What’s It Like to Be a Travel Nurse in Pennsylvania?
What’s the travel nursing salary like?
According to usawage.com, registered nurses are ranked #5 in the list of most popular jobs in Pennsylvania. Needless to say, a travel nurse can earn a significant income per hour – coupled with the low cost of living in many areas of Pennsylvania, nurses can save their pennies or splurge to their heart’s content on their traveling nurse salary. Income is based on specialty and often varies facility to facility, but the earning potential in Pennsylvania is competitive.
Nursing License Requirements
Pennsylvania is not a member of the nursing compact states (eNLC) which means to practice travel nursing here, you must be licensed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing after meeting educational requirements, passing a criminal background check upon providing fingerprints (annual requirement) and the national licensing examination.
To apply for licensure, visit www.dos.pa.gov. Licensing is expected to take around 6-8 weeks in Pennsylvania, so planning ahead to visit this state is essential. However, a temporary license can be issued within 10-14 days if the following documents are processed through your agency quickly:
- PATCH (instant unless the traveler has a HIT on their background check)
- PA ChildLine (could take up to 14 days)
- PA fingerprints if traveler does not live in the state of PA
- If processed by mail, could take 4-6 weeks
- If processed electronically, results could be mailed within 2 weeks
- The above could take less time if the traveler is in PA and can pick up results from Harrisburg location
Food to Try
Food. Need we say more? We will. Pennsylvania has something for everyone – whether you’re the foodie or the pizza-connoisseur, love fine dining or a walk-up food truck.
- Pretzels – Did you know Pennsylvania is the center of American pretzel production for both the hard-crispy and the soft-bread types of pretzels?
- Pizza – Think Italy got the best pizza in the world? Nah-uh. It’s Old Forge, Pennsylvania! Remember to order a cut, not a slice.
- Sushi Burger – Yes, this is officially a thing in a restaurant called Bubblefish, located at Philadelphia Chinatown. Take your tummy for an adventure and bring your nurse buddies along!
- Hoagie – It’s not a sub, it’s a hoagie. If you’re in Philadelphia, go to Ricci’s Hoagies. They’ve been serving since the ’20s… there must be a reason for such a long existence, right?
Places to Visit
One of the many benefits of being a travel nurse (and the primary reason why some choose this career) is the ability to see and do new things all over the country. These are some can’t-miss sites to explore!
Hershey’s Chocolate World – On a travel nursing assignment with your children? Get a one-of-a-kind experience in the land of the world’s famous chocolate. You can even make your own and taste as much as you like!- The Capitol Complex – Pennsylvania is considered to have the most beautiful state capitol in the nation. Walk down the grand marble staircase and observe it’s intricacy in downtown Harrisburg.
- Lincoln Train Museum – No trip to Gettysburg would be complete without visiting this museum. Step aboard, explore and get an interactive experience of the American history.
How to be a Pennsylvania facility’s top candidate
Having a license in hand is one of the number one ways to land a travel nursing job in Pennsylvania since it is not a member of the nurse compact states (eNLC). Furthermore, being close by or able to go to PA to complete fingerprints prior to assignment is essential since this is an annual requirement even if you are already licensed. Unless your specialty is difficult for facilities to fill, your resume may go to the bottom of the pile but not if you have planned ahead and obtained your license before submitting.
Whether you’re fond of tall buildings or tall mountains, Pennsylvania has a lot in store for every travel nurse out there. Browse our travel nursing jobs or call a recruiter to apply over the phone at 800-299-8132.