…you really can’t BE a travel nurse, unless you’re a nurse first, right?

So let’s take a look at a few different types of nurses, how to become one and how to parlay a career as a nurse into an exciting lifestyle as a travel nurse.

Nurse Practitioner. Nurse practitioners tend to focus more on holistic, preventative care tailored to individuals as opposed to simply being a substitute for a physician. NPs can prescribe medications in every state and have the ability to order and make interpretations on laboratory tests. Nurse practitioners were originally mean to be physician extenders who would improve the health of young people and provide basic primary care.

A nurse practitioner builds on a BS in nursing in the form of a two-year program (length may vary) which results in the nurse receiving a masters degree in nursing. In today’s specialized world of nursing, many school are now offering a post-masters certificate which allows nurses to focus on a specialty other than the area in which they obtained their masters.

To be certified as a nurse practitioner, one must pass a national certification exam given by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Nurse practitioners, like clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), are allowed to practice independently, but typically work in hospitals, long-term care, and other health care settings.

Today’s CNSs typically work as administrators, policy-makers and educators, while nurse practitioners tend to work primarily as physicians, diagnosing acute and chronic illnesses.