T R A V E L

After gaining over two years of valuable scrub experience, I decided to embrace the opportunity to travel across the states. Before making this significant decision, I sought advice from travel nurses and fellow scrub techs to understand their motivations and experiences. After careful consideration, I realized I had nothing to lose and made the decision to move forward.

I began my travel assignments before the onset of COVID-19. Just as I was in the process of renewing my first contract, it got canceled due to the pandemic, leaving me stranded in California without a job. It was a challenging and uncertain time, but I stayed in California for a few months and was fortunate to secure a new assignment within a few weeks.

To those considering a career in traveling, I highly recommend gaining a broad range of experience in general surgery, orthopedics, neurosurgery, vascular surgery, urology, OB/GYN, transplant, trauma, ENT, plastics, cardiothoracic, reconstruction, and oncology. The more diverse and flexible your skill set, the better! Familiarity with special equipment like the Da Vinci Xi robot is beneficial, although not mandatory.

When preparing to travel, I contacted several staffing agencies and completed my profile before submitting applications. The process can be overwhelming, but it is crucial to trust it. Once you receive an offer, you typically have 24-48 hours to decide before the opportunity moves to the next candidate. I usually start looking for my next assignment about a month before my current one ends, as the onboarding process can take up to 2-3 weeks, including drug screening, background checks, and necessary labs.

Finding housing is the next critical step. I will share detailed tips on this process in a future post. Prior to traveling, I always research the area and the hospital thoroughly to ensure safety and comfort.

For first-time travelers, I recommend choosing an assignment within 50-75 miles of your permanent home. This allows you to go home on weekends, providing a gradual transition into full-time traveling. I have been traveling for almost five years now and continue to advance my career.

Traveling with my puppy Bella has been a wonderful experience. Bella loves long walks, is very friendly, plays well with other dogs, and enjoys her treats!  I appreciate everyone following our journey.

If you have any questions about traveling as a surgical technologist, please feel free to reach out!