The healthcare landscape is changing, in part because of Accountable Care Organizations (ACO), patient-centered medical homes and other initiatives coming from the Affordable Health Care Act; these new jobs are about community-based nursing, and take advantage of skills R.N.s already have, giving them plenty of room to expound on that expertise. In ACO, registered nurses assume responsibility for a patient population and its advocacy; in this emerging role, RN’s educate and engage the patient to a point where some view it as a perfect storm of medical science and the psychology of nursing—a smart move in the wake of healthcare reform creating the need for more care at a higher quality, and lower cost. Nursing jobs that make up a successful ACO are primarily case management jobs, growing by leaps and bounds as technological advances improve patients’ experiences and clinical outcomes. Travel nurses are using a blend of clinical expertise, financial and resource management skills, to earn top paying nursing jobs across the country. These R.N.s are skilled in data analytics, in addition to ensuring patients take prescribed medications, follow through with appointments and follow treatment guidelines. This results in fewer readmissions to the [+]

2013 Theme: Delivering Quality and Innovation in Patient Care As a registered nurse among some 3.1 million R.N.s in America, you can always count on National Nurses Week as a time that brings pleasant surprises to the workplace—like a guest speaker who is a big advocate for nurses, commemorative luncheon or party, or other appreciative gesture made by your hospital employer. While it’s a time for some well-deserved celebration, countess registered nurses look forward to this week in May for its outreach potential as well. Whether it’s nominating a colleague for a special award this week, or winning honor and recognition personally, National Nurses Week is something to look forward to, as hospitals across the United States focus not just on thanking hard working R.N.s in staffing jobs and travel nursing jobs, but on patient advocacy and innovation in times of healthcare reform and a nursing shortage. Besides wearing an official "RN Pin" this week, these are some other things nurses can do to celebrate the profession in ways highlighted by the American Nursing Association. Be an innovator: Innovative thinking helps patients find solutions to their most troublesome problems; innovation can also reduce fall rates [+]

Registered nurses make up the largest segment of the healthcare workforce, which is why shortage predictions from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)* point to a potential crisis. The BLS is projecting a huge deficit in qualified R.N.s to fill nursing jobs between now and 2025. The reasons for this are attributed, not just to the surge in Baby Boomers seeking medical care, but in the imminent retirement of the nurses treating them.

Over the next 20 years, the average age of the R.N. will increase and the size of the nursing workforce plateau, as many nurses retire. The hope for filling these vacant positions is that nurses coming into them have strong clinical backgrounds, in graduate and baccalaureate programs in accredited nursing schools. As it stands now, many American colleges are struggling to expand enrollment in nursing programs, and are getting help in collaborative efforts made by company partnerships, grants, and legislative initiatives focused on hiring more qualified nursing staff—enough to meet the needs of the current population. 30 million plus Americans have been added to insurance roles as healthcare reform takes effect. BLS’ Employment Projections (2010-2020) released in February [+]

How Brain Mapping Research Could Improve Patient Outcomes & Lead to More Jobs Healthcare professionals who work with patients following a traumatic brain injury or stroke will be excited to learn all they can about the BRAIN initiative, a 10-year-project that President Obama unveiled this April. Congress is deciding, sequester or no, whether to grant $100 million for this groundbreaking research initiative; it would begin in 2014, with the goal of creating new healthcare jobs and better treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autism and wide spectrum of brain disorders. The news from Capitol Hill comes on the heels of Mr. Obama’s February State of the Union speech, in which “Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies� (BRAIN) is expected to help neuroscientists understand how we think, how we remember, and how we learn. BRAIN is a collaboration between the National Institutes of Health, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation, as well as private partnership with organizations like the Allen Institute for Brain Science—with backing like this, BRAIN is sure to take the healthcare industry by storm, just as mapping the human genome did last year. Obama’s BRAIN mapping project differs [+]

In the summer of 2001, it was a pleasure to meet Michael, an OR nurse. Back then, he was looking for a seamless way to go from New York back to his southern roots. This is his story of working on and off with American Traveler over the course of many years.

American Traveler: We really appreciate you sitting down with us—especially since you just started your new travel nurse job in Virginia. It’s great to have you back! Mike: Thanks, I remembered how wonderful the American Traveler team was, and knew that working with you again was a no-brainer, given that I needed to relocate. American Traveler:  Can you tell us if your recruiter, Elizabeth Russell has helped you with this goal, and why you had to move from Indiana to Virginia? Mike: Elizabeth has been just great! My wife, Amy, whom I met during my first travel nurse assignment, accepted an R.N. job in Virginia, and Elizabeth understood my urgency in following her out there. American Traveler: Working in Virginia is going to be a big change! Take us back 10 years to when you began working in Ft. [+]

