Medical-Surgical Travel Nursing Career Guide
Here at Nomad, we work with traveling medical-surgical nurses all over the country, and help them find assignments in facilities and cities that excite them.
What is a Med-Surg Travel Nurse?
This was my first experience working with a travel agency - I took the plunge after almost 32 years of hospital nursing and I’m so glad I did. I took a 12 week assignment at a small rural hospital - I loved it! Deciding to become a travel nurse was hands down my best decision as a nurse. More money, less stress.
How Do You Become a Medical-Surgical Travel Nurse?
Earn a College Degree in Nursing
Pass the NCLEX
Work for at Least Two Years as an RN
Consider Additional Nursing Certifications
Get Licensed for the States You Want to Work In
Medical-Surgical Travel Nurse Roles and Responsibilities
Assessing Patients
Diagnosis Formulation
Implementation
Patient Evaluation and Reassessment
Where do Traveling Medical-Surgical Nurses Work?
Why Are Patients Admitted to a Medical Surgical Unit?
- Neurological - Delirium, Alzheimer’s Disease, Dementia, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury, Seizures, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis
- Ear, Nose, Throat - Vertigo, Laryngitis, Epistaxis
- Respiratory - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Pneumonia, Pneumothorax, Pulmonary Embolism
- Cardiac - Congestive Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation, Coronary Artery Disease, Heart Attack, Cardiomyopathy, Pericarditis
- Gastrointestinal - Colitis, Diverticulitis, Appendectomy, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, Pancreatitis, Cholititiasis
- Genitourinary / Renal - Urinary tract infection (UTI), Pyelonephritis, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), Acute Renal Failure, Chronic Kidney Disease, End Stage Renal Disease
- Endocrine - Diabetes Mellitus, Hypo/hyperthyroidism, Cushings’ disease
- Peripheral Vascular - Peripheral Vascular Disease, Peripheral Neuropathy
- Integumentary - Pressure injuries, Cellulitis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome
- Musculoskeletal / Orthopedic - Hip/knee fractures, dislocations, replacement surgery, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Spinal Fusion,
- Psychosocial - Alcohol / drug withdrawal, Suicide/Homocidal Ideation, Depression, Anxiety,
- Other common reasons for Med/Surg hospitalization - Prostatectomy, Bariatric surgery, Sepsis, Dehydration, Electrolyte Imbalance, Falls
Medical-Surgical Travel Nursing Jobs with Nomad
Nomad is proud to offer our travel med-surg nurses a robust benefits package, which includes (but is not limited to) the following: medical, dental, and vision insurance 401(k) with employer match after a year, malpractice insurance, travel reimbursement, stipend for housing and utilities, state license and certification reimbursement, and direct deposit payroll.
Want to Learn More about Med-Surg Travel Nursing?
What Are the Benefits of Being a Medical Surgical Travel Nurse?
There are many benefits to being a medical surgical travel nurse, ranging from the dynamic work environment to the consistently high need, which helps guarantee job security. Some of the top reasons RNs indicate they enjoy being med surg travel nurse include: direct interaction with patients, a collaborative work environment, and a wide array of patients and procedures.
As with any specialty, there are some elements of med surg travel nursing that some RNs would consider drawbacks. It’s a fast-paced environment, which may cause significant stress. There are sometime competing priorities and variable nurse-to-patient ratios (typically between 5-8 patients/nurse, but it varies from hospital to hospital).
- Robust experience managing patients with a wide variety of conditions
- Strong time management, critical thinking, clinical judgment and problem-solving skills
- Exemplary communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to work well in a team environment
- Experience with specific electronic medical record (EMR) systems
Medical surgical travel nurses are licensed professionals who travel to provide care to people with various acute medical conditions or people who are preparing for or recovering from a surgical procedure or operation. A Patient Care Assistant is an unlicensed personnel staff member, an essential part of the care team that medical surgical travel nurses work alongside. They can be delegated various patient care tasks by the medical surgical nurse, if they have demonstrated competence and the task is within their scope of responsibility. Some examples of these tasks include: taking vital signs, obtaining blood glucose, feeding, ambulating, cleaning patients, and assisting with their activities of daily living.
Healthcare Resources
- 25, A., & Logacho, D. (n.d.). 5 things to know about surgical nursing. Chamberlain University.
- How to become a surgical nurse. Herzing University.
- Gaines, K. (2021). Everything nurses need to know about ACLS, BLS & Pals Certifications. Nurse.org.
- Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. (n.d.). Perioperative Nurse. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.
- Medical-Surgical Nurse. Johnson & Johnson. (n.d.).
- Or nurse: Scrub vs circulating. RNspeak.
- REGISTERED NURSE FIRST ASSISTANT (RNFA). Registered nursing first assistant (RNFA). (n.d.).
- The nursing process. ANA.
- Surgical nurse job description and career guide. Western Governors University.
- What is Med-Surg Nursing? Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN). (n.d.).