This weekend while we honor the soldiers who serve our country so bravely, we also honor the military nurses who have made such an amazing contribution to our nation. This year marks the 111th Anniversary of the Army Nurse Corps, the organization charged with training and deploying nurses to warzones. It was established in 1901 in response to the need for an organized military nurse structure. The Army Nurse Corps was created to effectively treat wounded soldiers during wartime. Just prior to the Corps' inception, a deficit of nurses during the Spanish American War (1898-1902) proved that without a reserve force of caregivers, American troops would suffer dire consequences. For over a century, these brave men and women have worked tirelessly to save lives during every American war and conflict. They continue to serve on the front lines today and rely on cutting edge technologies to treat and care for soldiers and civilians in hotspots around the world. Earlier in the year, the Army Medical Museum was the backdrop for a Nurse Corps Anniversary celebration. Corps Officer, Col. Bruce Schoneboom, spoke to the transformation Corp's RN's have been undergoing in recent years in [+]

U.S. News & World Report's It’s an exciting time for registered nurses—and U.S. News & World Report may be the first to agree. On the heels of America’ best hospitals list, the magazine released more good news for R.N.s destined for high paying nursing jobs: the Top 10 best careers for 2012. This year, nurses carved out the #1 spot, with software development jobs coming in a close second. American Traveler is proud to offer both nursing and allied jobs—which is why we were happy to see the list mention occupational therapists, sliding in at #10, and physical therapists who earned the #8 spot. The magazine’s list has posited an amazing job outlook for R,N.s, reporting that as many as 712,000 nursing jobs will need to be filled between now and the year 2020! Nurse staffing agencies are well poised to offer registered nurses—particularly those with a penchant for site seeing—travel nurse jobs in all 50 U.S. states. Following opportunities along the travel nursing career path is a first class ticket to see some of the most coveted attractions America has to offer, and earn an annual salary upwards of $100K while you do it! For Registered Nurses Who Need More Reasons to [+]

Where R.N.s are concerned, Mother’s Day is a bit of a double entendre; it’s a great time to appreciate nurses, for example the ones delivering and caring for mothers and babies in L&D and NICU jobs—and it’s also a perfect opportunity to wish ALL registered nurses, many whom are mothers themselves, a happy Mother’s Day. And still yet, it's a day to think about, and celebrate Mom, whether you are one or not. Mother’s Day is a gentle reminder to take time from your busy nursing career, pick up the phone and call Mom—as well as taking time to enjoy a little pampering if you’re on the receiving end this holiday. Sharing maternal stories from both the nurse and patient perspective adds an extra smile to this lovely day in May. The repertoire includes both heartwarming and enterprising tales, ranging from current hot jobs in pediatric nursing, to R.N.s who decorated the NICU in time for Mother’s Day, to trail blazers from our nursing career path who credit Mom for the inspiration to become a nurse. Whether you work in travel nurse, permanent or therapy jobs, these stories appeal to everyone on Mother’s Day; see the footnote to read [+]

Find Your Inspiration to Advocate, Lead and Care! Registered nurses have always embodied the theme for this year’s National Nurses Week: "Advocating, Leading, Caring". When R.N.s visit the American Nurses Association (ANA) this Spring, they can’t help concur with its President, Karen Daley that ANA is their quintessential advocate; video galleries, pledges and other resources on the site show that celebrating a nurse’s calling is about so much more than remembering to wear a pin this week. Capture the spirit during May 6-12 and take it with you the rest of the year! It’s empowering to reflect on the amazing history of your vocation. Before the nursing career path became what it is today—the #1 career advertised on U.S. News & World Report’s List of Best Careers in 2012—nurses worked in relative obscurity. It’s hard to believe fewer than 20 R.N.s attended the first ANA convention in 1896—even more surprising that back then, they weren’t technically R.N.s. There were no laws licensing nurses at that time. This International Nurses Week, thank ANA for helping R.N.s become the backbone of American healthcare! Look at how far this profession has come, employing more than 3 million [+]

Speech language pathologists restore the human connection for patients with hearing loss, communication disorders and aphasia, a condition that affects nearly a million Americans who suffered a stroke, many of them elderly; an increase in the senior population is creating a surge in speech language pathology jobs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is predicting a 23% hike between now and 2020—something to keep in mind as Better Speech and Hearing Month (BSHM) gets underway. Speech, language and hearing impairments—an important specialization for speech pathologists—are hardly reserved for Baby Boomers. Almost 30 million Americans experience some degree of hearing loss, and approximately 1/3 of them are adolescents. Noise-induced hearing loss is a contributing factor, which is why promoting awareness in May, and throughout the calendar year, is so important. Conscientious SLPs can get a leg up on this and other prescient topics by visiting the American-Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). In the meantime, here are some points worth sharing during BSHM. BSHM May Prompt These Questions from a Speech Language Pathologist Does a patient think a hearing aid is in order? If he or she can identify with these symptoms the answer may be yes. Pain or ringing in the ears Keeping the volume on audio [+]