Staffing consultants and job boards are lighting up now with more opportunities than lighting bugs in a mason jar! The days are lasting longer and travel nurses are fitting more outdoor activities in their time after work. They’re motivated to find ideal nursing and therapy jobs—ones that will carry them into the summer. That’s why it’s important to post your job openings now, with a trusted name in healthcare staffing. Our recruiters work closely with each candidate, bringing talent and clinical expertise to your hospitals, outpatient centers and skilled nursing facilities. Says Debbie Bacurin, RN, Clinical Account Manager at American Traveler, “We are seeing a lot of early postings from Maine to Georgia—in Wisconsin and Michigan, too. Our nurses and therapists know that the best hospitals are posting their job openings right now. If you’re a healthcare facility looking for the best talent out there, post your openings now to find top candidates seeking spring and summer assignments.� That being said, healthcare employers should know R.N.s and therapists have, when it comes to job searches, an understanding that: Hospitals post positions today for late spring and summer. Job candidates are now getting their state licensures ready for summer [+]

Healthcare Initiatives and Talking Points in the Face of Cuts Since its creation in 1965, Medicare has long been one of the most beloved federal programs in the U.S. Now that program benefits are on the table for deep cuts, healthcare professionals and the patients they care for are optimistic that the Obama Administration and Congress can achieve small cuts to Medicare—just 2% across the board. Current healthcare reform proposes $500 billion in Medicare savings by exempting older patients from cuts, and relying on the lobbying and advertising clout of healthcare employers.  Endeavors such as these have led to Medicare Advantage plans that offer, in some states, programs like “Silver Sneakers� that encourage seniors to use the YMCA gym, free of cost. Other Medicare Friendly Advice to Pass on to Patients For registered nurses specializing in geriatrics, or for those who work in skilled nursing facilities, the state of Medicare seems fragile; with 81 million seniors expected to enroll by 2030, healthcare initiatives are becoming more popular. According to the CDC, heart disease and stroke, costs the United States $312.6 billion each year in health care services, medications and lost productivity. In the lifestyles of those who [+]

 "Running into seasonal Maui residents like Steve Tyler is just another day in the life of this travel nurse!"

When nurses consider joining forces with a healthcare staffing agency that could land them in any one of the fifty U.S. states, visions of Hawaii might not be the first thing that occurs to them; yet it is a vision that became OR nurse, Kim J.’s reality when she began her travel nurse job in Maui in the Fall of 2012. American Traveler got in touch with Kim, so she could share her story about living and loving life in one of the world’s most enchanting places. AT: Hi Kim! Thanks for agreeing to do this interview. Kristin Zandee, your travel nurse consultant said that when asked if you’d be open to chatting with us you said, "Why not? I am only sitting on the beach listening to the waves lap on the shore today." Do you have lots of days like that? Kim: Yes, this Hawaii travel nursing jobs has been wonderful enough that I just started my second assignment here in Maui. I work [+]

Social media today emboldens staffing agencies to use Facebook, Twitter and other SM mediums to communicate with, reach out and recruit healthcare candidates for open positions. Strategies include creating new and interesting healthcare content for social media platforms, sharing pictures and stories of nursing and therapy jobs candidates,  promoting hard-to-fill positions, and other calls to action that connect with candidates directly. Healthcare clients rely on staffing partners to engage with candidates via cyberspace since only 16% of hospitals, in the United States, are reported to be active in social media. This is a trend hospitals can easily improve by partnering with American Traveler, a healthcare staffing agency that is highly successful matching candidates with hard to fill jobs through our active social media presence and engagement with our Facebook fans and Twitter followers. At American Traveler, clients top best hospitals lists in U.S. News & World Report. We staff these facilities with cutting edge nursing and allied healthcare talent; the continuous and on-point social media that goes along with that is simply a byproduct of our staffing services. With a purported 51% percent of consumers claiming that a hospital’s social media presence [+]

February is a high profile month for registered nurses in the CVICU and other healthcare professionals who treat heart patients. The coming of Valentine’s Day, with its metaphors to the human heart, ties in nicely with the American Heart Association and CDC’s efforts to reduce the occurrence of heart disease. Right now, the idea of indulging ourselves at our favorite restaurants and chocolatiers almost feels like a mandate. But it doesn't have to be. 5 Heart Healthy Ways to Celebrate!   Here are the handful of tips you'll need for thinking outside the (heart shaped!) box this February 14th. Skip the restaurant and pack a healthy picnic. Valentine’s Day has long been associated with the image of a couple sitting in a candlelit restaurant, ordering items like steak and Baked Alaska from the menu. Who needs long wait times and so many fat grams? Opt instead to pack a healthy picnic lunch, and enjoy it bundled up and overlooking the sunset. It’s easy to find low fat, heart healthy recipes that can be toted to favorite travel nurse destinations. Reinvent a Classic Dish ... by making it heart healthy. Culinary school is not necessary to reach [+]