The last Monday in May is Memorial Day in America, capping a patriotic holiday weekend to be enjoyed by one and all. Travel nurses can find local events from coast to coast; here are just a few holiday highlights close to American Traveler staff in Florida, California and Washington D.C. nursing jobs. Memorial Day Planning Guide For D.C. Travel Nurses What better way for travel nurses to honor courageous military than spending the long weekend exploring our Nation’s capitol? The 2011 Memorial Day event schedule for D.C. includes a Sunday (May 29th) free concert on the west lawn of the U.S. capitol. On this day, the National Symphony Orchestra will perform, as well as top-billed celebrities. Click on the Memorial Day event link to learn more about this event, as well as wreath laying ceremonies at D.C.’s best known Memorials, a GI Film Festival, marching bands, Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Rally and more! Memorial Day Events For Our Florida Travel Nurses Are you a Florida travel nurse with a taste for crab? Then take a trip to Palatka, close to the well-known destinations like St, Augustine and Jacksonville for the Blue Crab Festival, held each year [+]

Is it possible that forming close bonds with new people on the job, leading an active social life and keeping in touch with friends and family on Facebook can help you live longer? According to a 2010 review of nearly 150 independent studies on social ties the answer is a resounding “Yes.” Not only do close friends result in greater physical and mental health, say experts at Johns Hopkins University, supportive relationships help stave off memory loss, reduce stress and boost immunity – all factors associated with aging. In fact, people with strong social ties had a 50 percent better chance of survival regardless of age, sex, and health than those with weaker ties, one study found. Meeting new people and making friends is high up on the list of why RNs choose a travel nurse career. Countless have reported falling in love while on assignment and others traveling with soul mates and spouses say the experience is more enriching when someone comes along for the ride. In terms of physical health, nurses often embark on travel nurse careers to get away from stressful permanent positions that result in burnout, less quality time with [+]

National Nurses Week, beginning May 6th and celebrated through May 12th on Florence Nightingale’s birthday, is a long celebrated tradition, wherein all of us—from healthcare professionals to patients and their families—take the time to stop and show our hard working R.N.s our due appreciation. Throughout that week, nurses of every stripe are honored, from those still in training and recognized on May 8, National Student Nurses Day, to travel nurses and their R.N. colleagues who take the spotlight on International Nurses Day, May 12th. For generations, The American Nurses Association (ANA) has supported and encouraged recognition programs for Nurses Week that embody Florence Nightingale’s pledge; in honor of the travel nurses on staff at American Traveler, we would like to expound on Florence’s words and commend our R.N.s for practicing their profession so faithfully and elevating its standards. Whether they work in hospitals, clinics or rehab facilities, R.N.s in our travel nurse jobs are devoted to the welfare of patients who rely on them nationwide. Let's Get Visible: Ideas for Celebrating National Nurses Week Thanks to ANA and word of mouth, registered nurses, colleagues, friends and patients know just how to celebrate National [+]

In some ways, Mother's Day and the nursing profession make a great team. Many specialties (L&D nurse, NICU, Mother/Baby, Peds nurse) focus on mothers and children, so working with moms is a big part of the job. But let's not forget that many RN's  -- in addition to having their own kids --  may also have mothers who were very influential in their choice of a nursing career. Deb in Nursing School Deborah Bacurin, Clinical Coordinator and Corporate Resource Manager at American Traveler -- and also a RN who worked in the ER for many years -- shares how her mother helped shape her career and life: "I hadn't always planned to be a nurse. When I graduated from high school, my mom was just graduating from nursing school. At 18, the last thing I wanted was to be “just like my mother.” Guess some of the medical profession did rub off on me though;  I got a job as a secretary in a local emergency room.  One day I saw one of the doctors come out and tell family members that their loved one had died.  I decided I could do better than [+]