According to a recent report from the American Hospital Association (AHA), nine in ten hospitals have made financial cutbacks over the past year to address economic concerns, while nearly half have reduced staff during that time period.

So what does this mean for RN travel nurses? According to the travel nurse recruitment staff at Onward Healthcare, it doesn’t have to mean much if you play your cards right. Here are four tips for finding a travel nursing job you want in today’s economic market courtesy of our travel nurse recruiters:

1. Be Flexible – From Suzanne Haar, Nurse Recruiter
“Decide what factor is most important to you on your next assignment and make that your focus. If you are set on a particular destination or facility, you may have to be a little flexible with your pay rate, however if you are open to a handful of locations you can still earn a great hourly wage for those hard to fill positions.”

2. Have Licensure – From Catalina Vady, Nurse Recruiter
“Always be sure your current state nursing license is up-to-date and stockpile additional ones when possible. If you know the location you want to go on your next travel nursing job, obtain the licensure for that state midway through your current assignment so that you will be ready to hit the road when the time comes.”

3. Maintain Relationships – From Angela Spruill, Nurse Recruiter
“Establish a relationship with your assigned recruiter. Be open to what you are looking for and any personal preferences that can help them narrow down the best assignment options for you.  The more information you can provide our team, the better job we can do of finding you your ideal travel nursing job.”

4. Be Positive – From Cassandra Lindquist, Travel Nursing Director
“Upon accepting a travel nursing assignment, keep in mind that while you are off to somewhere exciting and new that may feel like a vacation, you have also been hired to do a job.  So do it to the best of your ability!  Having good reviews from your nurse managers can be the key to getting the travel nursing job you want over another candidate the next time around.”

By following these simple guidelines, you will be able to advance you career and put yourself in a position to obtain the travel nursing job you desire.