Congrats on a travel nursing job! What next? After accepting an assignment, there will be many things on your to do list including finding housing, planning packing, and getting credentialed to work for your facility. What in the heck is credentialing you may ask? Let’s take a look!
What is travel nursing credentialing?
Credentialing is a smorgasbord of paperwork, online assessments, drug screens, medical records, etc to actually get your foot in the door at your assignment. You will find some are far easier than others. Some I swear it’s like trying to get top secret security clearance and perhaps your first born child!
At any rate, it’s doable. As long as you stay organized and on top of things, you can do it!
Travel Nursing Onboarding
If this is your first assignment ever, or your first assignment with a new company, you will go through an onboarding process. Onboarding is part of the travel nurse credentialing process. It is essentially gathering all the necessary documentation for work as a traveling nurse as well as company specific requirements including signing your contract, signing up for benefits, access to company website/payroll information, etc. Each company has a slightly different process so just be open and flexible to what they ask! We will go over the general requirements as far as what will be expected of you.
Required Documents
Documents, documents, documents!
Medical Documents 💊🩸🌡
Medical records are also required as part of travel nursing credentialing. Good news is, most of this should be up to date… most hospitals require all of this for you to work as a nurse. It’s just FINDING where you may have a copy somewhere! 🤦♀️ These medical documents may include:
- Immunization Records – looking for things such as Hepatitis B immunity/titers and childhood vaccines
- Last tuberculin skin/blood test
- Flu vaccine
- Fit test (most hospitals require this already – getting tested for N95 mask for TB exposure)
- Physical (some require this some don’t, but can be just as simple as your doctor signing a release form or as involved as you going to get an actual physical at a occupational health facility)
Different hospitals have different requirements as to the time frame for all of this. Don’t worry, your recruiter and their compliance department will make sure everything is in order. Whatever you don’t have they will help arrange for you to get done prior to your assignment.
Work Documents
As is in any job for a W-2 employee, you will have to fill out your tax paperwork and 2 forms of ID. I tend to have all of these with me wherever I go!
- Driver’s license/ID
- Social Security Card
- Birth Certificate
- Copy of voided check for direct deposit
Certifications
Travel nurse credentialing will also require your certifications. This depends on your specialty of course, but examples are ACLS, PALS, BLS, NIHSS, and all the other Ssssess…
That’s a lot of documents to keep up with on your travels right?? Here’s a tip to keep yourself organized:
➡️ Pro Tip : Upload your documents to a secure location via computer (like google drive) or check out Kamana Health! Kamana is changing the game when it comes to having all your documents in one secure location and a spiffy profile! You can also put in references, skills checklists, and so much more!
Drug Screen
The ever present drug screen. Just as in a regular nursing job, you will have to get a urine drug screen prior to each job. This is the only one that without a doubt you will have to do every single time no matter what so you have that to look forward to. If I had a dollar for every specimen of urine I have given over the years…well I could probably buy myself a nice steak dinner. 😂🥩
Travel Nursing Credentialing: Job Specific Testing
Part of getting credentialed for the actual job you have an assignment for is job specific online assessments. This is all based on your speciality.
For example my specialty is preop/pacu. I may have a myriad of assessments including EKG rhythm identification, and some clinical critical thinking assessments specific to preop/pacu, as well as perhaps medication tests related to preop/pacu. As I said though, it varies though depending on your specialty.
**Note*** I do want to add a little word to the wise here. These assessments all come supposedly from the hospital to try to be compliant with that particular department. But sometimes these seem to get a BIT excessive. Once I was asked to do a med/surg test for a preop type job! Never worked a day in my life as a med surg nurse (with exception of shadowing as a nursing student)! Luckily, I was able to get that particular one taken off my to do list, but not without some difficulty. That won’t be always the case, but just be mindful if they are asking you to complete a test you have no experience in, ask your recruiter or the compliance department about it.
For anyone who needs an EKG rhythm review, skillstat website is a great resource!
Travel Nursing Credentialing: Is it paid?
Are all this online assessments, drug screens, and other required items paid for? Well, that all depends on your company. 🤔
In my experience most companies tend to pay for SOME if not all of these things, but whether they pay up front or reimburse you later is the question.
Drug screens/physicals/tb tests
Most companies pay for this. The best companies get this all set up for you and you don’t have to pay a dime! Others it’s you may pay a fee for some of these and they reimburse you later or at the end of your contract. 🤔
My advice: go with companies that take care of everything for you. If you go with another, just make SURE you keep receipts and tabs for after your contract. Just a hassle trying to keep up with everything for AFTER your contract or even half way in to it.
Online assessments
This is hit or miss. Typically most of these initial tests including EKG analysis and job specific assessments are just to get your foot in the door of the facility and are not typically paid.
Occasionally you may get paid something like $10/hour or something to do these, but again it’s later down the road in your paycheck and make sure you keep tabs and watch your paychecks.
HOWEVER! If you happen to start getting the dreaded CBLs (computer based learning) modules like Bloodborne Pathogens, Workplace Violence, Restraints, etc. in your to do list before you get to the facility, STOP!
Most places will allow you a certain time to get your CBLS done during your orientation.
Why is this important?
I once had a recruiter try to get me to do all of these before hand, to be paid at $10 hour at a later check. I decided to wait and see how orientation went and If I had time there. Sure enough I had dedicated time and was getting paid the regular $21/hour! As many times as you have to do these CBLs you better believe I’m getting paid the full hourly amount!! 😉 If worse had come to worse, I could have done the CBLs on my computer after the first day of orientation.
Although I have never worked at a facility that required you to complete all your CBLS beforehand, I guess there is a chance this could happen. It would depend on the orientation, some places have longer than others. I say wing it and see what happens!
Travel Nurse Credentialing: Key Takeways
- Have available medical records/immunizations
- Have available official forms of identification and copy of voided check!
- Be ready for the beginning of a LOT of online assessments in your life! 🤓🤨
- Don’t be afraid to ask your recruiter about payment/reimbursement for these credentialing items, all they can say is no!
I think that about covers it all! Take a deep breath you got this! 🙂 Happy travels.
Gypsy ❤️,
Katie
2 Comments
Putting all your documents on a thumb drive works great… it’s portable and you can include everything anyone could possibly want to see.. except those folks that want the original 😱
Great idea as well! SO much stuff to keep up with! 🙂
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