Travel-Nurse-Care

Travel Nurse-title change for its Recruiters to Career Consultants

2009-06-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

Travel Nurse- Omaha, NE (PRWEB) June 25, 2009 In an effort to more accurately reflect the service provided by its agents and relationships they have with their passengers, travel health care company Medical Solutions has changed the title of his career Consultants recruiters. In addition to helping Travel Nurse and travel health professionals locate assignments, Career Consultants also help manage their careers and help them during the course of their duties.

Although we are a travel company for health care, we do not see ourselves as an agency. We've known for some time the level of service our consultants provide career separates us from our competitors. With this in mind, this update title best represents the true scope of the service we provide to our passengers

I can not say enough good things about my Recruiter. He has no time for me I needed anything. I think that is what keeps me with Medical Solutions. I also believe that the company really care about their passengers!

"Although we are a travel company for health care, we do not see ourselves as an agency. We've known for some time the level of service our consultants provide career separates us from our competitors. With this in mind, this update title better represents the true scope of the service we offer to our tourists, "said Scott Anderson, President of Medical Solutions.

Medical Solutions' Career Consultants help traveling healthcare professionals to find their next travel destination anywhere in the U.S., matching job opportunities with their career goals and travel. This is only the beginning of their service. Once one accepts the assignment, the consultant works career to care for the needs of the traveler, such as travel arrangements, temporary accommodation, information about the area and continues to serve as your single point of contact for the company. They are willing to leave their way to ensure that each mission is a pleasant and successful experience of solving any problem, lending an understanding ear, or even help find a babysitter.

"I can not say enough good things about my recruiter," said Ruth, a travel RN Medical Solutions. "It was no time for me I needed anything. I think that is what keeps me with Medical Solutions. I also believe the company truly cares about its passengers!"

Medical Solutions has structured its staff in a way that allows the Career Consultants to focus on their passengers. Career consultants work tirelessly to build strong relationships with travelers. Once a health professional begins working with Medical Solutions Career Consultant will be with them during his career with the company. This approach separates spent Medical Solutions from its competitors.

The attention to service by the Career Consultants is just one example of the Medical Solutions places higher importance on customer service. The company also lives and breathes customer service with your client hospitals as well as their internal employees.

About Medical Solutions, Inc.: Medical Solutions, Inc. was one of the first travel nurse and allied healthcare staffing companies to be certified by the Joint Commission and has been continuously certified since 2004. Its focus is on meeting the urgent and short-term staffing needs of its clients with highly skilled allied health professionals, travel nurses and technologists. A nationwide network of travelers allows Medical Solutions to help its client hospitals continue to provide excellent patient care amidst a travel nursing and allied health shortage. Medical Solutions has contracts with nearly 1,100 client hospitals nationwide and is one of the fastest growing companies in the travel nursing and allied health industry. Visit http://www.staffing.medicalsolutions.com/ or http://www.medicalsolutions.com/ to learn more. Travel Nurse

No more nursing shortage

2009-05-02T00:11:00.000-07:00

JACKSONVILLE — Alison Carpenter is fresh from graduation at the University of North Florida with ink barely dried on her nursing degree, and she’s realizing the grim reality of entering the work force. She knows that even as a newly graduated nurse, she might not be working as one any time soon. Health care officials say the nursing shortage that has plagued hospitals for years has, at least temporarily, been alleviated.

The recession has prompted many nurses to re-enter the work force while others have delayed retirement. Those employment trends, coupled with staff reductions at many hospitals, have made for few job opportunities for nursing students exiting colleges across the country.

Debra Hernke, chief nursing officer for Mayo Clinic Florida, said the Jacksonville hospital typically gets up to 150 applications for nursing positions, and would hire 20 or “as many new graduates as possible.” This summer, Mayo expects to hire fewer than 10, and most of those will be internal hires of students already working in some other capacity.

Mayo, like many hospitals, has seen a significant decline in turnover as nurses with jobs cling to them, and is staffing as efficiently as possible.

“We are seeing many nurses picking up extra shifts, nurses returning to the work force, and older nurses delaying retirement in an effort to increase their income during the tough economic times,” said David Alexander, president of Soliant Health, a health care staffing arm of Jacksonville-based MPS Group Inc. (NYSE: MPS)

That means the days of soaring pay, hiring incentives and attractive benefits packages that hospitals have used to attract nurses in prior years have all but disappeared. Students like Carpenter, one of 60 nursing students who just graduated from UNF, will have to fight harder for the few jobs that are available.

“There aren’t a lot of jobs,” Carpenter said. “It’s something that nursing students graduating today struggle with.”
Graduates outstrip jobs

Dr. Pam Chally, dean of the Brooks College of Health at UNF, said she knows that there will be “significantly” fewer jobs than nurses graduating this year, a trend she and others began noticing in January. She is advising her new graduates, who might have otherwise held out for the best shifts in a good unit, to consider applying to a public health department or hospice facility, and make themselves available for less desirable night and weekend shifts.

“We’ve really tried to encourage them to be very open and creative at trying to locate job possibilities,” Chally said. “There just isn’t the demand right now, especially in hospitals.”

While students are forced to be more flexible, hospitals have the unfamiliar luxury of being picky about their hires, and are looking for more nurses with a bachelor’s degree and experience working in health care.

Carpenter said just three of her classmates had secured jobs by graduation. Even her year and a half of experience working as a nursing technician for St. Vincent’s HealthCare is no guarantee that the hospital, which has undergone three rounds of layoffs in the past two years, will hire her full time. In past years, a bit of experience might have made her a shoo-in for a nursing job.
Harsh market

Carpenter, who is from Orlando, said she has just two weeks following her licensing exam in May before the lease to her apartment expires. If she doesn’t have a job by then, she’ll have to return home to live with her parents.

It’s a story that can be told right now from virtually any U.S. college, where graduating students are facing one of the harshest job markets in a generation.

Dwight Cooper, CEO of Jacksonville-based PPR Healthcare Staffing, which places traveling nurses in jobs, calls it “the lost class.”

“One big byproduct of this change in shortage is a whole bunch of students will have difficulty getting jobs when they graduate in the spring and summer,” Cooper said. “It will result in some subset of graduates who would have otherwise ended up working in hospitals to end up never working in hospitals. That’s a problem because this break in the shortage will be short-lived. This lost class will contribute to a critical shortage later.”

Industry experts agree. They say that like the last recession, once the economy improves, nurses who would otherwise not be in the work force will leave their jobs. Meanwhile, an aging baby boomer population and declines in students enrolling in nursing programs will continue.

Alexander said Soliant is predicting a shortage of up to 275,000 nurses by 2010, and as many as 1 million by 2020.

“The shortage is a long-term issue because the nurses who are coming back don’t want to work full time,” Alexander said. “We will still have an aging work force, a growing demand for health care and a shortage of nurses coming out of college.”
Tracking job placement

Chally said some of the new nursing graduates at UNF are already considering graduate school to delay entering the work force, and an additional 80 nursing students will graduate in June and August.

In the meantime, she’ll be keeping a close eye on job placement for the most recent graduate class.

“I think the students have a pretty positive attitude about all this,” Chally said. “We’ve had close to 100 percent employment, always. So it will be important as we move through the summer to carefully track their job placement. I really think that in the next six months, most of them will find positions.”

A Day in the Life of a Traveling Nurse

2008-04-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

A Day in the Life of a Traveling Nurse

Depending on the assignment a traveling nurse accepts her day can be filled with the hustle and bustle of a busy emergency room or the laid back floor of people on the mend. The choice of course as to what assignment a traveling nurse will be doing is up to the traveling nurse themselves!

Usually a traveling nurse's assignment is only temporary and s/he will work in a variety of clinical settings. Jobs can last from a week or to as long as the employed nurse is willing to work. As a traveling nurse you can work anywhere in the country and you are able to expand on your skills. By expending on your skills you will be able to further your nursing career.

