and only your favorite street clothes, but don’t forget seasonal items like sweaters and umbrellas.

At Emerald City Medical Staffing, we help travel nurses find their first assignment and offer employee resources to help them get settled in. Contact us today for more information.