American Traveler’s Med/Surg Nursing Jobs Cover Virtually All Areas of Practice

We recognize the high demand for specialized medical talent, and put our recruiting experts to task in working closely with Med/surg nurses and placing them in America’s best hospitals. Here are just a few of the areas where med/surg nurses apply their skills and clinical training every day.

For the R.N. looking for career advancement in specialized work settings that can keep up with a penchant for traveling the country, start your med/surg jobs here. Travel nurse jobs have approximately 30% more total compensation than permanent positions; plus the allure of unlimited CEUs that advance your clinical skills.

For a complete list of nursing practice areas in which med/surg nurses are changing lives for the better—or to send an e-card, print a poster for your healthcare facility and learn of other ways to promote this important nationally celebrated week in healthcare, visit AMSN.  There are decorative ribbons for R.N. name badges, ball point pens and lapel logos that get the word out on how awesome med/surg nurses are this month and every month of the year.

The AMSN recognizes the ongoing contributions of these highly trained R.N.s, found at virtually every level of healthcare, from inpatient and ambulatory care units, to urgent and long term care centers, surgical centers, and teaching hospitals. It’s no wonder med/surg nurses are credited as being the backbone of adult-care health institutions.

Med/Surg Nurses Can Do More Than Mark Their Calendars November 1-7, 2011

Call 1-800-884-8788 or apply online for rewarding nursing jobs in all 50 U.S. states. Our R.N.s enjoy free private housing and healthcare as part of a generous benefits package, as well as a recession proof nursing career in an industry that continues to grow. If you’re a med/surg nurse looking to improve patient care through evidence-based practice and grow in your specialty in ways you never imagined, aligning your talents with a premier staffing agency is the way to go. Thank you for your invaluable contributions to healthcare. We look forward to meeting you!

Related blog: Medical Surgical Certifications

In a recent New York Times article entitled: “When the Nurse Wants to Be Called ‘Doctor’ ” author Gardiner Harris emphasizes the modern day struggle that exists over the growing number of registered nurses achieving a doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) degree and introducing themselves in a clinical setting as ‘Doctor.’

In the article, Dr. Roland Goertz, Chairman of the American Academy of Family Physicians, said nurses who do this can confuse patients. It’s a misuse of the term, he said.

President of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Dr. Kathleen Potempa, doesn’t see it that way. She told Harris the nursing doctorate is about staying current and advancing in the practice, not competing with MDs.

“Professionals who achieve that academic level of education are entitled to be called doctor,” said Deborah Bacurin RN, Clinical Coordinator for American Traveler, a leading healthcare staffing firm. “With advancements in healthcare education and a system growing in complexity, we will see this issue either dissolve or be resolved.  Nurses are all about delivering safe and effective patient care.”

Richard Hader, PhD and Chief Nursing Officer for Meridian Health, shares a similar view – professionals who have earned a practice doctorate have the right to be called doctor. It comes with the territory after achieving a higher level of academic performance.

“The public will need to be educated on the fact that doctor is no longer used exclusively for professors or physicians—it’s a term used to denote excellence in academic achievement in a chosen profession,” Hader writes.*

Though terminal degrees and doctorates are commonplace in academia and across math, science and arts disciplines, nurses and doctors face a unique situation: generations of patients who for more than a century have called doctor, “Doctor…  and nurse, “Nurse…”

Harris poses the question: Do nurses have the right to introduce themselves as doctors if they achieve a DNP or terminal equivalent in another profession, such as economics, business or biology? How about a Physical Therapist who earns a DPT (Doctorate Physical Therapy)?

With DNPs growing in numbers and more states adopting laws that grant nurse practitioners the ability to diagnose, treat and prescribe – all without doctor’s consent – public awareness, no doubt, will happen quickly. Presently almost half of all U.S. states allow nurses to practice without a physician’s supervision or consent.

“It’s just a matter of time before DNPs become the norm and the argument over titles moot,” Bacurin said, adding that the number of DNPs has doubled in the past ten years and the doctorate soon to grow into the minimum educational requirement for certain nurse specialties.

Nurses chiming in to an active online nurse forum at allnurses.com generally agree that nurses earning doctorates have the right to use the doctor title, as long as they introduce themselves to patients clearly by the role they play on a patient’s healthcare team.

Still, seven states prohibit nurses from identifying themselves as ‘Dr.’ if they indeed are not a bona fide medical doctor: Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Oregon. Moreover, the American Medical Association (AMA) recently lobbied against 28 states proposing liberal nurse practitioner laws, claiming such laws degrade patient safety and result in a lower standard of care.

What do patients think?

