Along with obtaining licenses and certifications, there are many qualities a travel nurse must have to succeed. When trying to land either your first or a new assignment, you want to stick out above the rest. Having these qualities will help you get noticed and placed in your dream contracts. Continue on to read about seven top qualities employers look for in a travel nurse.

1 – Reliability

Like with any company, employers are looking to hire travel nurses who are reliable. The same thing goes for staffing agencies. They want travel nurses who are dependable and will show up to their assignment on their first day. Of course, emergencies can happen that may cause your start date to change or cancel your contract entirely. However, being reliable is very important in the travel nurse industry. Facilities and staffing agencies are looking to employ nurses they can count on and ensure will arrive when scheduled.

2 – Adaptability

Being a travel nurse means you must be susceptible to change. With multiple contracts comes multiple facilities. You must be able to adjust quickly to your new facility to succeed. More than likely, you will only receive a day or two of training before jumping into position. You may struggle to succeed if you are a structured, “by the books,” type of person. Those who can adapt to new environments quickly will certainly succeed and thrive in their career.

3 – Flexibility

Along with multiple contracts also comes different shifts. You may be able to get your shift preference when looking for a new assignment, however, it is not always a guarantee. Nurses who are flexible with their hours will be more likely to be placed over those who are firm on their shift preference. Keep in mind that you may also be on call during your assignment. To succeed as a travel nurse, you should be flexible with your hours.

4 – Communication

It is crucial to have good communication skills as a travel nurse. You must be able to not only communicate with patients, but also fellow coworkers and higher authorities. Do not be afraid to ask questions if a situation occurs that you are not sure on how to handle. Communicating with your team will increase productivity, build trust, and overall lead to the success of a facility and your career.

5 – Critical Thinking

Working in healthcare means having excellent problem-solving skills. Emergency situations can arise where you need to quickly be able to weigh the pros and cons of solutions, execute, and do whatever possible to help your patients. You will grow with every situation and will soon enough be able to handle any emergency. Being able to handle emergencies will also build trust between you and your coworkers or patients and will lead to the success of your career.

6 – Ability to Learn New Skills

Another important quality to have no matter what your profession is the ability to learn new skills, especially in the healthcare field where technology and procedures are constantly changing. Facilities and staffing agencies are looking for nurses who can quickly adapt to these new advances. Tying into the adaptability trait, facilities may operate differently from one another, so you will need to learn how things run quickly to do your job effectively.

7 – Love to Travel

This is not a major quality but is important if you are looking for a career as a travel nurse. When starting out, you may have a list of desired cities you would like to be placed in. However, you may not always get what you are looking for. Keep an open mind when it comes to being a travel nurse as you may end up in a city you have never heard of but end up loving. That is the beauty of traveling. There are so many places to explore outside of the big cities that you may fall in love with. Along with love for travel, comes meeting new people and trying out new foods. If you have a passion for helping people and love exploring new sites, then becoming a travel nurse is definitely a career for you.

Are you a nurse that craves adventure and loves helping others? Click here to apply today and begin your travel nursing career!