Becoming a travel nurse practitioner is not the same as becoming a travel RN and LPN. Standard nursing positions have less responsibility and an easier learning curve than they do, which means that RNs and LPNs can be plugged into these roles without too much difficulty. In contrast, the practitioner roles require greater expertise and are often highly specialized, so they can't be filled by just anyone. And because these positions often require extensive training, medical facilities usually attempt to hire permanent employees rather than bringing in temporary ones.
Travel nurse practitioner opportunities:
While these opportunities are relatively few and far between, this doesn't mean that they don't exist. In fact, an increasing number of temporary nursing agencies are recruiting so-called "locum tenen" (Latin for "to substitute for") nurse practitioners to fill temporary roles after existing practitioners quit or retire. In effect, these temporary positions are essentially the same as travel nursing positions, but with some minor differences.
As a nurse practitioner, if you can manage to land traveling assignments through an agency, you'll benefit from all of the perks that go along with travel nursing, including increased pay, opportunities to work in different places, and paid housing. Plus, each of your assignments will give you the chance to add to your credentials and build new skills. At the end of your assignment, you'll be ready for just about anything.
What to expect as a travel nurse practitioner:
There are some slight differences between standard travel nursing and locum tenen jobs for practitioners, including:
· Your agency might ask you to be prepared to fill a position on short notice, which means that you'll have to be ready to pick up and move across the country at any time.
· Your terms are likely to be longer than those of standard travel nursing jobs. You can expect to stay in each position for anywhere from three months to a year or more.
· You might be asked to fill a position until the medical facility finds a permanent replacement. In this case, you might not know exactly how long you can expect to stay in the position. And when the facility does find a permanent replacement, they may ask you to provide training.
· Because nurse practitioner positions are often quite demanding, facilities usually give priority to more experienced individuals. If you're just starting out as a nurse practitioner, you may have trouble landing a travel job. We recommend working in a medical facility for a few years and get the experience before you apply.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4325584
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