As a traveling nurse the nurse gets to decide which assignment they wish to accept. They are given the opportunities to not only help where needed but to travel the world and tackle various jobs in the nursing field. As a traveling nurse though sometimes the job is a little more detailed, a traveling nurse is required to fill out paperwork, move around from assignment to assignment, negotiate their contract provisions to name a few.

Traveling nurses are need for various jobs, Have you ever wanted to cruise around the world? Well did you know a cruise ship could not leave a port unless there is a doctor or nurse on board? This is an excellent opportunity for a nurse would loves cruises and wishes to take their passion for cruising and their passion for nursing and blend them into a career and lifestyle.

Hospitals are also hurriedly erected in areas of disaster. These places are always looking for nurses to travel to the area and help in times of crisis. Think of the Katrina hurricane, medical attention was needed in the area and many traveling nurses where employed for this medical disaster.

A traveling nurse's job can sometimes be more rewarding and challenging then day to day nursing jobs. You are learning new skills, sometimes under pressure in emergency situations. You are going to foreign areas that you are not familiar with and learning new techniques and styles of doing things. Procedures may not be the same from area to area so as a traveling nurse you are constantly learning. It's not only a job but a full time education.

Depending on the length of some assignments and the need some agencies will pay a traveling nurse up to 3,000 to take an assignment, they include these bonuses as an incentive to pull in nurses where they are highly needed. Some agencies even pay for the traveling nurses traveling expensive for their relocation, housing and basic utilities. Some agencies will even offer you other incentives while you are employed with their agency. When you are searching for the right place of employment its best to search out agencies and become aware of exactly what an agency offers and get everything in writing.
A traveling nurse experiences the excitement of working in various areas of nursing, the fun and excitement of traveling to new and exotic area while she aids in the treatment of helping people medically.

Choosing the Right Agency: Travel Nurses

2008-04-08T19:51:00.001-07:00

Choosing the Right Agency: Travel Nurses

When its time to choose the right agency to which you will become employed with what exactly do you look for? First look for an agency that has the values you want to instill in your nursing career. It's most important to make sure the agency you are working for treats there employees good and is there for their employees when there employees need guidance. Look for an agency that offers 24 hour support for any of your possible needs that may arise.

You will also want to make sure the agency you choose is well known and respected and those they have a viable databank of jobs available for you to choose your assignments from. You want to make sure the benefit packages that the agency offer are competitive to what other agencies are offering.

Does the agency offer medical malpractice insurance? Is it free? Do they offer you sign on bonuses, medical benefits, travel reimbursement? Travel reimbursement is one of the top things you will want to look for since this can be come costly to pick up and move when your assignment is over and move on to the next one.

First you need to ask yourself what exactly are you looking for the agency to offer you as an employee from there you can
make a list and then start to research into different agencies and find the one that best suits your needs and desires.
When contacting agencies never be afraid to ask them certain question you feel may be important. If an agency is not willing to respond to your questions or give you the time of day before you are hired that is a big indicator that you could have trouble down the line with this agency when you may truly need guidance and help. You may at that point want to keep looking into other agencies.

Choosing the right agency is essential as you plan for successful and fruitful career in becoming a traveling nurse. You can also ask an agency if they would be willing to put you into touch with other nurses who work with their agency to see if travel nursing is the way for you to go. Then you can talk to other nurses and see if they are comfortable working for the agency and ask them how any problems have been handled.

If an agency acts in a professional helpful manor the whole time this is a good indication the agency cares about their employees and will do what is necessary for you.

Other important information is to find out how long the agency has been in business, do they carry any awards or licenses?
How do the facilities that use them regard the agency? Ask to view a contract before you agree to any hiring process. You may also want to find out how your personal information is treated and will you be dealing with a team of people or will you have more interaction with say just a few people. Sometimes the more individual treatment is more important to some then to others.

When you feel fully comfortable that you have found the right agency for you then comes the time to sign up and begin your rewarding journey into becoming a traveling nurse.

Destination Anywhere! The Traveling Nurse

2008-04-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Destination Anywhere! The Traveling Nurse

A traveling nurse has much control over their life. They choose where they want to work and what assignment they want to work for, but do not let that fool you. There is a process to being accepted for the assignment you want to obtain.

Once you have joined with an agency that you feel suits you best and have been hired by the agency you will be assigned a personal recruiter who will help you obtain the assignments that you wish to be employed for. Discuss with your recruiter exactly what you are looking for in an assignment and the destination where you want to be employed. It is your recruiter's job to help you obtain those assignments. She will then match you with the best assignments suitable for the skills you have already obtained and the choices that you have stated.

When choosing your destination your possibilities are endless. If you are looking for warmth and beaches you can ask for destinations to be along the west coast or if you are looking for snow, skiing and the mountains you can request specifically by state and request that your assignment be in say Colorado. If you are more of a country girl at heart you can ask for assignments in rural communities and small towns or if you want nightlife, glitz and glam your choices are endless with the
top biggest cities that our country has to offer.

After your recruiter has found you an assignment that you feel will suit yours wants and desires you will then do a telephone interview with the hiring facility. Your recruiter should help you prepare for your telephone interview to help you obtain the assignment that you have chosen. Your recruiter will help you so that you will be prepared and have the best chance to obtain this assignment.

Once the facility has accepted you for the assignment the fun begins! The next step will be for you to obtain any of the licensure process or credentialing requirements that you may need for your assignments state. Most states offer a temporary license that is fairly easy to obtain quickly. Remember your travel nurse agency has been working with nurses, facilities and different states for as long as they have been in a business and the top agencies will know exactly what you need to do and how to go about getting the work done so that you will have no problems in obtaining your license in the state of your assignment.

After your acceptance your housing will start to be worked out so that when the times comes for you to go on to your new assignment your utilities will already be on and your new home during the assignment will be ready for your occupancy. Your travel nurse agency will help you with any details or problems that you will have a long the way to make sure your move into your new assignment goes as smoothly as it possibly can.

Along the way your private recruiter or someone from your agency will be keeping in touch with you to make sure everything is working out smoothly for you. Remember you are not a long and your agency is always a phone call away.

Housing the Travel Nurse

2008-04-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

Housing the Travel Nurse

Travel nurses travel all over the country working in various hospitals and medical facility's for short periods of time before they move onto a different job. Working as a travel nurse lets them see various parts of the country, provides them with an opportunity to gain valuable work experience, introduces them to new friends. Many travel nurses claim that working as a travel nurse gives them a renewed sense of patient focused nursing.

One concern nurses have when they are considering perusing a career in travel nursing is housing. They want to know where they will live while they are working in an unfamiliar part of the country. They want to know how they are going to be paying for their housing. They also want to know if the housing will be safe and clean.

Normally the agency the travel nurse works for is responsible for finding the travel nurses housing. They try to make sure that the housing is close to the facility that the travel nurse will be working at. They should make an effort to find housing that is comfortably furnished and is clean. The type of housing that most nursing agencies look for is furnished apartments that are available for a short term lease.

Financing the travel nurse's housing can vary from one agency to the next. Some nursing agencies give the travel nurse a living allowance while other agencies expect the nurses to pay for their housing themselves. Travel nurses need to read their contract carefully so that they will know whether or not they have to add housing into their budget.

Before a travel nurse enters into an agreement with a nursing agency they need to talk to other travel nurses that the agency already employs. Ask the travel nurses if the agency does a good job at locating housing for their nurses. Find out if the housing is normally convenient to the work site. Is the housing normally in a nice neighborhood or do the other travel nurses sometimes fear for their lives when they return to their temporary home. Does the nursing agency find housing that comes with maid service or will the travel nurse have to clean house in addition to their work duties.

