Travel Float Nurse Jobs

The agencies on Vivian that currently have the most Travel Float Nurse jobs are Anders Group (58), American Traveler (49), and PHP (42).

As of Thursday, May 9th 2024, Vivian has 155 Staff Nursing jobs listed. These jobs pay $46 per hour on average, with the highest-paying job listed up to $80 per hour.

Take a look at Vivian's Travel Float Nurse Career Guide for more information, including required education, responsibilities, pros and cons and more.

Float nurses are registered nurses who specialize in floating from unit to unit, moving to whichever unit has staffing shortages. They play an essential role in delivering safe patient care across all units and often solve staffing challenges. Float nursing is perfect for nurses who enjoy flexible work schedules and a variety of clinical experience. Travel nurses are often ideal in these positions since they’re essentially the ultimate float nurse.

Float nurses work in multiple areas and treat various types of patients each day. They generally have years of nursing experience with well-rounded nursing skills so they can hit the floor running, no matter which unit they’re assigned. Float nurse duties are very dynamic based on their patient assignments, which requires a multitude of nursing skills and quick adaptability. While their actual duties vary by facility and assigned unit, some basic duties they may perform include:

Nearly every hospital utilizes float nurses, so these facilities are their primary employers. Where they work within a hospital can greatly vary, even in a single shift. Hospital systems with multiple locations also may utilize a float pool that floats to different hospitals, as well as different units within each hospital. Float pool nurses usually cover med-surg and stepdown patients, while a critical care float pool cares for higher acuity patients.

Good float nurses have a high degree of adaptability, flexibility, and nursing expertise that allow them to work in a variety of settings. They’re fast learners with sharp clinical assessment and communication skills. Because they work with an assortment of colleagues throughout a healthcare facility, they also have admirable teamwork skills. Highly competent float nurses work well under pressure, face new challenges head-on, and have excellent time management skills. Confidence, enthusiasm, resilience, and great interpersonal skills are other highly desirable traits in a good float nurse.

The first step towards a career as a travel float nurse is to become a registered nurse. At a minimum, this requires completing an associate degree in nursing, but many hospitals prefer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Graduates must complete the NCLEX-RN to become an RN and they’ll likely need Basic Life Support certification. Depending on the hospital and potential nursing roles, they may also need Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support certification. Travel float nurse employers typically want applicants to have two or more years of float experience and some may require acute care experience.

Although every facility differs, it’s common for float nurses to earn higher hourly wages than nurses permanently assigned to a specific unit.

For jobs available on Vivian as of Thursday, May 9th 2024, the average weekly salary for a Travel Float Nurse is $2,215, but can pay up to $3,760 per week.

Float nurses may hold Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) or Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC), among others.