Hello BL (sorry, didn't see a name on your profile). While traveling with a young one is a challenge, it can certainly be done. Can I suggest starting with a summer assignment? That way, you can get your feet wet, learn a bit about the way things operate, and also probably not have to have your daughter placed in a new school (not sure how long summer breaks are, but she shouldn't miss that much time for a three month assignment). Alaska would be a great summer choice and would also serve as a learning/travel opportunity for your daughter.
I can't stress what a good idea it would be to take your first assignment while your daughter is off from school. If she loves it, then you both can discuss looking at other locations and how she would feel about jumping from school to school. Since she is coming with you, you have to involve her in the process, especially at her age (mine is only 4 months old, so I can just imagine what she'll be like toward the teenage years).
I know that summer is a little bit away, but the extra time would enable you to research companies, find out how the process works, and explore all your options. You need to find a few good companies to sign up with and go from there (email me at
david@travelnursesbible.com and I can steer you in the direction of some good companies to get you started).
I would also jump on some of the nursing forums (see next paragragh) and see if you can find travelers in similar circumstances and how they deal with the various issues that might come up. Finding schools close to housing is going to be totally dependent on your location. However, even before you interview with a hospital, you will have their address and can then climb on the net and find out all kinds of information about the schools in the area.
A few resources I recommend for those starting out are ultimatenurse.com and the Delphi forum for traveling professionals (go to delphiforums.com, look for the box on the right that says "Explore existing forums", type in "travel nursing" and the top result is a group called Travel Nurses and Therapists with over half a million members).
Pan Travelers is also another good site with a forum. They have a free section and also a portion where there is a charge to access that information.
If you get to the point of traveling during the school year, be sure to look for areas that are typically "heavy" with assignments. Not that contract cancellations happen frequently, but they can, and you want to be able to possibly find another contract in the area rather than have to return home only a few weeks into your contract. For example, Florida and Arizona both are snowbird states where a lot of people head in the winter time. If you have the itch to get out there now, you might consider either of these two states for this winter. You might also find seasonal contracts that allow you to spend half the year there, and half the year at home.
I hope this gets you started and again, after you've researched some, let me know and I can give you the numbers for the recruiters I use. Feel free to email with any other questions along the way.
David
travelnursesbible.com
david@travelnursesbible.com
