If you enjoy variety as a nurse, love to travel and want to broaden your clinical skills, becoming a travel nurse might be an ideal path for you. Becoming a travel nurse gives you the opportunity to help make a positive impact on people’s health while enjoying the freedom to travel and acquire new experiences for both your professional and personal life.
From metropolitan cities to rural country towns, nurses are needed in many healthcare settings, delivering crucial services to their communities. The number of employed nurses has risen to 11,600 over the past year, with job growth expected to increase by 13.9 per cent over the next five years. These figures indicate continued and strong demand for nurses in Australia.
This article covers how to become a travel nurse, including common responsibilities, earning capacity and guidance on whether this nursing role is a good path for you.
What is a travel nurse?
As the name suggests, a travel nurse is a registered nurse who travels to different healthcare settings and organisations providing nursing services as required to support staff shortages. Some travel nurse agencies require nurses to have a level of postgraduate experience.
Travel nurses work for nursing and recruitment agencies and may take on contracts in a range of places in and outside of Australia, including public and private hospitals, midwifery clinics, mental health clinics, aged care facilities, schools, community health centres and general practice clinics. Travel nurses may also work in acute and critical care situations, such as natural disaster zones or major weather events, where healthcare workers are most needed.
They can work in major cities and rural centres, exploring the local areas, all while building clinical and nursing skills. Jobs for travel nurses are usually temporary or short-term, with contracts lasting a few weeks to a few months at a time in one location. Once their contract has been fulfilled, they can move on and undertake work in another facility.
Travel nurses may also fulfil ad-hoc shifts between their main temporary contracts, depending on the arrangement with their agency. Accommodation and travel costs are commonly included in a travel nurse’s contract. If roving around Australia in between contracts, travel nurses also have the option to move back to their hometown and pick up casual shifts as a casual or agency nurse or work in facilities locally. They can then find a new contract as a travel nurse as desired and continue with their travel nursing adventures.
What do travel nurses do?
The roles and responsibilities of travel nurses vary based on their workplace and the specific needs of their patients. Travel nurses need to be adaptable to various work environments, which gives them opportunities to gain valuable experience helping people with diverse health conditions and presentations.
The broad responsibilities of travel nursing include:
- relocating or travelling to different work settings as per their agency requirements and contract terms
- assessing, planning and implementing standard nursing care for patients
- providing immediate community care in emergencies, such as in natural disasters or infectious disease outbreaks
- administering medications and performing diagnostic tests
- offering information and resources to patients and families, referring to specialists when necessary
- collaborating with nurses, doctors, specialists and other health professionals to coordinate and optimise patient care
- promoting health and preventing illness through health education and promotion activities
- maintaining patient records and documentation according to healthcare facility and nursing standards
- staying up-to-date with current nursing practices and participating in continuing education opportunities to expand knowledge and skills
Rural and remote nurses in Australia
Rural and remote nursing in Australia is a high-demand field with opportunities for travel nurses to enhance their careers and experience working with communities in need. Working in rural healthcare presents a unique set of challenges, as nurses in these regions are often the only primary healthcare providers servicing the health needs of people in the community. Remote nursing roles may require two to four years of postgraduate acute and critical care experience as well as other advanced nursing skills.
How much do travel nurses earn?
In Australia, the average annual travel nurse salary is approximately $145,000.
The value of travel nursing for your career
Whether you’re a nurse at the beginning of your career or have a wealth of nursing experience, the value of travel nursing can extend your expertise while making a difference in people’s lives.
Nurse coach Madeline Kessler says that travel nursing can open up worthwhile learning opportunities for nurses to get an idea of what they might like to focus on, which is helpful for nurses early on in their careers. “Working on a single ward in a hospital, you don’t always get that point of difference”, she explains. Seeking multiple temporary contracts over a year or longer means you enhance your experience quickly.
Clinical nurse Michelle Deroubaix shares this view that travel nursing can be an important step in upskilling your experience. “There’s higher pay compared to permanent roles, and it may serve as a stepping stone to the next thing in your career.”
Previous experience in emergency care, triaging, tertiary hospital work or other advanced nursing skills can help better equip you for a career as a travel nurse. You’ll have the confidence in your capabilities and skill set to take on challenges, which translates to better patient care and job satisfaction.
5 steps to becoming a travel nurse
The following steps outline how to become a travel nurse in Australia.
1. Consider if this is the right career path for you
The first step is to consider whether pursuing a travel nurse role is right for you.
Madeline says there are aspects of travel nursing that younger and older nurses may find appealing. “It could be good if you don’t have family commitments or for empty nesters and you want to broaden your experience.”
Michelle says travel nursing may suit people who love uncertainty, variety, challenges and not being in the same place.”Diversity is always great on your CV,” she says.