Although it is not advisable for travel nurses to bring pets with them because the pets become stressed and disoriented by the constant moving around, if the nurse absolutely cannot live without their dog or cat they are going to have to make sure that their temporary housing allows them to keep pets. Also, if you are traveling with a pet, bear in mind that a majority of the time your new living quarters will be a small one bedroom apartment. The living quarters might be tight if they include you and a large dog.

Before you accept a position as a travel nurse consider the location and what you will require in the way of amenities. If it is summer time and you will be working at a medical facility in the south you will want to make sure that your apartment has a working air conditioner. Winters in the country's northern regions are cold. Make sure your northern housing has heat, also remember that cold winter climates mean you will have to wear extra clothing, including heavy boots and bulky coats, try to request that the nursing agency finds housing that has enough space so will have a place to store your outer garments.

How do Travel Nurses Find New Work Assignments

2008-04-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

How do Travel Nurses Find New Work Assignments

To anyone who has spent weeks and even months combing the classified section of their local newspapers looking for jobs, or the person working out of a temp agency who can only find employment that lasts for a couple of days or a few weeks it seems incomprehensible that a travel nurse is able to finish working on one assignment, pack their bags, and move seamlessly onto a new assignment in a different state. A good travel nurse doesn't have to return to their home town if they time their assignments right. It might sound incomprehensible but that is what happens.

If you stop to consider the situation travel nurses aren't really employed by the hospitals and medical facilities where they are working. Travel nurses are technically employed by the nursing agency. The agency gives each travel nurse a travel allowance. They find and in some cases fund the travel nurse's housing. They make sure that the travel nurse is legally able to work in each state. Most importantly the travel nurse's agency is the place where the paychecks come from.

The nurse's agency is where the travel nurse gets their latest work assignment. Each agency has their own policy for matching travel nurses with work assignments. Some agency's match new assignments with nurses who qualify for the position and are available to take it. Other agency's post a job board on their agencies website. When it is time for a travel nurse to find a new assignment they simply have to go to the agency's job board and search available jobs until they find one that sounds suitable for them, they then contact the agency, requesting the assignment.

Once a travel nurse makes a request for an assignment the agency double checks that travel nurse is qualified for the position. Once the agency determines that the travel nurse is qualified for the position they make sure that the nurse is also legally allowed to practice medicine in the state where the assignment is located. If the travel nurse needs to have paperwork filed in order to obtain a license in the state, the agency starts working to make sure it happens as expediently as possible

Once the travel nurse has been approved for the assignment, the agency starts looking for available housing. While the agency is looking for a place for the nurse to live the nurse needs to think about their travel arrangements. Most travel nurses drive to each assignment but some prefer to fly, especially if their new assignment is located in a large city where public transportation is provided and it is difficult to keep a car.

It is imperative the travel nurse's agency make sure that their nurses have plenty of assignments and that the travel nurses they employ are happy with their assignments. The agency's only make money if the travel nurses they hire are taking lots and lots of assignments. The smoother each assignment goes the more likely the travel nurse is to take on more assignments.

How to Become a Good Travel Nurse

2008-04-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

How to Become a Good Travel Nurse

A good nurse doesn't pursue a nursing because they are lured by the promise of huge paychecks. Good nurses don't work towards a career in nursing because they are convinced that they will be able to work short shifts that will leave them lots of time to spend with their families. Good nurses don't become nurses because they are looking for careers that require a limited amount of manual labor. Good nurses don't become nurses because they feel that nursing will be easier then becoming a doctor. Nurses become nurses because they are compelled to help sick and injured patients.

There are several things that need to happen before a person can become a nurse. The first thing they have to do is become enrolled in a educational program that specializes in nursing. There is currently a shortage of educational nursing programs which can make it difficult for potential nurses to get in. If you are somebody who is interested in pursuing a career in nursing you will want to apply to enroll in a nursing program as early as possible. Once the student has been accepted into an educational nursing program the student can choose to pursue a variety of degrees including; an associates degree, a bachelors degree, a masters degree, or even a nursing doctorate.

Registered nurses are nurses that access and record patients reactions and symptoms, and reactions. Once they become registered, nurses are free to pursue careers in the hospital, home or office. Nurses who are interested in becoming travel nurses are required to be RN's

Office nurses are nurses who work in a doctor's office. Most office nurses are responsible for administering medications to patients, prepping the patient for their examine, and helping to dress wounds. Because office nurses generally work in doctor's offices, they tend to have a fairly routine work schedule, that seldom changes from one day

Another type of nurse is a home nurse. A home nurse is a nurse who goes into someone who needs medical attention (often the elderly) and sees to their medical needs. In some cases a home nurse will even move into their patients home, until the patient no longer needs their services. Some home nurses work as midwifes, and will help parents deliver their children in the comfort of their own home.

Hospital nurses are, by definition, nurses who work in hospitals. Although some hospital nurses work a rotating shift that lets them work in several different departments, but a majority of hospital nurses decide to go into specialized areas of medicine such as pediatrics, surgery, or emergency.

Registered nurses are nurses that access and record patients reactions and symptoms, and reactions. Once they become registered, nurses are free to pursue careers in the hospital, home or office. Nurses who are interested in becoming travel nurses are required to be RN's. Travel nurses have to spend one year working at a hospital before most agencies will accept their application. The year they spend working should be in their chooen field.

How to Become a Traveling Nurse

2008-04-08T19:42:00.000-07:00

How to Become a Traveling Nurse

When becoming a traveling nurse there are simple steps to take. Obviously the first thing that is necessary in becoming a traveling nurse to become an RN or registered nurse. This can be done through various programs to get you ready to pass the NCLEX-RN exam. Then you need to get experience by working for at least one year in a hospital environment, preferably in the specialty area of your choice. There more experience you have the better pay you will get but most agencies require at least one year.

Once you have decided that becoming a traveling nurse is something you want to do, the next step is to find they agency that is right for you. You will want to look at the benefits and bonuses that are available through the different traveling nurse agencies. These benefits and bonuses can vary from agency to agency. Once you have narrowed down the selection with what benefits will work best for you, you need to contact these agencies for more information and possibly references of other nurses that they have working for them. There is not a better way to check out a company than to speak to their employees to make sure they stand behind the pay, the benefits, and the bonuses that they use to entice you. This is an important step because these agencies will be marketing you skills to the jobs. They are you job recruiters.

Now that you have narrowed down the agency you wish to work for and you application is accepted it is time to choose the available jobs. These jobs can be virtually anywhere across the United States. The length of the job will vary as well. Choose the jobs you wish to take carefully because you will be signing a contract. The three most important factors a traveling nurse has when considering a job is the location, the length, and the type of facility you will be working in. If one or more of this is not what you are looking for it may become a bad experience for the traveling nurse. Once you choose the job you want, the agency will help find your housing and the proper licensing that you will need especially if you are traveling to another state.

There are times that you will be placed in the perfect location and job setting that you are looking for. Many times if the facility is happy with your work and you want to stay it can be worked out that you get a full time position with them. This often works out best for companies looking to replace a full time nurse that had left their position.

Becoming a traveling nurse is not a decision that should be taken lightly. There are many aspects involved they may not be the perfect opportunity for everyone. Being away from you family and loved ones is difficult especially when starting a new job and moving to a new area. A position as a traveling nurse is a fantastic opportunity for single people or even newlyweds where the partner can be transferred or works from home.

How to Get Along With a Home Nurse

2008-04-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

How to Get Along With a Home Nurse

Whenever you are dealing with an elderly parent who's health is failing, you are going to be stressed. This is one of those times when you are not going to be at your best. You are already worried about whether you are doing the right thing for your parent by keeping them at home and hiring a home nurse to take care of them as opposed to moving them into a nursing home. You have to deal with the rest of your family. You are watching your parent, who was once the person who took care of you, grow weaker and more ill with each passing day.

The good news is that when a home nurse is employed to take care of your aging parent they don't expect to see you, or your family at their best. They understand that you are not going to be at your best. Hopefully they have been properly trained and know how to handle the stressed family as well as they know how to take care of their cranky, confused patient.

