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 [+]

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 [+]

From now until November 7, it’s Medical Surgical Nurses Week. This is a great time to take a friend in med surge jobs out to lunch, or simply let them know how vital med surge nursing careers are in the world of public health. American Traveler can help registered nurses make rapid advancement on the nursing career path, by staying abreast of healthcare trends impacting med surg nurses; for instance, did you know that most med surge jobs now require Advanced Cardiac Life Support training, ACLS Certification? Medical Surgical Sub Specialties Touch So Many Lives Did you know that nearly every adult making his or her way through the hospital system is eventually cared for by a med/surge nurse? Because med surge nurses are knowledgeable in so many issues of adult health, their presence on the timeline of a patient’s illness is priceless; they heal the sickness and make that timeline longer. Gynecology: Breast Cancer Awareness and Ovarian Cancer Month wouldn’t have the same fund raising successes or gains without the med surge nurses who help explain and advocate new treatments. Medical: This specialty lets the med-surge nurse be the diverse professional that training has prepared her for, [+]

Can you hear that? It must be the footsteps of a fast approaching Halloween. While some limit their celebration of this fun holiday to decorations and candy, there are others with a keen interest in touring well-known haunted spots. If you’re an R.N. who loves a good fright, then this post is for you—as so many “on the map� places for hauntings and ghost sightings just happen to be hospitals. There’s a high concentration of paranormal activity in The Buck Eye State, putting Ohio nursing jobs close to the scariest places on earth; there are also haunted hospitals worth a closer look near nurse jobs in Georgia and NY travel nursing jobs. This ghost hunter’s preferred list of haunted hospitals is ordered from supremely spooky to just plain scary. Should you decide to tour one, call the facility first to ensure tours are still happening; consider making arrangements, if possible, to stay overnight in charming hotel lodgings these cities are known for. Patients at Highland View Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio get the willies when window shades move of their own accord and doors lock shut without help. Far north of the [+]

What do national public service organizations, healthcare associations, and government agencies have in common this month? They are all working together to increase awareness, raise revenue and eventually find a cure for Breast Cancer—and who could be more interested in making strides this October than the registered nurses who treat, counsel and, in many cases, know breast cancer survivors? If you have a story to share, wish to donate, or want to walk in a local event, please visit nbcam.org for the resources you’ll need to get started. With the numbers behind diagnoses of breast cancer, it’s no wonder foundations like Susan G. Komen and the American Cancer Association have been working tirelessly since the 1980s. More women die of breast cancer each year, than they do from AIDS, TB and malaria combined. Thankfully, “making strides� is more than words, creating a sweeping effort in fundraising and research that has led to a 98% survival rate for women who receive cancer treatment before the disease spreads beyond the breast. American Traveler Thinks Pink, Encouraged R.N.s to Do the Same Breast Cancer Awareness isn’t limited to the United States anymore; it means working together for a cure around [+]

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 [+]

Details on the American Traveler Spring Appreciation Party Wednesday, March 14th was no ordinary hump day for American Traveler. It just happened to be the date of our annual appreciation party for R.N.s and corporate staff. Travel nurses enjoy a Florida spring appreciation party, and it was our pleasure to see the return of wonderful stories about the travel nurse lifestyle and other rewards found along the nursing career path. Our guests came together in Boynton Beach, where good food and camaraderie passed the night. We hope you’ll enjoy a few of the photographs saved from this event, where door prizes and goody bags were on the menu too. From left to right, on first picture travel RN (left) & Joyce Streem (right), Senior Consultant; second picture Brandy Kapke (left), Assignment Advisor with Antoinette McCrary, R.N. (right); third picture  Dorothy Maloney, R.N. (left) and Amy Roll, (right) Consultant.

Vice President of Recruitment, Mary Kay Hull who also enjoyed the party, remarked that the guests she spoke with are truly amazing people. Case in point, Antoinette McCrary, R.N.—as young looking as she [+]

Get romantic travel nurse ideas and other "hearty" facts here RN's in the nation’s best travel nurse jobs are setting a great example for colleagues and patients by showing their hearts are in the right place. On February 4th many of them will observe "Wear Red Day" to help raise awareness on stroke and heart attack prevention. But every good travel nurse knows this isn't enough. Throughout the calendar year, it's important to raise cardiac health awareness and practice what we preach by living an active, smoke-free lifestyle and eating right. A Travel Nurse Career Makes Your Heart Fuller! Valentine's Day has amazing potential for RN's and therapists in featured travel nurse jobs from coast to coast. Leave your heart in San Francisco in high-paying California nursing jobs, or get cozy for the rest of the winter in New England nursing jobs. Don’t like the cold? Catch a romantic sunset in Florida nursing jobs—no matter where you go on the nursing career path, when it’s with American Traveler you decide the length of your assignment and work closely with our recruiters to find ideal free private housing in the city of your dreams. If you need inspiration, click on these related Valentine's Day stories:[+]

Remember the laughter, the joy, the hard work, and the tears.

And, as you reflect on the past year, also think of the new one to come.

Because most importantly, this is a time of new beginnings and the celebration of life.

Happy New Year to all of our travel nurses, travel therapists, friends and family!

[+]