Top Travel Nursing Specialties in 2018
There is no better time to be a nurse!!

Nursing jobs are expected to increase by roughly half a million between 2014 and 2024. Further, 55% of the nursing workforce is 50 years old or older. In the next 10 to 15 years, more than 1 million of these nurses will start to retire. Add on top of that, in 2030 the number of senior citizens will have increased by 69 million.

So what does this mean for travel nurses? There is a growing demand for nurses and plenty of opportunities to get paid and see the country. Take a look at these top four specialties that are in high demand and perfect for travel nurses to pursue.  We’re here to help you find the best traveling nurse job opportunities right now! Check ‘em out!

Medical Surgical (Med/Surg)
While this specialty comes with a lot of responsibility, Medsurg nurses are sure to never get bored. They are expected to care for patients of all age with various conditions so be ready to run and learn on the go. During a single shift, you might be starting an IV, changing another, dressing an wound or assisting a patient having an asthmatic attack.

Nurses who are critical thinkers, comfortable with making decisions, and enjoy being on their feet will do well in MedSurg. People skills are also a must in this position. Medsug nurses not only spend a lot of time interacting with their patients but with their patients’ family members as well.

Telemetry
Telemetry nurses work with patients that require special monitoring, including those recently released from intensive care. These patients often are at a high risk for complications, so telemetry nurses must be quick to identify and take action based on monitor readings.
This is a fast-paced specialty since telemetry nurses need to quickly respond to a variety of problems, ranging from dangerous cardiac rhythms to acute neurological disorders.

Nurses working in telemetry should be prepared to carry out more traditional nursing duties such as administering medications and communicating with patients regarding their condition. While this position can be very rewarding, telemetry nurses often working long shifts, nights, weekends and holidays.

ICU (Intensive Care Unit)
ICU Nurses are considered the creme de la creme of nurses. They are in charge of looking after patients who have experienced invasive surgery, accidents, trauma or organ failure.
Nurses in this position are responsible for carefully monitoring and assessing a patient’s progress and must be able to have the knowledge and confidence to act when a sudden change occurs in a patient’s condition that requires emergency intervention.

ICU nurses are also responsible for managing patients’ medication doses, anesthesia, and their ventilatory support. From starting IVs to handling cardiac arrests, ICU nurses have to be ready to tackle both life-threatening and day to day tasks.

OR (OperatingRoom)
Being an OR nurse comes with a lot of responsibility. Because the Operating Room is one of the most delicate of hospital environments, it takes highly skilled nurses to ensure it remains both clean and aseptic at all times.

Successful OR nurses are not only knowledgeable and compassionate but they also keep the patient’s best interests at heart. Because OR nurses can act as a patient advocate when they are unconscious, you must be confident in your ability to speak up when needed for patient safety issues or ethics. In addition to patient safety and advocacy, OR nurses are best known for collaborating with surgeons in the Operating Room. Almost all tasks fall under the assigned roles of a scrub nurse or a circulator nurse.

Circulator nurses oversee patient care before, during and after a procedure within their assigned OR suite. They are responsible for setting up the room, interviewing the patient, assisting the CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) and monitoring and documenting the surgical case. The circulator nurse also acts as a patient’s advocate during the operative procedure by communicating with the patient’s family members. Additionally, circulator nurses help with scrub ins, assist the anesthesiologist during the operation, review a patient’s medical record, as well as document their vitals, fluids, and blood loss.

Scrub nurses, on the other hand, help the surgeon during the procedure. During an operation, they assist with passing instruments, closing wounds, and maintaining sharps and gauze counts. While this role can be extremely rewarding the OR is definitely not the place for every nurse. Because the sterile field must be maintained at all times in the OR, nurses should expect to spend hours on their feet without a break. Another necessary evil is taking a call. Generally, nurses who work in the OR take at least one call rotation and must be ready to report to the hospital at any time. However, if you can withstand these stresses, traveling as an OR nurse can prove to be a highly exciting job.