The first thing you can do to make sure that the home nurse who is going to be taking care of your elderly parent's medical needs is to make sure that nurse has a personality that compliments you and your family. The way you get a nurse that suits your family's personality is being sure that you are completely honest with the agency you are using to locate the home nurse. Make sure your description of your family, their routine, and your parent's medical needs is completely true. The more honest you are about your needs and requirements the easier it will be for the agency to match you with a home nurse. If your parent needs to be physically lifted an moved make sure that you request a nurse with enough strength to get the job done.

When you are told that a nurse has been found for your parent, make sure you meet the nurse before they start taking care of your parent. Make sure this is a person whom you are comfortable welcoming into your home. If the nurse is, for whatever reason, not someone you are comfortable with, politely request a new nurse.

Make sure that both you and home nurse are both perfectly clear on what the nurse will be doing while she is in the home. When the nurse is just coming to the home for a few hours a day it is easy to know and understand that they are a professional that is doing a job. The line between health care and house keeper can become a little more blurred. Before the nurse ever moves into the spare bedroom, make a list of what they will and wont be doing. Make sure the whole family understands. Having a clear understanding of the nurses responsibilities will make everyone's life's easier and will make the whole experience as pleasant as possible.

Remember that the home nurse is a professional. They are in your home to take care of a family member, but they are not an actual member of your family. Make sure that your maintain a polite, friendly, but professional relationship with the home nurse

Is a Traveling Nurse Job Right for You

2008-04-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

Is a Traveling Nurse Job Right for You

Depending on the assignment a traveling nurse accepts her day can be filled with the hustle and bustle of a busy emergency room or the laid back floor of people on the mend. The choice of course as to what assignment a traveling nurse will be doing is up to the traveling nurse themselves!

Usually a traveling nurse's assignment is only temporary and s/he will work in a variety of clinical settings. Jobs can last from a week or to as long as the employed nurse is willing to work. As a traveling nurse you can work anywhere in the country and you are able to expand on your skills. By expending on your skills you will be able to further your nursing career.

As a traveling nurse the nurse gets to decide which assignment they wish to accept. They are given the opportunities to not only help where needed but to travel the world and tackle various jobs in the nursing field. As a traveling nurse though sometimes the job is a little more detailed, a traveling nurse is required to fill out paperwork, move around from assignment to assignment, negotiate their contract provisions to name a few.

Traveling nurses are need for various jobs, Have you ever wanted to cruise around the world? Well did you know a cruise ship could not leave a port unless there is a doctor or nurse on board? This is an excellent opportunity for a nurse would loves cruises and wishes to take their passion for cruising and their passion for nursing and blend them into a career and lifestyle.

Hospitals are also hurriedly erected in areas of disaster. These places are always looking for nurses to travel to the area and help in times of crisis. Think of the Katrina hurricane, medical attention was needed in the area and many traveling nurses where employed for this medical disaster.

A traveling nurse's job can sometimes be more rewarding and challenging then day to day nursing jobs. You are learning new skills, sometimes under pressure in emergency situations. You are going to foreign areas that you are not familiar with and learning new techniques and styles of doing things. Procedures may not be the same from area to area so as a traveling nurse you are constantly learning. It's not only a job but a full time education.

Depending on the length of some assignments and the need some agencies will pay a traveling nurse up to 3,000 to take an assignment, they include these bonuses as an incentive to pull in nurses where they are highly needed. Some agencies even pay for the traveling nurses traveling expensive for their relocation, housing and basic utilities. Some agencies will even offer you other incentives while you are employed with their agency. When you are searching for the right place of employment its best to search out agencies and become aware of exactly what an agency offers and get everything in writing.

Picking a Specialty Before your pursue a Career as a Travel Nurse

2008-04-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

Picking a Specialty Before your pursue a Career as a Travel Nurse

Just like doctors, once they have completed most of their educational requirements nurses generally choose a specialty. Some nurses prefer to work in a small doctor's office, other nurses like the hustle and bustle of working in a busy hospital. Deciding the type of atmosphere you would like to work in will help you decide what type of specialty you should start pursuing. Nurses who are interested in spending time working as travel nurses need to choose a specialty so that the travel nurse agency they are hired by will have an easier time placing them at various locations.

Before a nursing student can settle on a specialty they need to do some research about each available specialty and choose one that best suits their interests and makes the best use of their individual personalities. There are many various specialties for students to choose from, they include; Ambulatory care, emergency care, occupational health, critical care nurses, holistic nurses, and home health care.

Nurses who pursue careers in ambulatory care are not nurses who ride around in ambulances. Nurses who specialize in ambulatory care are nurses who work at helping treat a multitude of illnesses and injuries. It isn't unusual for ambulatory nurses to expand their career to include video conferencing. It is often ambulatory nurses who can be found teaching educational courses.

Emergency care nurses are nurses who work in the emergency room. Emergency care nurses see patients who are suffering from strokes, heart attacks, severe injuries, and sudden illnesses. Some nurses who specialize in emergency care go on to get a helicopter pilots license so that they can fly the hospitals helicopter and pick up and transport patients to different hospitals. Emergency nurses see a variety of illnesses and injuries on a daily basis.

Occupational health nurses are nurses who work with patients that have been injured while they were working. It is not unusual for a business to hire the services of an occupational health nurse to come into their work area and identify any potentially dangerous issues. Occupational health nurses often have a close working relationship with OSHA.

Critical care nurses are exactly what they sound like, nurses who work in the critical care unit. These nurses take care of patients that are recovering from severe injuries, heart attack victims, and severely ill patients. Critical care nurses need to have steady nerves and have to be able to maintain their composure in all situations.

Holistic nurses are nurses who take care of a patients spiritual needs while providing services such as aroma therapy and acupuncture. These nurses are typically long on patience and have good communications skills.

Nurses who seek jobs that let them take care of rehabilitating patients after a patient returns home are called home care nurses. In some cases these nurse will actually move into the patients house in order to take care of the patients medical needs. Some home nurses, who take care of chronic health issues, work through hospice offices.

Selecting a Reliable Travel Nursing Agency

2008-04-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Selecting a Reliable Travel Nursing Agency

Travel nurses do not find employment working at various hospitals by themselves. They find employment when they have their application accepted at a travel nursing agency. Travel nursing agencies are agencies that match available travel nursing employment up with available travel nurses. Because their financial fate hinges on the nursing travel agency, it is important that travel nurses find a good agency.

The first thing travel nurses have to consider is that it is the travel nursing agency, not the hospital, that pays their salary. The hospital cuts a check to the agency, who then uses that money to pay the travel nurse. Before applying at the travel nursing agency the nurse should ask how often they will be receiving checks from the agency, do they get paid weekly, monthly, bi-weekly, or do they only get paid when the job has been completed. It is important to know how often you can plan on receiving a check so that you will be able to plan a budget. Talk to other nurses who are employed through the agency, find out how happy they are with the agency's payment plan.

Try to find out how often travel nurses employed through the agency are working. Are they able to find employment twelve months a year if they want it, or do they find that they have long periods of idleness in between jobs. If the travel nurses who are working through the travel nursing agency have long periods between jobs find out if that is due to personal choice or a lack of available travel nursing positions.

When you are considering a potential travel nursing agency find out what their policy is for travel expenses. Some travel nurse agency's pay the travel expenses of their nurses, other agencies deduct the cost of traveling out of the travel nurse's salary. Some agencies even have a policy that requires the travel nurse to pay their own travel expenses. Other agencies provide a traveling allowance, they provide a certain amount of money for the nurse to travel to their new job, if the nurse's ravel expenses exceeds that amount the nurse is responsible for the additional cost. Travel nurses typically drive to their new jobs but on some occasions they choose to fly. The way that the travel nurse agency handles the nurse's travel expenses will make a big difference in how the travel nurse budgets.

