The recession has created a tough environment for Americans and the businesses, institutions and non-profits that make our world go round. The healthcare industry is no exception, yet nursing case management jobs help hospitals financially, as well as promote patient advocacy and customer satisfaction that lead to saving billions of dollars, in what might have been missed billing charges or unnecessary treatments. 'Anything’ and ‘everything’ are meaningful words for Case Mangers in travel nurse jobs; though, they are expected to wear many hats, most CMs welcome the challenge of residing at the nerve center of today’s health care delivery system. Nursing Case Management jobs exist not just in hospitals, but in rehabilitation centers, home health agencies, or any medical facility in which the managerial talents and strong personal ethics of RNs and/or social workers are required. RNs in case management jobs  are frequently assistants in placing patients in extended care, hospice and other specific treatment programs. Travel nurse jobs that attract talented case mangers expect these professionals to rise to the occasion—of thoroughly reviewing all medical documentation and testing, lucky enough to cross their path. When the i’s are all dotted and the t’s crossed, [+]

Read about technical vs. professional nurse training and why it matters Its been said there’s more than one way to skin a cat. The same might be true of seeking licensure as a registered nurse; those on track to a permanent or travel nursing career can achieve success in several different ways—the interesting part of that statement being, no matter your chosen path to licensure, the examination at the end of your nurse training is exactly the same. The options for students interested in nursing jobs break down into these avenues: you can get a four-year nursing degree, or bachelor of science (in nursing) and be deemed a “professional nurse�; you can get an associate's degree, which takes two to three years—or you can go to a diploma school for about three years. It so happens that community colleges produce more than half of the country's new nurses; not surprising considering it’s the fastest and least expensive way to become an RN; should you go this route, you are deemed a “technical nurse� and may not get the same preferential treatment in hiring as professional and graduate nurses. The encouraging news for those new to [+]

OR Nurse Jobs get more cutting-edge with the da Vinci® Surgical System Surgery used to present two options for doctors and their patients: a large open incision or laparoscopy; in the case of the later, surgery was limited to a handful of simple procedures, but now there’s an alternative that can be used in a wide variety of complex surgeries—and the fun part? It looks a little like a video game in an arcade. What are we talking about? The da Vinci® Surgical System, a hot topic in the medical community, and one that encourages Med/surg nurses to advance their education on medical robotics; just like their colleagues in OR nursing jobs, are encouraged to learn everything they can to better assist post-op patients. If you fall under the OR nurse jobs or Med/Surg category, consider the da Vinci a buzz-word in your continuing education as a nursing caregiver. Chances are you’ll concur with studies on the positive clinical outcomes (like reduced pain) of this high tech surgery and understand why more and more hospitals are welcoming da Vinci in. Created by the Intuitive Surgical company and named after Leonardo da Vinci for its precision in anatomy and 3-D images reminiscent of his drawings, [+]

Right now the term “avatar� conjures up an image of James Cameron’s major motion picture. We’re asking you to shift gears and picture an avatar of another type—an ER nurse in crisp blue hospital scrubs, beating a path to triage where inclement weather and flu outbreak are creating a real pressure cooker—one that demands quick, prudent decision making on the part of ER nurses and doctors alike. For healthcare professionals working in ER nursing jobs this could be an ordinary day—or it could be a virtual training session that takes place on a computer. With a new millennium now well underway, hospitals are taking advantage of high tech software called “Second Life�, an online community computer program where participants create their own avatars and manipulate them using headsets, the keyboard and computer mouse. Training sessions mean you work inside virtual clinics and participate in their training drills. The possibilities are endless and the cost, surprisingly low. In fact, the software garnered the interest of Stanford and the University of Michigan, where medical training and education in the virtual world drove two very well-attended workshops. Why is the medical community so excited? Because costs in training hospital staff used to cost tens of [+]

