At this point you will start the process of working with your recruiter to find your travel nursing job. This is a process that can vary depending on the company. At some companies your recruiter will also be the one who contacts the hospitals trying to find you a job. At other travel nurse companies this job is handled by a separate department that is able to focus on it much better, making sure you get the best customer service possible by your travel nursing recruiter who is able to focus all their efforts on meeting your needs.

The first thing your recruiter will ask you to do will probably involve completing a skills checklist so they can assess your competency level. Some of these can be dauntingly long, but remember this is one of the main ways travel nurse companies can determine if you are the right fit for the available jobs; it doesn’t do you or the travel nursing agency any good to match you up with a job you are not comfortable with.

Here are a few quick tips for completing the skill checklist:

• Take your time; rushing through it may make you miss something and then you will need to go back in and complete it or even worse do it all over again
• Don’t be nervous; if you are honest in what you communicate to your recruiter what your skills are then you will be just fine
• Be honest; an accurate skills checklist with some skills not as strong as others is better for you, the travel nursing company and the hospital than one with over exaggerated skills that promise to a hospital more than you are able to give
• Always work on expanding these skills; travel nursing can really help you do that by opening up so many new areas for you to work in, be sure to mention to your recruiter that you are willing to work in areas you are unfamiliar with, a lot of times this can help you get the travel nursing job you want