Talk to the travel nurses who are already employed by the agency about the living arrangements. Most travel nursing agencies find housing for their nurses. Talk to the other travel nurses about how accessible the hospitals are to the housing. Find out if the housing is typically well furnished. Ask if the housing facility's are kept clean or if the agency just looks for the cheapest possible place.

Other things that you might want to consider asking before you select a travel nurse agency is how long nurses typically remain with the agency. You will want to find out how long the agency has been in business. You will also want to know if your pay rate and hours are guaranteed. Ask the agency what types of benefits they offer their travel nurses.

The Benefits to being a Traveling Nurse

2008-04-08T19:32:00.000-07:00

The Benefits to being a Traveling Nurse

If you love being a nurse and love to travel then a career as a traveling nurse may be exactly what you are looking for. Being a traveling nurse has many benefits. You are able to travel around the United States instead of being stuck in just one place. The jobs can last from just a few weeks to a year, with most lasting between thirteen and twenty six weeks.

Traveling nurses are some of the best-paid nurses in the country. These are just some benefits that may be available to you exact benefits will vary depending on the traveling nurse agency that you choose. Generally, the pay can range from $21 to $48 an hour this is based on your skill level and the location of the assignment. Agencies often offer sign on bonuses and completion bonuses as well. Some even offer bonuses when you renew your contract for at least 13 weeks. There are loyalty bonuses available at some agencies that offer different monetary bonuses, housing upgrades, paid vacations, and more. Referral bonuses are often offered for nurse that you refer to agencies.

With health benefits being the huge issue they are today, many traveling nurse agencies offer wonder benefit packages. Most have fully paid medical insurance with the options to add your family at your expense. They also can have many add ons such as Life insurance, vision and dental insurance, disability insurance-both long and short term, and accident coverage insurance.
Many offer retirement plans such as the 401K after just a month of service with them. Some offer roadside assistance packages such as AAA. Most offer continuing education reimbursement as well.

Traveling is a benefit of being a traveling nurse. It often is not considered a benefit because it is part of the job, but to many it is a benefit. A job as a traveling nurse allows you to work in new areas. Often times these are areas that you normally would not consider for a vacation because they are not high tourist areas. You can see places across the United States as you work.

There are many benefits, rewards, and bonuses available to those who decide to become a traveling nurse. The amenities seem to be endless as there is a high demand for nurses who are able to travel for their jobs. These traveling nurse jobs can take you away from your family, pets, and loved ones so a hard consideration into whether the job is right for you is necessary before committing. It is also important to investigate the agencies that you are thinking of signing up with. Ask the agencies to speak with some of the traveling nurses that are already a part of their company. Search the internet to see what others say about the agencies.

Becoming a traveling nurse is beneficial to many nurses that have worked the same job for years. They are often burnt out on the same thing day after day and looking for a change. A traveling nurse job could be the change that you are looking for.

The Disadvantages of Being a Traveling Nurse

2008-04-08T19:24:00.000-07:00

The Disadvantages of Being a Traveling Nurse

As a traveling nurse you will need to be able to adapt to your surroundings quickly. Since s/he will be traveling to new areas and dealing with different jobs on each assignment the traveling nurse accepts this is one very important draw backs to the job if you are not able to adapt quickly.

Since nursing deals a lot with interaction to patients and your co-workers if you are a shy person then meeting new people constantly may also be a drawback. If you take a long time to build a good working interaction with your co-workers becoming a traveling nurse may be a drawback.

As a traveling nurse you need to be able to adjust to out of the ordinary situations and the unexpected. If you like and are more comfortable in surroundings that you know and are familiar with then a career as a traveling nurse may not be the wise choice for you as you are constantly changing your surroundings. When you travel things can go wrong, no mater how much you have planned no matter how much detail you have put into your plans the unexpected will happen. If you are uncomfortable dealing with problems that can arise during travels then you may want to look into a more contemporary nursing job. If you love the security of home life a traveling nurse moves around a lot and their home is in various parts of the country while they are employed by different assignments.

If you are the type of person who likes to be close to their family and can not deal with being away from their family for long periods of times then you need to be aware that a traveling nurse can be gone for roughly 6 week periods of time to much longer. A typical assignment lasts from 6 weeks on up to 52 weeks. The one plus to this is that you can choose your assignments and choose the places you are willing to relocate so if you wish to only go a matter of a few hours away or 2 days away the choice is yours to accept an assignment or not.

Another draw back is that you are on call usually 24 hours a day because you are living on site, or if you are on a cruise ship assignment your services will be rendered as needed. For people who wish to work a set schedule this can sometimes be upsetting to them mentally and physically.

There is sometimes even co-worker resentment to deal with. When a co-worker finds out you are a traveling nurse they know you are being paid higher for the same work that they are doing. This sometimes leads to resentment awkward working situations. The best way to deal with situations like this is to be pleasant and helpful and to understand that you are there to do a job. A lot of times it will even have a non traveling nurse look into becoming a traveling nurse.
Lastly one of biggest drawbacks is dealing with two employers.

The agency you work for and the facility that hired the agency to place a nurse in their employ. Sometimes the provisions in your contract with your agency will conflict with the regulations that the facility is trying to have you work.

The Perks of Travel Nursing

2008-04-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

The Perks of Travel Nursing

Travel nursing is nursing that allows a nurse to work for a few months in one hospital before moving on to another hospital that is in a different part of the country. Hospitals and medical facility's use travel nurses because they feel that they can benefit from the travel nurses expertise, to help get a new facility up and running, and to act as a mentor for a novice staff. But why would anybody become a travel nurse.

A huge reason nurses pursue travel nursing careers is the money. Travel nurses make significantly more money per hour then their contemporaries who work in just one hospital. Travel nurses do not get paid directly by the hospital they are working for. Typically the travel nursing agency collects and hands out the travel nurses salary.

Travel nurses love traveling. Through their jobs they can not only visit different parts of the country they can actually live and work in various parts of the country. They get to see how medical services differ from one part of the country to the next.

Travel nurses know that if and when they meet a co-worker that they don't get along with, they know that it isn't a big deal. They will only have to deal with them for a few months and then they will be moving onto a different location.

Travel nurses make lots and lots of new friends all over the county.

The average travel nurse enjoys excellent medical and dental benefits. In most situations agencies that specialize in travel nurses offer these medical and dental benefits to lure travel nurses to their agency. Some nursing agencies also have 401K plans.

Working as a travel nurse is an excellent way to build a fantastic resume. The things a nurse learns during their experience as a travel nurse will go a long way to obtaining a successful job in a home hospital when the nurse is ready to cease their nomadic ways. The people you meet working as a travel nurse will be valuable references, before completing a work assignment make sure you keep a record of names and phone numbers that you can use as references when you are ready to find a permanent nursing position.

Some travel nursing agencies offer their nurses an additional way to make some extra money by offering a bonus each time the nurse makes a successful referral. Because the travel nurse is constantly working at hospitals and medical facility's that are full of brand new nurses the opportunity to encourage referrals is endless. Some agency's also offer their travel nurses a completion bonus when a job has been finished.

Some times friends who have gone through nursing school together decide that travel nursing is something they can do together. Working in tandem means that the travel nurse always see familiar face no matter where they go.

Some travel nurses enjoy the experience of working in various parts of the country they decide to further their traveling careers by offering to work at missionaries and hospitals all over the world.

The Travel Nurse and the Pet

2008-04-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

The Travel Nurse and the Pet

There are numerous perks to being a travel nurse. You get to see the many different and varied parts of the country, you tend to enjoy a larger salary then your stay at home contemporaries, if you can't stand your co-workers you at least have the knowledge that you'll only have to deal with them for a short period of time before you can move onto a whole new set of co-workers. Most travel nurses have great dental and health plans. You are constantly expanding on your working educations. You get to work with a wide variety of patients. Your traveling expenses are usually paid either by your travel nursing agency or your temporary employer. You seldom have to worry about finding a new home. You are making new friends all over the country. In some cases if you and your best friend are both travel nurses you can work side by side with a familiar face. The benefits are lucrative. You are probably part of a great reward program. Your temporary housing is fully furnished.

