To limit liabilities associated with under-qualified nurses, American Traveler takes diligent steps to ensure all RN traveling nurses placed by the agency meet or exceed the level of competence expected by clients.  Clinical testing and evaluations, reference verifications and performance tracking are just a few ways the nurse staffing company achieves client satisfaction contract after nurse contract. "Our Joint Commission Surveyor confirmed that our registered nurse staffing processes ensure competence," said Clinical Account Manager Deborah Bacurin, RN. "Moreover, our nurses continue to earn kudos among client facilities for promptness, professionalism and job knowledge." Medication errors by nurses - or incidents where bedside care suffered because an RN didn’t follow hospital protocol - rock the healthcare staffing world. They remind hospital administrators and nurse staffing agencies alike of the important role nurse competency testing plays in patient safety. It’s in this light that American Traveler goes to great lengths to provide competent nurses with proven track records of quality patient care. “I’m proud to say our larger healthcare providers have been with us for years because we continue to provide them with highly competent nurses who watch out for the best interest of their patients. In our [+]

As a skilled healthcare professional, you may think that your credentials and record can speak for themselves in landing travel nursing jobs. And, until recently, they did. However, more and more hospitals have embraced the idea of adopting competency assessment models for their medical personnel;  and thus, they are requiring travel nurses to pass certain nursing tests after being hired. These tests, administered on-site, can often be quite grueling-- requiring comprehensive proof of a range of skills, from medication dosages to care of patients depending on their medical diagnosis. Facilities are getting stricter about the rules, too: Nurses must pass these nursing tests by a certain percentage (which can vary by hospital) on their first try -- or they lose the RN job. One test that travelers are likely to encounter is the Performance Based Development System, or the PBDS test – which is being used in more than 500 hospitals to assess new RN hires, both permanent and traveling. The multi-part PBDS test evaluates three areas of skills: interpersonal (customer relations, conflict resolution, team building, etc.);  critical thinking (med-surg, critical care, neonatal ICU, and OB); and technical (creating and following a care plan for [+]