Travel nurses bridge the gap between supply and demand in the field of nursing, which is why they are an important part of the healthcare team. It will always be an in-demand job, seeing as long as people are getting sick, they are going to have patients. Another perk of being a travel nurse is the traveling aspect of the job. If you are looking for a state to try and work in, there are a lot of travel nursing jobs in Missouri that you could check out. To help you decide, here is everything you need to know about choosing a travel nurse as a job in Missouri.
What is a travel nurse?
Travel nurses are registered nurses who work for independent staffing agencies who are assigned to different care areas. They are filled in short-term employment gaps and are just temporary. Healthcare facilities have vacancies that need to be filled because of shortages, and they turn to travel nurses to fill those gaps.
How to become a travel nurse
- Nursing degree through a two or four-year university, obtaining an associate’s degree (ADN) or a bachelor’s degree (BSN)
- Successful completion of the NCLEX-RN for your license
- One year of hands-on experience in your chosen specialty of nursing is usually what most nurse agencies require
Certifications and credentials needed:
- Emergency Room Nursing
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
- Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC) certification
- Medical/Surgical Nursing
- Telemetry certification
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Stroke care certifications
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Women’s Health/ Labor and Delivery Nursing
- Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) Certification
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Intensive Care (ICU) Nursing
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Critical Care Nursing (adults, pediatric, neonatal)
How much do travel nurses make in Missouri?
City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
Independence $100,349 $8,362 $1,930 $48.24
St. Joseph $93,031 $7,753 $1,789 $44.73
St. Louis $89,380 $7,448 $1,719 $42.97
Kansas City $88,366 $7,364 $1,699 $42.48
Lee’s Summit $88,164 $7,347 $1,695 $42.39
O’Fallon $84,527 $7,044 $1,626 $40.64
St. Charles $84,128 $7,011 $1,618 $40.45
Joplin $83,591 $6,966 $1,608 $40.19
Cape Girardeau $81,712 $6,809 $1,571 $39.28
Columbia $80,597 $6,716 $1,550 $38.75
As a travel nurse, you are going to have many incentives, here are some benefits and pay that may be included in your contract as a travel nurse:
- Higher-than-average pay for RNs
- Travel reimbursement
- Competitive pay
- Free housing
- Selection of hours of shifts worked
- Bonuses
- Choice of location
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Assistance in obtaining passports or work visas
- Retirement plans
What type of travel nurses are in demand?
- ICU and PACU Travel Nurses
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Nurses are trained to provide nursing care of patients who are in life-threatening illnesses or conditions, providing specialized experience, knowledge, and skills that their patients need to survive or de-escalate care.
Post-anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) Nurses, on the other hand, are the nurses who care for patients who are waking up from anesthesia.
- OR Travel Nurses
Three categories that typically fall under Operating Room (OR) nursing:
- Scrub nurses assist surgeons during procedures
- RN first assistants are allowed to assist during surgery (under the supervision of a surgeon) in making incisions, suturing layers of the surgical wound, and so on.
- Circulating nurses care for patients before and after a procedure, and also document throughout a surgical case.
- ER Travel Nursing
As a nurse in the Emergency Room (ER), they are going to come in contact with many different acute injuries and conditions. Some of these conditions may be life-threatening, so if you plan on becoming an ER nurse, you have to think quickly on your feet and be able to react swiftly.
- Labor and Delivery
Nurses who work in Labor and Delivery care for mothers who are in labor and birth, and would provide the infant’s initial postpartum care. They are under the supervision of a nurse-midwife or a physician.
Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
Travel PACU RN $106,011 $8,834 $2,039 $50.97
Travel Nurse Pacu $105,044 $8,754 $2,020 $50.50
Operating Room $104,467 $8,706 $2,009 $50.22
Registered Nurse L&D $101,919 $8,493 $1,960 $49.00
Labor and Delivery $101,741 $8,478 $1,957 $48.91
Becoming a travel nurse gives you the luxury that other people in other career paths want, flexibility, and travel. Aside from this, you are able to help people who need you the most while traveling to places you have always wanted to visit.
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