Physical therapists probably already realize they've chosen a health-care profession that happens to be highly in demand. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment for PTs is "expected to grow by 30 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations." With that in mind, the folks at AfterCollege.com have put together a list of the Top 25 Metro Areas for Physical Therapists.  It contains great info about each area, from employment rates to expected salaries to average rents. Though the article is aimed at new grads trying to identify where to go for their first job, it’s highly useful for everyone looking for the best physical therapy jobs! These 25 metro areas are some of the most desirable locales in the country. And, guess what: American Traveler has PT jobs ready and waiting in several of these markets!  Check them out on our physical therapy jobs page; or, better yet, subscribe to our  Physical Therapist Jobs RSS feed and be updated regularly on all the hottest new therapist job offerings. Here are some destinations for physical therapists to consider: The great state of Texas Dallas/Fort Worth (No. 1 on the list): Typical salary for physical therapy jobs [+]

Nursing students who are tired of hauling around heavy -- and expensive --  medical textbooks will be glad to learn that electronic textbooks are taking a big step closer to reality. Software developer ScrollMotion has signed a deal with major textbook publishers, including McGraw-Hill, Random House, Wiley and Kaplan, to adapt their books for the soon-to-be-released Apple iPad. But don’t get too excited just yet. The e-textbook has a ways to go before it becomes widely available to students in nursing programs and elsewhere. Of course, publishers love the idea of creating electronic versions of their medical textbooks -- because of the savings in printing, production and storage costs, as well as the ability to update the books virtually.  And e-books have features that are particularly useful for the student, such as instant access to specific references; and brighter, more realistic graphics. Yet, electronic health textbooks have been slower coming to market than other educational materials such as medical journals, manuals and study guides. This is in part due to e-books’ limited technical capabilities and interactivity, which has held down demand among nursing students and others.  That is about to change. As McGraw-Hill executive Rik [+]

American Traveler continues its dedication to making its web site the most comprehensive and user-friendly resource possible for clients in the health care industry. New features were added to the Hot Jobs page including hourly updates on the latest health care jobs  and a Healthcare Jobs RSS feed for instant access to all the best nursing jobs and physical therapy jobs. American Traveler also reached out into the social media networks with an active presence and interaction in  Facebook and Twitter communities, which are both growing daily with new healthcare job seekers fans and followers. More details about these enhanced features are available in the latest American Traveler press release.  Read entire American Traveler Healthcare Job Search Press Release.

There’s a lot of talk about the growing shortage of doctors and registered nurses, which is likely to be exacerbated by any health-care-reform package that adds millions of patients to insurance rolls. According to a recent story in the New York Times, “the American Academy of Family Physicians projects a shortfall of 40,000 physician generalists -- family practitioners, pediatricians, general internists and geriatricians -- by 2020, even without significant changes to the current health care system.� This shortfall, experts predict, will increase the importance of the nurse practitioner -- because nurse practitioners will be needed to do even more of the tasks now performed by physicians. The nurse practitioner is a registered nurse who has received specialized education (usually, a master’s degree) in a selected field.  These positions offer the chance for work in health education, counseling and customized care.  Nurse practitioners’ duties vary by state depending on regulation; but generally, they include diagnosing and treating illnesses, ordering tests, prescribing drugs and making referrals to specialists. Nurse practitioners typically work in primary care, whereas physician assistants generally work for specialists.  But either way, these specialized areas of the nursing profession are going to be [+]

Nurses, take note: There’s a hot new product coming to many U.S. hospitals, and it’s going to make your job as a traveling nurse easier – because it makes the patients happier! The product is Arizant Inc.’s Bair Paws, a layered-paper hospital gown that keeps the wearer warm by using a forced-air system to regulate the body temperature in the chilly operating rooms and other areas of the hospital. These single-use gowns are easily self-regulated for temperature, and they also detach quickly from the hose that goes to the air pump – giving the patient more independence, and the registered nurses more freedom!  Bair Paws were also designed with lots of Velcro and ways of being opened, so that they can be adjusted in a variety of ways by doctors and RNs performing operations and other procedures. The gown has other advantages, according to Arizant Web site: “This budget-friendly gown can also help avoid the significant costs associated with the complications of unintended hypothermia, which has been shown to triple the rate of wound infection (SSIs), extend the length of hospital stay and increase mortality rates.� About 1,700 facilities are using Bair Paws, with more [+]

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 [+]