How to become a travel nurse

1. 1Complete a nursing degree

   Time: 3-4 yearsCost: $4,716/yr (associate) to $9,456/yr (BSN) median public in-state tuitionSources 2, 1, 5, 7

   There are three routes to the RN: an associate degree, usually about three years at a community college; a BSN, four years at a university; or a hospital diploma program. All include supervised clinical rotations. BLS notes that hospitals, the main employers of travelers, may require a bachelor's degree, so a BSN, or an RN-to-BSN program later, widens your options. The program must be approved by your state board of nursing; the VA travel program also requires ACEN or CCNE accreditation.

2. 2Pass the NCLEX-RN and get licensed

   Time: 1-3 months after graduationCost: $200 (rising to $350 on Feb. 1, 2027)Sources 3, 4, 1

   Apply to the board of nursing in your home state, then register with Pearson VUE for the NCLEX-RN. Once you receive your Authorization to Test, schedule the exam within its validity dates. States add their own requirements, such as criminal background checks. If you live in a Nurse Licensure Compact state and qualify, request a multistate license; it will matter later when you take assignments elsewhere.

3. 3Work about two years as a hospital staff nurse

   Time: About 2 yearsSources 5

   This is the step that makes you hireable as a traveler. Pick a unit with steady demand, such as ICU, emergency, OR, telemetry, labor and delivery or med-surg, and stay long enough to work independently and handle charge or precepting duties. The VA's travel corps requires at least two years of current hospital experience in its listed specialties. Recent experience counts more than total years, because contracts are filled by specialty.

4. 4Earn the certifications your specialty expects

   Time: 1-2 days per class; longer for specialty examsCost: Class and exam feesSources 1

   BLS notes that RN jobs may require CPR, basic life support or advanced cardiac life support certification, and travel contracts almost always list them. Critical care and emergency contracts commonly list ACLS. Specialty certifications from professional associations are voluntary but some employers require them, and they help your profile stand out when agencies submit you for a contract.

5. 5Sort out licenses and your tax home

   Time: Weeks to months before the first contractCost: State endorsement feesSources 4, 6, 8

   A multistate compact license covers 43 jurisdictions; for other states, apply for a license by endorsement early, because processing times vary. Learn the IRS rules on tax homes: your tax home is your regular place of business, and an assignment expected to last more than a year in one place is treated as indefinite. Those rules decide whether travel stipends can be paid tax-free.

6. 6Sign with an agency or travel program

   Time: A few weeks per contractSources 5

   Most travelers work through staffing agencies, which submit your profile to hospitals, negotiate pay and stipends, and handle credentialing. Some hospital systems run their own internal travel pools, and the VA's Office of Nursing Services Travel Corps places RNs at VA facilities on assignments of generally 13 weeks or more. Compare contracts on guaranteed hours, cancellation terms, housing and benefits, not only the weekly rate.

Programs, tuition and graduates’ earnings

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15). Scorecard groups programs by 4-digit field, so a row can include related programs. Tuition is the median published undergraduate tuition and fees of the colleges offering the program (shown only for undergraduate credentials); debt is the median of programs’ median federal loan debt at completion; earnings are the national median for the field and credential four years after completion.

Requirements differ by state. Check your state’s rules in the CareerOneStop License Finder (U.S. Department of Labor) before you enroll.

Adaptability

Each contract means a new hospital, new policies, new equipment and a new charting system, often with only a day or two of orientation.

Strong clinical judgment

Travelers are expected to handle a full patient load without the support new staff nurses get, so they must recognize problems early on their own.

Clear communication

Working with teams you just met means asking the right questions quickly and giving clean handoffs at every shift change.

Organization

Tracking multiple state licenses, certification expirations, health records, housing and contract dates is part of the job.

Comfort negotiating

Pay, stipends, guaranteed hours and cancellation terms differ between offers, and travelers who compare them carefully avoid costly surprises.

O*NET 31.0 rates these skills as most important for the occupation: active listening, speaking, critical thinking, reading comprehension, writing.

Training cost

$14.3K–$38.0K

Before financial aid

Time

6 years

Typical path

Median pay

$97,550

All US jobs: $50,980

Payback once qualified

Under 1 year

Pay above the all-jobs median vs. cost

Low: 3 years x College Scorecard median public in-state tuition for associate nursing programs, $4,716 = $14,148, plus the $200 NCLEX-RN fee. High: 4 years x the BSN median, $9,456 = $37,824, plus $200. The NCLEX fee rises to $350 on Feb. 1, 2027. Not included: program and clinical fees, uniforms, books, state license and endorsement fees, certification classes and living costs.

Rough guide only: ignores taxes, aid, interest and earnings given up during training. How we calculate it.

• ICU nurse$97,550 median

  Critical care experience and certification make you eligible for the most in-demand travel contracts or a permanent ICU role.

• Nurse practitioner$132,300 median

  Requires a graduate degree in nursing (MSN or DNP), national certification in a population focus and an advanced practice license.

• CRNA$236,590 median

  Requires critical care experience as an RN, then a graduate nurse anesthesia program and a national certification exam.

• Healthcare administrator$123,860 median

  Experienced nurses can move into nurse management or staffing leadership, often after a BSN and a master's in nursing or health administration.