If you’re interested in a vibrant career that blends travel with work, immersing yourself in new, exciting and challenging environments, becoming a travel nurse could be an ideal career path. It can be rewarding yet challenging, as you’ll be making a difference in the lives of people across many regions, often in places with a shortage of healthcare services.
You’ll also need to consider the time it takes to become a registered nurse, followed by any optional postgraduate qualification you may want to complete. Reflect on what you want for your career, your desired lifestyle and what type of workplaces you may enjoy experiencing to understand better whether this career is a good path to pursue.
2. Complete a diploma or bachelor of nursing
The typical pathway to becoming a travel nurse is to complete an undergraduate nursing degree, which is a pathway to becoming a registered nurse. For example, the University of Canberra’s Bachelor of Nursing gives you the foundational nursing skills and knowledge to launch your career as a nurse in Australia. A Bachelor of Nursing Science or Bachelor of Science (Nursing) are other examples of accredited nursing degrees. A nursing degree usually takes around three years to complete full-time.
If you have an undergraduate degree in another field, many universities offer pathways to nursing with a graduate entry Master of Nursing program. This is a fast track to becoming qualified as a registered nurse and takes 2 years full time. Check with the individual university for their specific process and admissions requirements to confirm your eligibility.
3. Join the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia
Once you’re a qualified nurse, you’ll need to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
If you’ve completed your nursing studies overseas and are interested in becoming a registered travel nurse in Australia, you may be eligible for recognition with the NMBA. It’s helpful to self-check your qualifications directly with the NMBA to determine whether they meet the Australian quality assurance and accreditation standards. Alternatively, the NMBA has pathways to becoming a registered nurse if your overseas qualifications don’t automatically meet their standards, including outcomes-based and skills assessments.
4. Upgrade your skills with postgraduate study
Gaining as much experience as possible may help better prepare you for the diversity and challenges of travel nursing.
Professional development with postgraduate study can enhance your travel nursing career, expanding your nursing skills and confidence. The frequent travel involved with this role can make it difficult to pursue a postgraduate course in-person or on-campus. However, as a travel nurse, you can readily advance your skills with the convenience of online postgraduate nursing courses which allows you to continue working no matter where you are in the country.
Beginning with a shorter qualification and enrolling in a graduate certificate or graduate diploma at a university is an ideal stepping stone to a master’s degree for travel nurses.
5. Apply for travel nursing jobs
Once you have the relevant postgraduate experience and skills, you can begin searching for travel nursing jobs in areas that interest you.
As previously mentioned, travel nurses are employed by nursing agencies. An agency can help you find job placements across the country and provide support with training, offer incentives and may cover the costs of accommodation and transport while under contract. You’ll have the opportunity to consider the type of work that best suits your lifestyle, travel goals and nursing experience.
Alternatively, you can browse job boards such as LinkedIn, SEEK or Indeed to find travel nursing jobs. You’ll find a mix of prospective employers, including nursing agencies, government and other organisations advertising for travel nursing jobs. You could find work in rural and remote areas, public or private hospitals and various health clinics, depending on what suits you and your needs.
Postgraduate nursing courses for prospective travel nurses
Now that you know more about how to become a travel nurse in Australia, you can start to pursue this career path with confidence. You’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, improving the health outcomes of individuals and communities, all while travelling and exploring Australia.
Pursuing postgraduate study to begin your adventure as a travel nurse is achievable with the convenience and flexibility of online nursing courses. Below is an overview of courses that can strengthen your nursing expertise, boosting your career potential as a travel nurse.
James Cook University
This Master of Nursing helps you to develop competencies and knowledge in three in-demand specialisations - leadership, education or advanced practice.
The courses below are listed by qualification level, from lowest to highest.
Southern Cross University
The Master of Mental Health Nursing offered by Southern Cross University can set you on a pathway to become a credentialed mental health nurse. A Master of Healthcare Leadership gives you broad, transferable skills in areas of leadership and management in clinical practice applicable to a range of healthcare settings.
The courses below are listed by qualification level, from lowest to highest.
The University of Technology Sydney
The Master of Advanced Nursing can provide you with valuable knowledge in specialisations such as acute care, critical care or nursing education.
Victoria University
A Master of Nursing (Leadership) can help you upgrade your nurse leadership and management expertise. The Master of Mental Health Nursing gives you a holistic understanding of mental health conditions at an individual and community level.
The courses below are listed by qualification level, from lowest to highest.
GlobalHealth Education’s university partners offer healthcare courses in a range of fields, including social work, public health, counselling, nursing, psychology, leadership and mental health. If you need guidance on choosing a course, select a course from above and enquire to connect with a Student Enrolment Advisor who is ready to answer your questions.
