Medical surgical nurses are in high demand at healthcare facilities throughout the country, so if you’ve been thinking about becoming a travel nurse, this could be a good opportunity to grow your med-surg career.
In the guide below, we break down what it’s like to work as a medical surgical travel nurse, including where med-surg nurses are in high demand, what you can expect for salary and benefits, and what professional requirements are needed to work as a travel nurse.
While medical surgical nurses are needed across the nation, they’re in particularly high demand in states with large aging populations, as well as at healthcare facilities like outpatient surgical centers and hospitals with dedicated medical surgical units.
From travel nursing in rural areas, where local talent pools are limited, to working in highly populated states with multiple large surgical facilities, med-surg healthcare professionals can find work anywhere in the country. These are the states with the highest demand for med-surg nurses:
Due to the nature of their work, medical surgical nurses will find the most demand at acute care hospitals, outpatient facilities, and skilled nursing facilities, where surgeries and outpatient procedures are performed, or where patients are in recovery from such procedures.
Within these healthcare facilities, medical surgical healthcare professionals are needed in emergency departments, intensive care units (ICU), telemetry units, and wound care centers.
While travel nursing assignments for med-surg nurses can vary in length based on facility need, location, and other factors, travel nursing contracts typically run anywhere from 8 weeks to 26 weeks, with the most common contract length being 13 weeks.
Keep in mind that, if you enjoy your travel nursing assignment at a particular facility, there are also opportunities to extend your contract, should the facility have continued need for med-surg nurses.
In general, travel nurses can earn higher average salaries than their permanent staff counterparts, due to the increased nursing demand throughout the U.S. That said, travel nursing pay rates aren’t static for every assignment and can vary based on several factors.
Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for registered nurses is $45.42 hourly—that is, roughly $1,816 a week. For travel med-surg RNs, however, pay averages around $2,100 a week.
It’s possible to earn a higher weekly salary or put more in your pocket, by taking a travel nursing assignment in an area of the country with higher demand for med-surg nurses and lower living costs.
For a better idea of what you could earn in different areas, refer to this list of average med-surg travel nurse pay by state.
There are many factors that contribute to the salaries travel medical surgical nurses are able to earn on assignment, including but not limited to:
While travel nurses have limited control over many of these factors, there are ways traveling med-surg nurses can take home more pay, such as choosing cities with more affordable living costs, taking assignments at smaller healthcare facilities, or receiving additional nursing certifications.
Although being a med-surg travel nurse is similar to working as a permanent staff nurse, there are a few distinct benefits of travel nursing.
One of the major draws of becoming a travel nurse is the chance to travel across the country. With healthcare job opportunities throughout the U.S., med-surg travel nurses can find work from the Pacific Northwest to New England—and everywhere in between! Wherever you go, you’re sure to find plenty of fun, unique things to do and see when you’re off the clock.
Unlike permanent staff nurses, traveling nurses can determine when and where they want to work. From choosing your shifts to deciding how often you take an assignment, travel nursing gives you the flexibility to adjust your nursing career to fit your lifestyle, meaning you can spend more time with family, pursuing higher education, starting a business, or just enjoying hobbies.
Working as a travel nurse brings many opportunities to learn and grow as an individual. Outside of what becoming a travel nurse can do for your career as a healthcare professional, the travel lifestyle also gives you the chance to meet new people, learn about new cultures, try new foods, and more. Additionally, travel can help broaden your perspective, promote a more grateful attitude, and increase peace of mind.
Being a travel nurse means having the chance to experience new nursing techniques, gain specialized skills, and even work at the top of your license. Compared to working as a permanent staff nurse, traveling med-surg nurses have the benefit of variety on their side. With each new assignment you take, you’ll be able to expand your skills as a medical surgical nurse—especially if you take travel jobs at different kinds of healthcare facilities or with different units.
Although travel nursing jobs are temporary in nature, the ongoing nursing shortage means there’s continued demand for travelers. When you transition from working as a permanent staff nurse to working as a med-surg travel nurse, you’ll typically find better job security, as you can move around the country to wherever there’s demand for your specialty.
Burnout is often caused by repetition, which is why travel nursing can be the perfect antidote for permanent staff nurses looking for a change. A new environment and new experiences can do a lot to refresh your mindset, which can translate to greater motivation and increased mood overall.
The requirements to become a med-surg travel nurse are essentially the same as working as a medical surgical nurse in general. However, there are certain criteria you’ll need to meet to travel, as well as qualifications that may help you find higher-paying med-surg positions.
While requirements for med-surg travel nurses vary depending on unit or facility expectations, typically, you must have at least one year of nursing experience to start working as a travel nurse. To be a med-surg travel nurse specifically, you’ll typically need one to two years of experience in that specialty.
This time can be counted concurrently, so if a facility requires you to have one year experience as a med-surg nurse, you wouldn’t necessarily need an additional year of nursing experience to qualify.
In order to work as a travel med-surg nurse, you’ll need to have a registered nurse (RN) license in the state(s) you plan to work in.
To simplify this requirement for your travel nursing assignments, you might consider getting a Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) license, as this provides you with a single nursing license to work in any state that’s part of the NLC. (Currently, there are 42 states that participate in the compact.)
For most travel nursing assignments, nurses are required to have Basic Life Support (BLS) certification. In addition to this certification, med-surg travel nurses can increase their travel career options by obtaining their Certified Medical Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN) license. This license may not be required by all facilities, but is often preferred for travelers.
Other advanced certifications commonly pursued by med-surg travelers include:
TRS Healthcare is here to help you transition from your permanent staff position into a travel nursing career. With over 25 years of experience in the healthcare staffing industry and a team of dedicated recruiters, credentialing experts, and clinical support, we make it easy for you to pursue your career goals as a travel med-surg nurse.
Ready to pursue your med-surg travel nursing career? Search our current med-surg jobs or apply with us today!
