Congratulations on starting your first year as a travel nurse! What can you expect beyond seeing new places and making new friends? It is an excellent career choice; assignments will offer learning opportunities and enhance nursing skills. You will build confidence and gain experience along the way.

For your first year, you will be able to adapt to new healthcare environments, develop your communication and nursing skills, and grow your career while becoming more flexible and building resilience.

New Faces and Places

Be optimistic as you start a new assignment in a strange facility. A good attitude can help lessen stress. Yes, there is much to learn, but you will succeed. Ask questions instead of trying to figure it all out on your first day. All healthcare facilities are different, so ask and write down the vital information.

You might consider finding another nurse who is willing to become a mentor. A person to help you find your way around, locate supplies, and learn new protocols will make your new assignment much less overwhelming.

Please take the time to understand the new healthcare facility’s policies and procedures. You will find it very helpful to know the details of your latest assignment.

Stay Flexible

Your orientation schedules, managers, and placements within your assignments might change. It would be best to remain flexible and ready to adapt to rapid changes. Here are a few tips to remember in your first year to help you stay adaptable:

• Jump in. Typically, as a traveler, you have 13 weeks at an assignment. With this limited time frame, you must be ready for a fast start. Don’t hesitate; the clock is ticking.
• No special treatment. An agency assigned you to your healthcare facility so your skills and experience can benefit the team you will work with. Be ready to go with the flow and adjust to get the most out of the assignment.
• Stay in touch with your recruiter. Your recruiter will be your contact person for your assignment. It is essential to ask them questions. In your first year, it can be a huge help.
• Learn what you can from your new colleagues. As you start your travel nursing career, you will work with a broader range of health professionals. Learn from them. They can be an excellent source of information about your new location and job.

Expect Unique Opportunities

Year one will be exciting, and you can expect many opportunities to open up for you. You will learn many new skills and be able to perform them at different locations. Your professional network will expand as you meet and work with professionals throughout the medical field.

Expect your skill set to increase thanks to the variety of clinical experiences you will have in this first year. Don’t be surprised if you can pursue a certification with these new skill additions. There will be new medical equipment and the possibility of learning a new EMR.

Let Professionals Help You

You don’t have to go it alone in your travel nursing career. ADN Healthcare is a nurse-centric staffing company with over 40 years of combined healthcare experience. The professional team at ADN Healthcare excels at supporting new travel nurses to build confidence and expertise.