Are you a travel nurse? (Or considering becoming one?) Before getting started, you'll need to understand the significance of the compliance process and travel nursing documentation. Ensuring that you have the necessary paperwork ahead of time, such as an updated resume and a state license, is key to landing (and keeping) your dream travel assignment.
In this article, we'll share the importance of travel nursing compliance and what you should have ahead of time so you can navigate the process seamlessly.
Compliance is important for all travel nurses, new and experienced. While it may feel like an unnecessary added step, having the right compliance papers and travel nursing documentation is an important part of a travel nurse's responsibilities. In the last few years, hospitals have become more strict with the documents they’re willing to accept and will decline any compliance documents that aren’t properly signed or aren’t in the exact required format.
To compound the problem, hospitals often want candidates to start very soon after receiving offers, leaving very little time to complete the necessary compliance paperwork or steps. This can result in delays, and in extreme cases, contract cancellations.
In addition to the general compliance requirements, some healthcare staffing agencies have their own set of specific protocols. This means that before starting an assignment, you may need to fulfill additional paperwork and meet agency-specific requirements on top of those mandated by the facility, health system, or state. Being well-informed about these expectations ensures a smoother onboarding process and successful placements.
Whether you're working with a travel nursing agency or using a job platform like Marketplace to search for jobs, understanding what hospital-specific documentation you should have is so important.
Before we dive into what's typically required for most facilities, here's a short list of travel nurse requirements the average hospital requires:
Driver's license
Social security card
Medical records or other medical documents
A physical exam (once every 12 months)
Any other travel nursing documentation that may be important
Managing compliance is crucial for travel nurses, as it ensures smooth transitions between assignments and promotes patient safety. The last thing you want to worry about before starting assignments is scheduling an appointment for a vaccination because it's missing from your medical records or retaking your BLS certification (or finding the hard copy of your card), so have everything squared away before or right after applying to jobs.
Here are the four most important documents you'll need for the compliance process:
Travel nurse resume
Immunization records
Travel nurse state license and certifications
Skills checklist
One issue travel nurses run into is forgetting to update required documents. Consider setting a reminder to update those as you're applying for your next new travel assignment to ensure eligibility for assignments and uphold high-quality patient care. Electronic versions work for most facilities, but a digital copy may not work for specific documents.
The first essential document is your travel nurse resume. This should highlight your education, work experience, and nursing skills. A well-crafted resume helps a travel nurse stand out from others and secure desirable assignments at the best facilities.
It's important to note that some health systems will want to see all experience from the past seven or so years, even if it's time off for school, personal time, or other jobs held that may not be directly related to their upcoming position. Make sure to update your resume before applying for jobs and after each nursing assignment to stay up-to-date.
Be aware of the most common mistakes med travelers make with their resume:
Not tailoring your resume to the specific job description
Focusing on job duties instead of accomplishments
Leaving grammatical errors and typos in your nurse resume
Updated medical records demonstrate that a travel nurse is up-to-date on vaccinations, protecting both themselves and patients from potential infections. Because these often rely on an outside source to get your results, check with your recruiter and hospital for the complete list of potential records you need.
Here's a widely accepted list of what the healthcare staffing agency or health system may require:
Hepatitis B vaccination
Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine
Varicella (you may be required to submit for a screening, even if you have the full series on file)
Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (TDAP) vaccination every 10 years
Tuberculosis (TB) vaccination required annually and blood tests can take up to a week to come back
COVID-19 vaccination
Check with your recruiter or facility as soon as you can to see the complete list of immunizations they require.
Drug testing is an important part of the hiring process for all nurses, but especially so for traveling healthcare workers. Because you're working with new hospital systems every few weeks and maybe even a new agency, you may need to get a drug test a few times a year. Don't worry — this is normal!
Drug testing ensures a safe and compliant environment and some states and health systems require a new drug screening, even if you just had one a few months prior. The same is true for a regular background check.
After you're hired, you may receive a comprehensive package detailing the requirements for a drug screen, including the specific type of drug test and its timing. Simply follow the instructions provided, schedule the appointment, complete the test, and proceed with confidence, knowing that this important step in the compliance process has been successfully accomplished.
If you're searching for travel nursing jobs, are you only searching in places where you have a state license? You may have more luck getting a nursing compact license so you can apply for more jobs in more places.
There are several benefits of multi-state travel nursing licenses. A compact license can save you time, money, and energy with less paperwork and application fees. They also provide traveling nurses with more mobility and unique environments to learn and practice important healthcare skills across state lines.
Certifications play a significant role in showcasing your expertise and competency in specialized areas, making you indispensable for securing travel assignments that require specific skills.
The vast majority of hospitals require nurses to have their Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association (AHA), even for placements that may not involve direct patient care.
If healthcare professionals are certified through the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), their certification record may not switch over immediately upon renewal. Instead, the record will be updated on the first day of the month following the expiration. Being aware of these details and maintaining proactive planning can help healthcare professionals navigate the process smoothly.
Are you keeping an eye on expiration dates for compliance documentation and certifications? These dates serve as a reminder to renew essential credentials in a timely manner, so you remain eligible to practice. Failing to renew certifications can lead to a lapse in compliance, which might result in contract delays or even the inability to secure future assignments.
It's usually the responsibility of the travel nurse to stay on top of renewal dates, but sometimes agencies can assist in the process by providing reminders, guidance, and resources. By proactively managing and updating your certifications, you can maintain your professional standing and seamlessly navigate the world of travel nursing.
Licenses and certifications are some of the most time-consuming requirements and if you don't have the right ones by the time your job starts, it can negatively affect your travel nursing job. Stay on top of these and review all travel nursing contracts so you know exactly what's required of you.
Skills checklists assess your job capabilities and expertise, allowing both you and your recruiter to identify your skills and experience level. These checklists are a valuable tool for your recruiter to match you with the perfect travel assignment.
When you apply for a travel assignment, your recruiter will share your checklist with the hiring manager at the hospital. The hiring manager reviews this to ensure that your skill set aligns with the specific needs of the patients and unit. Because of this, it's important to complete checklists honestly, providing an accurate representation of your skill level. By doing so, you enhance your chances of finding the ideal assignment that aligns perfectly with your capabilities.
When it comes to managing travel nurse compliance documentation, you have a few options. The first is saving digital copies of all paperwork on a drive or in the cloud. This method offers convenience, accessibility, and the ability to easily search and organize documents on a document storage system. By storing compliance documents electronically, you can ensure their safety and reduce the risk of loss or damage during moves.
Another approach is managing documents physically, which involves keeping hard copies stored in designated folders or filing cabinets. While this method may provide a sense of tangible security, it can be time-consuming and prone to misplacement or damage, especially for healthcare workers who travel.
The last, and arguably best option for managing travel nursing documentation is to use Marketplace to upload your compliance documents, securely store them as digital copies, and gain access to a wide range of job opportunities all in one place, as long as you have an internet connection.
The list of required compliance documents may change over time so the best thing you can do is rely on your recruiter and your hospital to know exactly what they'll need so you don't miss out on your next dream job. You got this!