In a survey published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing aimed at assessing patient views on care, patients saw doctors and nurses in two distinct roles. Patients said they preferred doctors for medical aspects of care, but for routine care, education and family support, patients liked nurses. Survey respondents indicated no problem distinguishing nurses from doctors or with confusing DNPs with MDs.

The debate over ‘Dr. Nurse’ has been long and will likely continue as federal and state laws aimed at universal healthcare and lowering costs put more ‘doctor duties’ in the hands of DNPs. It’s unlikely the AMA lobby will go quietly into the night as it becomes easier for nurses to practice independently and grow a ‘nurse share’ of Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements, a major concern of the lobby.

Are you a DNP interested in a permanent or traveling nurse position? Or perhaps you are looking for corporate nurse careers? American Traveler staffs top hospitals and nurse-managed clinics in all 50 States with travel nurses and more! Call 1-800-884-8788 or Apply online today.

Related blogs

• Effective Patience Care
• Doctor of Nursing (DNP)

*Hader is quoted in a May 2010 edition of Nursing Management

Clinical Resource Manager for American Traveler, Deborah Bacurin, said there’s an uptick at her agency for Med Surg jobs certified in ACLS. Though not all hospitals require Med/Surg nurses to be ACLS Certified, more hospitals are asking for it.

“The more certifications a travel nurse has, the easier it is to place them,” Bacurin said. “It shows they’re interested in furthering their education and advancing their nurse career.”

The American Heart Association has found that patients in cardiac arrest have a 6.4 percent better chance of survival with ACLS than with conventional CPR. Hospitals and healthcare employers are finding that Med Surg nurses and allied health professionals certified in ACLS, PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) and TNCC (Trauma Nurse Core Course) add value to healthcare staff and foster an environment of patient safety and care excellence.

In addition to FREE deluxe housing and FREE health insurance, Travel nursing jobs at American Traveler include FREE unlimited Continuing Education Units, so nurses can keep professional credentials up to date and maintain their marketability in a competitive healthcare staffing marketplace.

To learn more about the benefits of travel nursing jobs or to get a recommendation on ACLS courses for Med Surg nurses or other documents for travel nurse jobs, call American Traveler Staffing Professionals at 800.884.8788 or apply online today.

You may not be ready to practice on another planet, but in case you want to travel on this one, we’ve got rewarding travel nurse and therapist jobs across the US. You can also read more about nurse licensing and state boards here (on Earth).

Says Mary Kay Hull, Vice President of Recruiting at American Traveler, “Medical facilities often need to fill travel positions quickly. Sometimes they can’t commit to a travel nurse or travel therapist candidate — no matter how well qualified — if a mandatory piece of paperwork is missing or delayed. We do everything we can to make sure this doesn’t happen, by giving our travelers as much information in advance as possible.“

Many of our travel nurses, especially the first-timers, want to know what documents they need to provide for a travel nurse job. Depending on your specialty and the facility, it’s likely that some additional documentation will be required. Not to worry, you’ll be notified of what’s due when you’re a little further along in the hiring process. But you can still prepare ahead-of-time with this list of basic requirements:

• Copies of all active professional licenses for those states that are not yet paperless — a reminder: please don’t send originals, photocopies of your licenses — front and back — are all that is needed. Find a list of state nursing boards.
• Titre results with lab values for the following:
  • Rubeola
  • Rubella
  • Varicella
  • Hep C, Hep B and Mumps titres may also be required, so if you have had any of these drawn, send in your results.  If not, be ready to have them drawn as soon as you are notified that they are required.
• Documentation of an annual seasonal influenza vaccination (If you don’t have your immunizations or can’t find the documentation, your travel therapy company should be able to help you arrange for them.)
• Documentation including implantation date, read date and mm of your last two or three PPD’s
• All travel nurses are required to have a BCLS card issued by the American Heart Association.  Other certifications such as ACLS and PALS will be required as determined by your specialty. (Telemetry nurses will need ACLS.)  All certifications should be signed and issued by the AHA. More blogs about nursing certifications.
• A Physician Statement completed within 12 months prior to your start date.  If you have an upcoming doctor’s appointment, bring the physician statement form with you, even if you have not yet secured a position.  It’s much easier to get a signature during the visit than after wards.
• Respirator Fit Test. Whenever you have a respirator fit test, request a copy of the results for your records; you will need it.
• Legible (color preferred) copy of your driver’s license

An up-to-date resume is a nice supplement, but but isn’t required once you apply for travel nurse jobs and complete your online profile. You’ll also want to gather contact information for your job references. Don’t forget to copy the front and back of all two-sided documents. 

Just print out the forms you need here: travel nursing documentation. You can complete and fax or email any travel nurse job forms to your travel nursing or travel therapy job consultant at American Traveler’s secure fax or email address:

• secure fax #: 888-884-6510.
• secure email: documentation@americantraveler.com

Our website provides access to travel nurse housing forms, employment and medical forms — as well as our payroll and insurance forms.