The down side to travel nursing is if you are a pet lover. The lifestyle of a travel nurse is not well suited for keeping a pet of your own.

One of the big reasons you will probably have to find a new home for your dog and/or cat is all the traveling you will be doing. It is difficult and stressful for a dog or cat to be constantly moving from one part of the country to the next. Some pets are more adaptable then others. if your pet has a difficult time dealing with change, dragging it along on your cross country journeys could potentially shorten its life.

Consider the expense of traveling with your pet. The travel nursing agency typically makes sure that your travel expenses are paid for but that doesn't mean that they will be willing to pay your pet's travel expenses. More then likely your dog or cat's plane ticket will come out of your pocket.

Travel nurses are generally provided with fully furnished housing that is close to the hospital or medical office that they are going to be working in. This housing is normally in the form of a hotel room or a short rent apartment. On the average this type of housing does not allow pets because pets shred curtains, chew on furniture, ruin carpets, and expose other tenets to allergens. If you insist on taking your pet along, you might find that you are going to have to find your very own housing, housing that will allow you to keep a pet.

Pets, especially dogs, require a lot of your attention. This is especially true after you have transplanted them from the home they know into a home in a different part of the world. You will probably be working long hours. Do you really want to have to take your dog for a walk and play with it when you finally get home.

If you decide that your new lifestyle is not fair to your pet, talk to your friends and family, find out if someone is willing to take your beloved pet into their own home provided that you pay their expenses. This will give you piece of mind knowing that your pet is in good hands while you are away from home, and will let you see them when you return home between jobs.

Travel Nursing-Working in Different States

2008-04-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Travel Nursing-Working in Different States

When you were going to school to become a nurse you were probably told several times that each individual state requires its very own license in order for an individual to practice medicine. You are probably already licensed to nurse in the state where you became accredited, that is probably the same state that you plan on working as a nurse. However if you are a travel nurse you don't know what state you should be licensed in.

Each state has its own set of policies and laws when it comes to travel nurses. Some states have a grace period, a period of time that a nurse can work in the state without a medical license, provided they are certified nurses in some state. In some states this grace period is a mere thirty day, in other states it can be ninety days. It varies from state to state. Some states will even award a temporary nursing license for the duration of the job.

Before accepting a job, do your homework, a quick Internet search is a quick and efficient way learn what the state you are considering working in requires in the way of licensing. After reading decide if you are qualified to work in the state. If you aren't qualified decide how big a hassle will it be to become qualified and then decide if the job is worth the hassle.

The nice thing about being a travel nurse is that you work through a travel nursing agency. The agency typically helps match jobs to your personality, provides you with a travel and housing allowance, makes sure you paychecks arrive in an orderly fashion, and makes sure you are qualified for each and every position you take.

The people who are in charge of your travel nursing agency know each individual states requirements for practicing medicine within their state lines. They know if you can work in the state for a certain amount of time without a license and they know if you have to get a license before you start working. Best of all they know the names and phone numbers of the people to contact if you aren't yet qualified to work as a nurse in a particular state. The people who run your travel nursing agency know how to get a license for a state in and efficient and expedient fashion. They can make the whole process painless. The people who are in charge of the nursing agency should know, maybe even faster then you will, what you need to accept a job.

If the agency tells you that you have to get a license in order to practice medicine in a certain state, find out how much getting the license will cost and know who pays the fee, you or your agency.

After being granted permission to work in a state find out how long you can legally practice medicine in the state. This information is especially important if you are working on a grace period. You don't want to get arrested for practicing medicine without a license because you spent a few extra days working.

If you had to become licensed before you were allowed to practice medicine, find out how long the license is good for. This could be useful information when you decide its time to hang up your traveling shoes and become a permanent nurse.

Travel Nursing With a Friend

2008-04-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

Travel Nursing With a Friend

Working as a travel nurse can be a fun career that is filled with new faces and exciting adventures. Working as a travel nurse can also be a very lonely profession.

Travel nurses are nurses who make a living traveling from hospital to medical facility, moving from state to state. Traveling nurses temporarily fill positions at hospitals and medical facilities for a short period of time. Typically travel nurses work at an assignment for three to six months before they move onto another position. If a travel nurse works several back to back assignments if can be years before they get back to their home town to spend quality time with family and friends.

One way to alleviate the loneliness is to work tandem with a friend. Two nursing friends, often a pair who went through nursing school together, joins a agency that specializes in finding positions for travel nurses at the same time. Once their applications have been accepted at the agency the two friends scan the agency's available jobs and find two assignments available at the same hospital or medical facility. If they are unable to find jobs in the same facility the friends might be able to find assignments in the same town.

Travel nurses that work in pairs know that when they leave on a new assignment that they will see at least on friendly face when they get to a new town in a new state. When they start their new job they know that there will be at least one person who is willing to listen to them complain or rejoice about their new co-workers. Travel nurses who work together are able to offer each other a shoulder to cry on when everything seems to go wrong.

A benefit to friends working together as travel nurses is the ability to share travel expenses. Most travel nurses shun flying, preferring to drive from a completed assignment to their new assignment. Driving from assignment to assignment means that travel nurses came save the expense of renting a car. Friends that are both travel nurses can drive together to the new assignment can split the cost of gas and share hotel rooms.

Friends who work together as travel nurse can also save money by sharing living expenses. Not only can the friends split the cost of the monthly rent, the pair can also split the utilities and the cost of groceries. When you are going to be living together tell your nursing agency and let them know that you will be sharing the housing, this could mean that the agency looks for a bigger space. If you are going to be rooming together remember that the apartments nursing agencies generally find for their travel nurses are small. Be prepared for tight living quarters. The space becomes even tighter if one of you has a pet.

Having a friend with you will give you someone to go out with while you are in an unfamiliar city. The experiences you share will strengthen the bonds of your friendship.

Some nursing agencies report that they have had a great deal of success with spouses who work and travel together as travel nurses.

Traveling Nurses: The pay and the benefits

2008-04-08T19:16:00.000-07:00

Traveling Nurses: The pay and the benefits

There are a lot of benefits to becoming a traveling nurse not to mention top pay in a very high demanding field. There is a huge demand in the nursing profession and travel nurses are placed in areas around the country to fill those vacancies.

A quick overview of all the benefits you may find when becoming a travel nurse is listed below. These benefits are just a few of the many rewarding benefits you will experience.

Travel:

As a traveling nurse you are reimbursed for all your travel expenses from moving to and from each assignment. Some agencies cover gas mileage while some will offer up to 650 for air travel expense. Most agencies have worked it in a way that your travel expensive is tax free.

Housing:

While on assignment your housing is paid for including your basic utilities. Private housing usually includes a one bedroom apartment close to your assignment that is full furnished. If your needs are greater then a 1 bedroom then you may have to pay a small portion towards your special housing needs. You can also choose to live in your own accommodations that you find yourself and will be given a housing allowance based on area of assignment. Some of the communities that travel nurses are placed in include gyms, pools, spas and clubhouses. You can even travel with your spouse, children or pets. Depending on your needs your agency will help you obtain the housing that you need to suit your lifestyle.

Retirement Plans:

Most agencies will offer you some kind of retirement plan, a 401K or something of that nature. You will want to see if the agency you work matches your contributions.

Medical, Dental and Eye Insurance:

Most of the top agencies will offer you medical, dental and eye insurance at no cost to you. Your dependent coverage will depend on the company and is usually available for a minimal fee. You are usually offered a choice of plans that you can choose from that will suit your lifestyle and needs.

