The Pathway to Excellence program is a sure fire way to boost morale and professionalism among nurses in small to mid-sized facilities. Hospitals achieving this recognition and rank are a great place for travel nurses to launch their careers. Many Texas nursing jobs are in facilities awarded the Pathway to Excellence Designation; the honor lasts three years—but the thing it represents—nurse satisfaction—is infinite when you find that position that meets all of your needs. The 12 standards used by Pathway to Excellence Does this sound like your hospital? A nationwide panel of your nursing peers seeks to get answers to the following: Do nurses control the practice of nursing? Is the work environment safe and healthy? Does the hospital orientation adequately prepare new nurses? Is the CNO qualified to participate in all levels of nursing? Are the professional development opportunities for nurses fully utilized? Are nursing salaries competitive? Does the hospital recognize nursing achievements? Are nurses encouraged to live a balanced life? Are collaborative relationships among nurses and other healthcare staff encouraged? Are Nurse managers competent and held accountable Are evidence-based practices and quality programs utilized? Get on the Pathway to Excellence by joining American Traveler Registered nurses who work in hospitals that are, or soon will be, [+]

Travel Nurses Connect with the Resources You Need, Here! Since the success of registered nurses' continuing education hinges on razor sharp critical thinking, it’s important to sharpen the blades from time to time by keeping up with your continuing education credits; free and unlimited at American Traveler, CEU courses are designed for busy schedules and easy to accumulate during any nursing assignment. You can print your completion certificate at home! Continuing Education is an important part of travel nursing job benefits; beyond the free health and life insurance, cost-free private housing and help meeting travel associated costs, registered nurses with CE Direct Membership are eligible to receive one complimentary credit when they view a webinar and fill out an evaluation report. If you’re a healthcare professional interested in building critical thinking skills that—for recent hires in great registered nurse jobs —boost PBDS nursing test scores, a visit to eventbrite.com lets you view and register for upcoming webinars. What is the PBDS Nursing Test? The PBDS nursing test is the Performance Based Development System. Learn what nurses can expect from this test, now implemented in over 500 US hospitals nationwide. Read more about the PBDS test  and download the PBDS [+]

The HCAHPS* survey is valuable to healthcare employers and nurse staff alike in that survey results allow hospitals to compare patient experiences geographically with a hospital’s own data and to engage improvement in eight key performance areas: Communication with doctors Communication with nurse staff Responsiveness of hospital staff Pain management Communication about medicines Discharge information Cleanliness of hospital Quietness of hospital environment Patients ranked communication with nurse staff highest in hospitals in Louisiana, South Dakota, North Carolina, Vermont and Mississippi and lowest in hospitals in California, Nevada, Washington D.C. and Hawaii, based on the HCAHPS survey national average. The complete results of the 2009 HCAHPS patient satisfaction survey can be found online at the official HCAHPS website. While communication with nurses and doctors - along with responsiveness of hospital staff and hospital cleanliness - fared well overall in the patient satisfaction survey, patient opinions were markedly lower in areas of communications about medicines, discharge and hospital quietness. The HCAHPS survey, formally endorsed by the National Quality Forum in 2005, embraces three main objectives. First, to identify what consumers feel is most important or lacking in the patient care experience; second, to inspire healthcare employers and nurse staff to continually improve quality of care and [+]

Last October, close to 700,000 walkers across the country collected $60 million to help the American Cancer Society make strides in research, prevention and medical advances for those living with breast cancer. With support like this and in future events to come, it’s highly probable that some day, we'll find a cure. It's exciting to think about what Breast Cancer Awareness Month in this 2010 will bring in terms of support, donations, early detection and resources for survivors and their families—this Fall, travel nurses have a chance to play their part! If you're new to a travel nurse job and still unfamiliar with the area, just plug your current zip code into "Making Strides Event Near You". You'll find out the where and when on the nearest cancer walk, happening nationwide this October; you can sponsor a walker, an entire team—or make the 3 to 5 mile journey alongside like-minded peers, colleagues and friends. Getting the word out is as simple as sending a free E-card when you make online donations and/or register for Making Strides at the American Cancer Society. In Octobers past, a wonderful show of support came from corporate American Traveler [+]

Last year, hospitals required travel nurses to receive the H1N1 flu vaccine in the form of a shot or nasal spray. Now hospitals are strongly encouraging you to get vaccinated again, in preparation for the 2010/2011 flu season; you can read about this year’s flu strain, its symptoms and tips on how to prevent catching the virus at flufacts.com. Flu.gov Flu season begins in October and lasts until May, with outbreaks of influenza peaking in the coldest winter months of December and January; fact: did you know that December 5-11 is National Influenza vaccination week? The Center for Disease Control (CDC) advocates getting vaccinated early. You can browse CDC’s "What you need to Know" facts about this year’s flu strain and 2010/2011 vaccinations, which also protect against H1N1 (swine flu) this year. Travel nurses at American Traveler enjoy free healthcare insurance and should take advantage of that full coverage by getting vaccinated ASAP! Plug your current zip code into Take Care Clinics or your nearest pharmacy, where most insurance covers cost. Advise your friends and family that even without insurance, the price of a flu shot runs about $30—a small price to pay when you are guarding against the influenza virus, [+]

