TRAVEL NURSING

How To Get Your MSN While Travel Nursing

Written By: Emily Bryant

MSN, RN

7 Min Read Published March 22, 2025

Use Early Free Time
Set a Good Schedule
Do Practicum Hours Between Contracts
Takeaways
One Travel Nurse's Experience Earning Her MSN On The Road

With the expansion of so many online schooling options, nurses have more options than ever to engage in higher education platforms without having to sacrifice their careers.

Travel nursing provides a unique and incredible opportunity to continue working full-time while traveling the country. It also gives nurses a chance to further their careers at the same time.

Attention RNs: Travel Nurses Needed for US Contracts!

Take Advantage of The Free Time Early in Your Contract

Many online programs rely heavily on papers and discussions instead of projects and tests, and travel nursing provides the most ideal circumstances to buckle down and refine one’s writing abilities. At the beginning of a contract, many travelers find themselves with a lot of free time.

During these first few weeks of a contract, nurses can use this opportunity to find the best local coffee shops and crank out papers while indulging in new eats and beverages in a new city.

The first few weeks in a new location are also a good opportunity to work ahead in classes since most travelers tend to fill up their schedules as they meet new people and get to know their new home. Since some programs only require 10-16 hours a week of work, dedicating one day a week to schooling is a great way to ensure success.

Structure Your Nursing Schedule for Success

If you are looking to continue working full time either as a travel nurse or even as a non-contracted employee, one of the most important aspects to consider while choosing a program is the flexibility versus rigidity of the schedule.

Since most travel contracts do not allow nurses to have any control over their schedule, it is imperative that you choose a program that does not have strict time requirements or live classes. Many programs are structured to work with students who maintain full-time jobs by providing consistent schedules throughout the entire program, allowing students to plan and work around their full-time job schedule.

Some universities have constructed all classes for their master’s degree to follow the same format every week. A sample schedule for would include writing a discussion post by Thursday night, responding to their peer’s posts by Sunday night, and submitting their papers by Monday night. The consistency of this format allows students to prepare and make use of their days off — regardless of their work schedule that week.

Attention RNs: Travel Nurses Needed for US Contracts!

Do Practicum Hours Between Contracts

Many higher degree programs require practicum hours, but generally not until the end of the courses. Depending on your chosen path, some hours will be much harder to fulfill on the road than others.

But, you might be able to continue traveling while finishing off the strictly online portions and either take time off to complete the hours or take a staff job at a hospital for a season to finish the hours. Other programs make it feasible to complete the hours while traveling. Again, depending on the program, some even allow the practicum hours to be completed via an online agency or platform, which tremendously opens the door to continued traveling.

As with any part of this process, you’ll need to have the foresight to start networking and planning in advance to be successful, but there are many options available to complete practicum hours and remain a contracted employee through a hospital.

Travel Nursing MSN Takeaways

As with any decision to go back to school, there will be aspects of life you’ll need to sacrifice. There are some days that it might look like waking up early and other days that it looks like saying no to the day trip your friends have planned. But to have the opportunity to obtain a higher degree while still traveling the country and experiencing life to its fullest is worth all of the missed hours of sleep and dollars spent keeping you awake at the coffee shop.

One Travel Nurse's Experience Earning Her MSN On The Road

Once my first contract as a travel nurse was completed, I realized I had options. The current hospital I was working at offered me an extension, or I could start a new contract anywhere in the United States. I did neither.

I ended up taking my first solo international trip with a one-way ticket to Costa Rica, where I attended a Spanish Immersion School and completed my master’s degree — all because I lost a bet.

I Spent Two Months in Paradise and Boosted My Resume

When I had the decision to make, I turned to my mother for advice. “Why don’t you take some time off to think about it?” she offered -- an option hadn’t crossed my mind.

I instantly thought about the vacation I was denied before I became a travel nurse at my staff job — an epic girls’ trip to Costa Rica that my co-workers and I had spent almost a year planning. The trip was canceled due to the “staffing needs” of the unit, and the time off was denied at the last minute.

Things had changed, though. For the first time in my nursing career, I had the freedom to take a vacation whenever I wanted and for however long I wanted without having to get my boss’s approval. I immediately began replanning my dream trip with my friends — Costa Rica, here we come! Unfortunately, no one else could get the time off, so I was back to square one.

I sat at my computer staring at the Costa Rica itinerary that I had spent years planning. I turned to my mother to tell her the disappointing news. And, once again, she offered advice: “Who says you can’t go by yourself? You’ll meet friends there, and you can go to that Spanish Immersion School you’re always talking about.”

I laughed at the thought of flying to a foreign country by myself. As a joke, I responded to my mother, “I’ll make you a bet. If I find a cheap ticket to Costa Rica, I’ll leave before the end of the week.” To my surprise, within minutes, I found a non-stop ticket direct to Costa Rica for less than $50. I snagged it without hesitation.

A bet is a bet.

My stomach filled with butterflies as I booked a one-way ticket to a country I’d never been to. I was ready for whatever this journey would give me. A few days later, all of the excitement faded, and fear took over as I stood in the middle of the airport in a country where I didn’t speak the language.

Before I arrived in Costa Rica, all I could think of was sandy beaches and pina coladas — I hadn’t considered that the only Spanish word I knew as a labor and delivery nurse was empuje or push.

Now, all I could think was, “What did I get myself into? I have no idea what’s going on around me. Was this the right decision?”

I eventually made it out of the airport and onto the bus that would deliver me to the Spanish Immersion School in another city three hours away. When I checked into my new apartment and was welcomed by the school coordinators, I felt a huge sense of relief overcome me. I had made it. I was stronger than I thought.

My surge of confidence and pride in myself was replaced as I thought of my father. The grief hit me like a ton of bricks, but I knew this was where I needed to be six months after holding my father’s hand until he took his last breath. I was ready to encompass the attitude of Costa Rica — pura vida or pure life, as they say.

Many people don’t know this, but I was kicked out of a master’s program when my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The stress of being his caregiver and working full-time caused my grades to suffer. As an “A” student my entire life, that was not only devastating, but I was ashamed to admit that I couldn’t keep up and complete the program as planned.

If there was one thing this last year had taught me, it was that change is inevitable, but growth is optional.

And I wanted to grow.

I wrote a letter to the president of Western Governors University explaining my circumstances and asked if an exception could be made to allow me to complete the program. To my surprise, the answer was yes. I took that as a sign and extended my stay in Costa Rica until I finished my degree.

Attention RNs: Travel Nurses Needed for US Contracts!

My Island Routine

Monday through Thursday, I attended Spanish school in the morning, took a lunchtime siesta (aka nap), and then worked on completing my master’s degree thesis until dinner. Every weekend, I spent with my newfound friends exploring the country.

By the end of my trip, I had completed my MSN in Leadership and Management, had learned a new language, and made lasting friendships. And most importantly, it changed my outlook on life. By facing my fears and leaning into what made me uncomfortable, I had an experience that changed my life for the better.

To grow, sometimes you just need to take the first step — or, in my case, bet.