All travel assignments require at least one year of paid clinical experience, and you must have worked at least 1000 hours at the the bedside in that role/specialty within that last 12 months. Some facilities may require 18 months to 2 years based on acuity and hiring needs.

This requirement is set by the hiring facilities, not the agencies or recruiters. The reason so much experience is required is because travelers get a very short clinical orientation, often only 4-12 hours. And after that, you need to practice independently with minimal resources. This requirement applies to all specialties, not just nurses.

But what about the new grad RNs that worked during the COVID-19 pandemic?

The pandemic drove some agencies to hire new grads as 'team nurses' during the pandemic when staffing was ultra-short. Those were one-time exceptions to the rule and those nurses were not caring for patients on their own, but instead helping the primary nurses with the care of their patients.

If you have less than 1 year of recent experience or are looking to change specialties, please check out our staff (permanent) placement jobs!