Advance Your Nursing Career: Take a float shift, share your expertise and rise to all occasions! Nurse Managers and healthcare staffing experts agree that it’s a necessity—for any top-notch hospital—to have experienced registered nurses on staff, who float to departments experiencing staffing shortages and higher patient volume. In addition,  floating to departments experiencing staffing shortages assures hospitals that travel nurses really play an important role and can perform to the best of their ability. Registered nurses, among them travel nurses, approach their float assignments capably and with a high degree of adaptability and skill; further good news—as revealed by a study that looked into flexible healthcare staffing approaches, like travel nurse jobs—found that, surprisingly, more nurses are choosing to float in today’s healthcare landscape, rather than waiting to be asked. American Traveler checked in with Clinical Coordinator, Debbie Bacurin, R.N., a former Nurse Manager, to weigh-in on what drives this emerging trend for floating nurses. “We are seeing more and more facilities post float nurse positions, this lets the nurse know upfront that she/he may work on any unit for their scheduled shift. Resource managers are helping nurses on float shifts transition more seamlessly into Med/Surg, [+]

We welcome furry friends with travel nursing tips and resources If your travel nursing lifestyle includes a dog, cat—even canaries—you’ll be pleased with American Traveler’s client support services, designed to accommodate the furry friend accompanying you on your travel nursing adventure. Here, we provide pet-lover tips and resources that get both of you (and in some cases, all of you!) off to a great start. Bookmark these nurse career resources where you'll find free pet sitter locaters and a "people with pets" directory that dishes on pet-friendly hotels, products and services. Remember that planning before the big road trip, in your travel nursing career or for any occasion, is critical. Each year approximately 100,000 dogs are injured or killed inside moving vehicles; pets may even fall from a car’s open window! Avoid potential dangers by outfitting your car with a pet carrier, big enough to let your dog or cat lie down. You can also shop for tethers that safely anchor your pet to the seat while permitting a near full range of motion—or shop crash tested dog car seats. See the kind of gadgets we’re talking about on this video. These kinds [+]

Nursing schools encourage advanced-practice nurses to earn DNP degree by 2015 A Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree (DNP) is proof of mastery in advanced competencies, adding prestige, as well as higher earning potential to a nursing career. While registered nurses trained at the masters-level provide excellent care, significant technological advances, healthcare reform, and need for bigger and better service recovery call for a doctorate—a consensus reached by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in late 2004. The trend mirrors what physical therapists and others in certain allied healthcare jobs have been doing for some time—taking their continued competency to the max—until it results in a doctorate. Pharmacists and psychologists made the move long ago; while their title is pronounced “doctor”, most patients understand they are not physicians. DNPs do not complete a dissertation and the focus of their training is not as researched-focused; instead their training focuses on evaluation and use of research rather than conduct of research. Many DNPs are faculty members at teaching hospitals; whether they teach, work in leadership roles, or practice as specialists, DNPs are grabbing the attention of employers and job seekers alike, which paves [+]

Are you a Peds Nurse or registered nurse in the NICU, looking to make the honor roll? Registered nurses interested in landing the best travel pediatric nursing jobs in the country—at  teaching hospitals, magnet nurse facilities and large medical centers with cutting edge PICU jobs that treat critically ill newborns—are well advised to pay attention to this Years Honor Roll for Best Children’s Hospitals. Leading travel nurse staffing agencies put Peds nurses and NICU nurses on the map for award winning pediatric care. What about you, personally? Will your next travel nurse job be at a top ranking facility for children with life-threatening or rare conditions beyond the capabilities of most hospitals? Read on for a clearer picture of which medical centers rank the highest in nurse-patient ratios, access to specialists and top notch quality of care in every pediatric specialty. Pediatric Nursing:  Get high ratings for nurse –patient ratio’s The U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll distinguished the best 62 medical facilities (ranked high in at least one specialty) out of more than 5,000 hospitals reviewed— the Best Children's Hospitals rankings are facilities that treat children with cancer, cystic fibrosis, defective hearts and [+]

Laura Coles, R.N., former American Traveler nurse, checks in from her African Mercy Ship Past and present team members whose love of travel is as strong as their desire to heal patients inspire us at American Traveler. Laura Coles, R.N. is just the sort of registered nurse we’re talking about; one of our favorite travel nurses, Laura still keeps in touch. She sent our Senior Consultant Kristin Zandee a letter chock full of interesting details on what she’s been up to, working on Mercy Ships in Africa!  Laura’s fellow travel nurses are welcome at her blog, Nursing Adventures In Faith. Kristin and the rest of us are eager for Laura to resume her travel nurse career this September. We first met Laura when she was hungry to work “just one!” travel nurse job before her Africa trip. Kristin admired Laura’s patience and positive attitude—that, coupled with 4 years experience in the ER, landed her a wonderful travel nurse assignment in Texas—a place she was reserved about at first, but ultimately fell in love with as a great first travel experience—one that lead to amazing friendships. The Texas hospital [+]