You probably have a lot of the required paperwork already. Now it’s just a question of getting it organized and up-to-date. It may seem like a bit of extra business, but consider digitizing some of your important paper documents. (Of course, you’ll want to keep originals as backup.) However, it can really speed things up when you can email your paperwork directly to the person who needs it, instead of relying on fax machines or the postal service. If you don’t have the technology to digitize your docs at home, the local FedEx/Kinkos or UPS Store can help.

For some travel nurses and therapists, the most time-consuming element of the whole paperwork round-up is the licensure process. In some states the process can take eight weeks or more. So if you’re pretty sure you’re interested in, for example, California travel nursing, it’s a good idea to start the California licensure process well in advance. American Traveler can help with securing licensure and licensure reimbursement for working travelers.

American Traveler consultants always review the necessary paperwork with our travelers — whether seasoned travel nurses or first-timers — to ensure they will be ready to get the job. We also like to remind everyone to keep their profile and their skills check lists up-to-date. Every assignment can increase your skill set and make you a more valuable hire. Once you’re selected for that ideal travel therapy or travel nurse job, you’ll soon be filling out the most rewarding paperwork of all: the payroll forms!

American Traveler staffs over 75% of the USA’s best hospitals, and is a leading travel nursing jobs and therapist staffing firm with opportunities for graduates, seasoned professionals and mid-career caregivers. To learn more about nurse job opportunities, call 800-884-8788 today.

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 Study Guide

The PBDS nursing test:

• All assessment components require the employee to critically think – multiple choice are NOT used
• Tests on general clinical knowledge and medication administration
• Compares individual responses to criteria and performance standards developed by the hospital.
• Evaluates critical thinking abilities
• Evaluates Interpersonal communication skills
• Evaluates technical skills

In registered nurse jobs, the road to optimal achievement is paved with the intention of using critical thinking to get the results you need. “Critical thinking is the difference between success and failure,” says American Traveler’s Nurse Coordinator, Debbie Bacurin, R.N. “Working smart as well as hard leads to better career fulfillment and healthier patients.”

Reasons successful registered nurses are solid critical thinkers:

• Healthcare today isn’t what it once was and continues to change.
• New ways of doing things sometimes create new problems, unsolvable by old methods
• Patients’ conditions are growing more complex in nature and in treatment
• There’s more consumer involvement from patients and their families.
• Registered nurse jobs take place in diverse settings, i.e. float assignments.
• Health IT is rapidly changing, requiring use of high-tech technology as part of registered nurse jobs.
• Consumers of healthcare demand to see efficiency and results for the money they spend.
• Redesigning healthcare to meet patients’ expectations cannot be done without critical thinking.
• Critical thinking skills help nurses deal with the realities of registered nurse jobs.

Save a date in your future for a webinar, the ultra-convenient way to earn a nursing CEU!

Nursing CEUs are with American Traveler are unlimited, and free CEU courses that satisfy State Board of Nursing Requirements—but more importantly they will satisfy YOU!  Get in touch with a staffing expert at American Traveler today—call us 800-884-8788 at or apply online!

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 the nursing career path with interesting new statistics. Take for instance, figures in DNP programs nationwide, jumping from just 70 enrollees in 2002 to more than 5,000 last year. The reason could be due, in part, to something revealed by ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioner’s Magazine in 2009: that DNP-prepared NPs earned $7,688 more than master’s-prepared NPs.

The AACN appointed a task force that determined registered nurses at the master’s level should acquire doctorate degrees by 2015. The DOCTOR OF NURSING SITE available at the AACN provides a Fact Sheet, Frequently Asked Questions page, career roadmap and tools, as well as reference materials, key curricular elements and competencies that must be present in a practice doctorate in nursing.  Of the 36+ states to offer DNP programs, the AACN highlights nursing job hotbeds in the country, with 5 or more DNP programs; suddenly Florida, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas nursing jobs are even more appealing destinations for ambitious registered nurses. If you’re a travel nurse interested in working your way toward the DNP degree, visit schools recommended by the AACN.

Recommendations regarding the DNP degree made by the AACN Task Force

The American Medical Association (AMA) stepping in and requiring all healthcare professionals, including physicians, to wear badges that clearly spell out their credentials is among the more prescient clues that DNPs are taking the nursing career path by storm. It’s important that registered nurses on the educational track for these credentials understand the recommendations brought up by the AACN Task Force.