Top Rate Pays:

As a traveling nurse you will be opened up to a higher pay level then if you where a non-travel nurse. As a traveling nurse you can obtain hourly pay up to $60.00 per hour depending on the assignment and the location of the assignment.

Sign on Bonuses:

Depending on the type of assignment available and the demand for the position to be filled some facilities will offer a sign on bonus. A sign on bonus can range anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a couple thousand dollars easy. Some agencies will even offer you a sign on bonus to sign on with their agencies. As the needs in the nursing field grow more agencies are looking to fill positions.

Completion Bonus:

Although not as common as the sign on bonuses some agencies will offer a completion bonus for when you complete an assignment.

Referral Bonus:

Some agencies also offer their employees a referral bonus when they have someone sign up with the agency and say that their employee referred them to the agency. Sign on bonuses can range from a hundred to a thousand dollars. Some agencies have even offered more for their referral bonuses.

Turning a Temporary Travel Nurse Position Into a Permanent Job

2008-04-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

Turning a Temporary Travel Nurse Position Into a Permanent Job

For the most part the life of a travel nurse seems to be for nurse that are in the dawn of their careers before they relationships, families, and other responsibilities that force them to find permanent employment. The other time that many nurses become interested in an occupation as a travel nurse is towards the end of their careers, after their children move out of the house, leaving their parents free to pursue nomadic whims.

It happens, especially to the younger nurses, that they are working at a travel nurse assignment and find that they fall in love with the city they are in, they adore their co-workers, or they find the job so rewarding they want to keep it.

When a nurse finds an assignment that they don't want to give up is consider the contract they signed with their nursing agency. If they signed a contract that has a time line it is going to be difficult to get out of the contract and accept a permanent working position. Nurses that have long term, binding contracts with an agency will probably find that they have to work as a travel nurse long enough to fulfill their contract. Once they have worked out the terms of their contract they can go back to the hospital or medical facility that they enjoyed so much and seek a permanent position.

Sometimes travel nurses will find out that the temporary position they are currently filling is just that, temporary. For whatever reason the job was created on a one time basis and no matter how badly the travel nurse may want it at a permanent position it just isn't possible. When this happens the travel nurse has two options. They can decide if it is the hospital they like working at, or maybe they just really like the city, or perhaps they really click with their current batch of co-workers, or they feel that the job they are doing is tailor made for them (and it really might be). If they look at all their options and decide that it's the hospital or their fellow nurses that appeal to them they can apply for a permanent position in the hospital. If the travel nurse decides that it isn't necessarily the hospital, the staff, or the position that appeals to them they might want to consider looking for a hospital in a similar location.

If, after you have looked at all the options and decide that it really is the position that is making you consider exchanging your nomadic shoes for a more permanent pair, talk to your nursing agency, even if you have a long-term, binding contract, the agency will be able to keep and eye peeled and look for similar positions. If you are at a point in your life when you are able to accept a permanent position look at other hospitals across the country. Just because the hospital you were working at only offered the position on a temporary basis doesn't mean that other hospitals wont have the position available on a permanent basis.

The main reason that younger travel nurses give up their careers as travel nurses in favor of more permanent positions because they are tired of traveling, they are ready to start a family, or other members of their family need them at home. When its time to find a permanent position keep an optimistic attitude, you'll find the right position.

What is a Traveling Nurse?

2008-04-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

What is a Traveling Nurse?

A traveling nurse travels around the United States filling temporary nursing positions. If you are a nurse and love to travel this may be the right career move for you. There is a high demand for traveling nurses in areas in which the population changes. These changes can be seasonal like the snowbirds going to Florida for the winter and then returning to there home state. They could be in high tourist towns during peak travel seasons. Whatever the case may be where the population fluctuates a traveling nurse is needed.

Although a traveling nurse, job can be for a period as short as 4 weeks or as long as 52 weeks, they generally fall within the 13 to 26 week period. Another scenario of a job that a traveling nurse might fill is when a full time nurse quits and a replacement has not been found. A scenario likes this could possible turn into a full time position for the traveling nurse if she is happy with the facility and they are happy with her performance.

There are something's you need to consider before becoming a traveling nurse. These are the things that can make up your mind on whether being a traveling nurse is right for you. The jobs that you accept may take you away from your family for up to a year. Depending on how far away the job may be this could be a deciding factor. Generally, it is best if you do not have pets because it is possible that the housing provided for you will not accept them. You will have to be licensed in every state that you choose to work in. These are things that a good traveling nurse agency will help you work out. Jobs are often assigned months in advance to give time to prepare. They can happen in as little as two weeks from application to beginning your traveling nurse job.

Being a traveling nurse, you will be able to work in many different settings. For example there are Hospital and acute care facilities or surgery and out patient surgery centers for the normal hospital type settings. You could work with the elderly in nursing home and assisted living centers or with children in the school and camp nurse's offices. Other traveling nurse positions can include doctors offices, correctional facilities, occupational health facilities, and clinics and labs. It is usually required that you have at least one year hospital experience when becoming a traveling nurse. This may vary from place to place.

If you are looking for a rewarding career that allows you to travel across the United States, then a career as a traveling nurse could be just what you are looking for. Look for agencies in your town or on the internet to help get you started on your journey of a traveling nurse. They will help place you in a job that is right for you and show you how to take care of the little details you may forget.

What's Better for an Elderly Parent-A Nursing Home or Home Nurse

2008-04-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

What's Better for an Elderly Parent-A Nursing Home or Home Nurse

As parents age they usually develop a wide variety of ailments that slow them down and make day to day living difficult. As they continue to age and their physical conditions worsen, their children find that they are taking on an ever increasing share of the responsibility of caring for their elderly parent. At some point a majority of these children realize that at some point their parent's health has deteriorated to a point that the child can no longer take care of the parent. At least not by themselves. When this happen the child has to decide if their elderly parent would better off in a nursing home or if moving a nurse into the home would be a better option.

Nursing homes are great because they provide twenty-four hour round the clock care. Most nursing homes hire competent and caring people. Your parent will receive three well balanced meals, receive their medications in a timely fashion, and have the benefit of a social life. The down side to nursing homes is that it is sometimes difficult to visit your elderly parent. It is also difficult to decide if moving your elderly parent from their familiar surroundings and into an unfamiliar nursing home will cause their parents condition to worsen at a more rapid rate.

A home nurse is a nurse who is trained to come into a patients home and care for them. They are responsible for making sure that the patient continues with their physical therapy and takes all their medications.

Some home nurses come into the home for just a few hours a day to check their patients overall health and to help them take their medication. These nurses are typically paid an hourly rate and usually don't move into the home.

Some people hire a home nurse to help patients rehabilitate after surgery. These nurses come into a home and check that the patient is proceeding with their physical therapy, that they are eating, that their spirits are high, and that they are taking their medications and painkillers, and to answer any questions that the patient might have. This type of home nurse could be at a patients homes seven days a week or as seldom as once a week. This type of home nurse is typically employed by a hospital or medical facility. The facility pays the nurse and then bills the patient or the patients insurance company.

In some case doctors recommend that their patients recommend that a patient needs twenty-four hour, round the clock care. In these cases, a home nurse normally move into the patients home. The home nurse typically sleeps in the patients spare bedroom. They help arrange doctor's appointments, make sure the patient is following a strict diet, they see that the patient is taking all their medications, and make sure that the patient doesn't seem to becoming depressed over their condition.

It is not unusual for a home nurse who moves into a patients house and become a valued member of the family.

Where to Find a Home Nurse

2008-04-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Where to Find a Home Nurse

When a doctor tells an adult child that their elderly parent needs round the clock care the child's first though might be to place their parent in a nursing home. This isn't necessarily a bad idea. A majority of the nations nursing homes hire competent and caring employees, there is normally a nurse on duty, the patients receive their medications in a timely fashion, and nursing homes provide their patients with the opportunity to interact with other patients.

On the other hand there is the option of hiring a home nurse. Many home nurses care for their patients for a few hours a week or even on a daily basis. They come into the home at an appointed time and make sure that the patient is in good health, taking their medication, and following the doctors orders. However in cases where round the clock care is required, there are home nurses who will move into the patient's spare bedroom where they can keep a watchful eye on their patients at all times.

It is not unusual for the family to decide that a home nurse is the option they prefer to take, this is especially true when is doubtful that the patient has long to live. The next problem is finding a home nurse to move into the patient's home.

The first thing the family needs to know is that, when round the clock care is required, more then one home nurse will be needed. Most of the times a family has to hire multiple nurses that then arrange to work in shifts. By working on a rotation nurses are able to stay alert and watchful while they are with their patient. Working in shifts also allows the nurses an opportunity to have a private life where they can take a break from their medical duties.

Where can you find a batch of home nurses that are capable of tending to your elderly parent's medical needs?

One of the people who can make a few suggestions about where you can start looking for reliable home nurses is your parent's physician. The doctor should be able to make a few recommendations of nurses and nursing agencies that can match your parent up with a group of reliable and personable nurses that you can confidently welcome into your home.

If your parent's physician has predicted that it is doubtful that your parent will live past a certain point you can contact your state's hospice. They will be able to help you make arrangements for your parent's care and can help you find reliable home nurses.

Check and see if there are any nursing agencies in your immediate area. If you are unable to locate a nursing agency that specializes in home nurses in your local area, you might try contacting a nursing agency that specializes in travel nurses.

If, for whatever reason, the nurses that you hire do not work out, contact the agency immediately. Be friendly and polite when you explain your families reason's for requesting a replacement.

Who Makes a Good Travel Nurse

2008-04-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

Who Makes a Good Travel Nurse

On some levels working as a professional travel nurse looks like the ideal job. It provides nurses with an opportunity to live and work in different parts of the country. They can interact with new people. Travel nurses pull in an excellent salary. They make friends all over the country. They can move south in the winter, and north in the summer. If they feel like taking a few months off, they don't have to worry about explaining things to their bosses, they just give themselves a few months to improve their mental health before they accept a new assignment. Travel nurses claim that their jobs gives them an opportunity to re-establish their patient focused medicine. Nurses have excellent medical and dental benefits. Who wouldn't want to be a travel nurse?

The reality is that not every person who comes out of a nursing program is not suitable for a career as a travel nurse.

When you are considering a life as a travel nurse you have to ask yourself if you really like to travel. The life of a travel nurse is serious, hard core traveling. Travel nurses are constantly on the move, going from one state to another, taking assignment after assignment. All the moving around eventually takes a toll on the body and soul.

Bear in mind that travel nurses are working, this is not an extended family vacation, they aren't back packing across Europe. While they are on an assignment travel nurses are on a schedule. They are expected to report to work, on time, at the beginning of each one of their shifts. While they are working they are dealing with sick and injured people. They are expected to give one hundred and ten percent of themselves while they are working. Travel nurses go away to work, not to party.

Do you have an easy time making new friends. Travel nurses are constantly going to cities and towns where they are strangers. They don't know anyone in these places. In order for their experience to be positive they have to have a talent for turning complete strangers into close friends.

Nurses that have a significant other may have a hard time adjusting to life as a travel nurse. Unless the significant other is able to travel from one location to another it is difficult to stay together as a couple. One circumstance when travel nursing does work when a couple decides to work in tandem and are able to find nursing assignments in the same hospitals and medical facility's.

Before you sign with a nursing agency decide if you can tolerate moving away from your family, friends, and pets. Working as a travel nurse is going to require you to spend several months away from your home town.

Carefully consider all the requirement and responsibilities expected from a travel nurse before you sign with a nursing agency. Qualities that a good travel nurse should embrace are a zest for adventure, a strong work ethic, confidence in their medical knowledge, and a gregarious personality. If you are a nurse with at least one year of experience working in a hospital and feel that you would make and excellent travel nurse start placing your application at agencies.

What is a Travel Nurse

2008-04-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

What is a Travel Nurse

A travel nurse is a licensed nurse who typically works in a hospital for a few months at a time before moving onto a different hospital in a different part of the country.

Hospitals like to hire travel nurses and other traveling health professionals for a variety of reasons. Travel nurses can bring a variety of experience and knowledge that a hospital can benefit from. Lots of times, a travel nurse can act as a mentor for other nurses that have just completed their training and are not yet comfortable and/or confident with their new professional status. Medical facility's that have just opened will often hire the services of a travel nurse until they are up and running smoothly. The new, inexperienced staff will be able to benefit from the travel nurse's previous work experience. Most travel nurses enjoy the experience of traveling, meeting and working with new co-workers, and hope to gain a well rounded work experience that will serve them when they settle on working full time at a specific medical facility. Many travel nurses claim that the experience allows them to develop a better understanding of their chosen specialty. These same travel nurses also claim that their unique work experiences have helped reintroduce them to patient focused nursing.

Before they start working at a new hospital, a travel nurse has already established an agreement with the hospital. This agreement states what salary the nurse will be making while she is working for the hospital. Before traveling to the new hospital the nurse knows how much of their travel expenses will be paid for. They also know where they will be living while they are working at the medical facility.

Travel nurses generally enjoy a more lucrative salary then they would receive if they worked in a single location. The salary the travel nurse earns is generally based on the location they are working, typically a travel nurse will not earn as much working in a hospital in a rural community as they will earn working in a large inner city hospital. Some nurses prefer travel nursing to nursing in a single medical facility because they enjoy the opportunity to see the world and other cultures. Working in a constantly changing location challenges a travel nurses knowledge and talents. The skills that travel nurse develop on their journeys are skills that they will be able to utilized when they settle on a home base.

Travel nurses find employment through a travel nursing service. This service pairs nurses with medical facilities that are seeking a travel nurse. The travel nursing service typically has a long and happy relationship with hospitals, medical facilities, and medical professionals. The nursing service helps reach agreements between the medical facility's and the travel nurse. The travel nursing service will also be able to help the travel nurse make sure that they have the proper licensing to work in the state they are about to be going to.

Before a nurse can become a travel nurse there are a few professional criteria that they must complete first.

travel nurse blog map

2008-04-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

Whether you dream of soaking in the sun on a California beach, skiing in Colorado, or exploring the rustic beauty of New Mexico, travel nurse will make your travel nursing dreams a reality. Becoming a travel nurse could not be any easier....

Nurses are in high demand and that demand has created an excellent opportunity for those in the health care field. It's not only a chance for better wages than ever before; it's also an opportunity to choose your benefits. That means that you'll look more closely at the individual companies and what they can offer.

So what benefits can you expect as a nurse? Take a look at some options you'll find from the various nursing agencies and health care facilities.

View A Day in the Life of a Traveling Nurse

View Choosing the Right Agency: Travel Nurses

View Destination Anywhere! The Traveling Nurse

View Housing the Travel Nurse

View How do Travel Nurses Find New Work Assignments

View How to Become a Good Travel Nurse

View How to Become a Traveling Nurse

View How to Get Along With a Home Nurse

View Is a Traveling Nurse Job Right for You

View Picking a Specialty Before your pursue a Career as.a travel nurse

View Selecting a Reliable Travel Nursing Agency

View The Benefits to being a Traveling Nurse

View The Disadvantages of Being a Traveling Nurse

View The Perks of Travel Nursing

View The Travel Nurse and the Pet

View Travel Nursing-Working in Different States

View Travel Nursing With a Friend

View Traveling Nurses: The pay and the benefits

View Turning a Temporary Travel Nurse Position Into a Permanent Job

View What is a Traveling Nurse?

View What's Better for an Elderly Parent-A Nursing Home or Homes Nurse

View Where to Find a Home Nurse

View Who Makes a Good Travel Nurse

View What is a Travel Nurse