• DNP curricula must include essential areas of content, like organization and system leadership/management, quality improvement, and utilization of technology.
• “Practice doctorate” must be used to refer to the DNP rather than “clinical doctorate”
• The DNP must be modeled after doctoral education and provide an additional option for attaining a terminal degree.
• The DNP must prepare graduates for the highest level of nursing practice beyond the initial preparation in the discipline.
• The Doctor of Nursing (ND) degree title needs to be phased out and replaced with DNP.
• RNs training to become Graduate Nurses should regard the DNP as the graduate degree for advanced nursing practice preparation, including but not limited to the four current APN roles of clinical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife, and nurse practitioner.
• A transition period should be granted to nurses with master’s degrees, who wish to obtain the DNP, and credits given for their previous graduate study and practice experience.
• The DNP needs to be research-focused and offer additional coursework that prepares graduates to work as nurse educators.
• Practice-focused doctoral (DNP) programs need to be accredited by a nursing accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

American Traveler offers a wealth of nursing career blogsoffering guidance in the nursing career path from well-established and nationally-renowned role models in healthcare.

With a strong understanding of DNP degree on hand, registered nurses have the tools they need to build on traditional master’s programs and strive toward quality improvement, leadership and increased value inside their field. Get on track in your nursing jobs today!

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 a permanent or travel nursing career is this: starting pay is about the same, no matter your educational background. RNs should note, however, that pursuing higher/continued education that culminates in nurse licensing (in a specialty), leads to promotions in your permanent or travel nurse jobs.

But there may be a more compelling reason than this for future registered nurses to graduate from a 4-year college. Legislation has been introduced in New York and New Jersey that requires nurses to get a bachelor’s degree within 10 years of licensing; this new academic criteria is commonplace in Pennsylvania, too—where nursing leaders are discussing how to help registered nurses move up the educational ladder more easily.

Studies at the University of Pennsylvania may be part of the reason, showing that registered nurses with higher degrees produce better patient outcomes; healthcare officials and hospitals attribute this to stronger critical thinking and social skills learned in college, suggesting also, that a 4-year degree is the most ideal preparation in an industry that grows more high-tech in its hospital equipment and treatments with every passing year.

In today’s healthcare landscape, registered nurses work with increasingly complex machines to treat patients; they also engage in more sophisticated team-building with their co-workers. Hospitals’ demand for bachelor’s degrees in nursing staff is further fueled as they move toward evidence-based medicine, which requires RNs to translate new trends in healthcare—basically, to think fast on their feet at patients’ bedsides.

But beyond speculation, The Center for Health Outcomes Research at Penn’s nursing school is putting real numbers behind its demand for registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees, concluding in one study that a 10-percentage-point increase in the proportion of RNs with bachelor’s degrees is associated with a 5% drop in patient mortality.

Is the competitiveness of insisting on a 4-year-degree contributing to the nurse shortage?

Chief Nursing Officers at urban centers of hiring in New York nurse jobs and New Jersey nursing jobs report that competition remains intense, with anywhere from 300 to 600 degreed nurses on waiting lists for less than one hundred job openings.

For those RNs who obtained nurse certification in a two or three year program at community college or diploma school, the legislation coming out of New York and New Jersey is nothing so much as frustrating. The good news is, a technical nurse vs. a professional one with bachelor’s degree, is still in high demand in more rural parts of the country. Travel nurse jobs are an ideal way to fill these positions.

Whatever your educational journey in your nursing career, remember that registered nurses are constantly learning, and education is at a premium always; we leave you with this and a footnote from Debbie Bacurin RN, Clinical Coordinator at American Traveler.

Footnote: Debbie weighs in:

“A hiring strategy that consists of only utilizing BSN graduates would create a formidable staffing challenge for many facilities.  However, hospitals that create incentives for higher educational standards will reap the benefits of future leaders in healthcare. The key to creating an ‘all college grad’ nursing staff in my opinion, would be to do so in steps—hospitals can accomplish this by helping RNs meet the cost of BSN and MSN educations. This strategy will get nurses on the fast track to climbing the career ladder, and in doing so, add prestige and increased economic viability to hospitals and healthcare systems.”

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 in high demand. (And, even more so, considering the projected shortfall of all types of nurses will be 260,000 in the next 15 years.)

Therefore, it makes sense to get as much additional training and education as possible to increase your potential worth as a registered nurse.  See our recent blog with suggestions on what advanced nursing certifications and credentials to pursue.

And, the good news is, there may be money coming from Uncle Sam for some of this education. Says the Times:

“The health care bills moving through Congress contain provisions that would increase funding for nurse training programs, including one aimed specifically at raising the number of advanced practice nurses, which include nurse practitioners.”

Registered nurses, if you are thinking about advanced specialized training or you are currently enrolled, please share with us your comments or recommendations!

“Hospitals are looking for candidates with the most up-to-date and advanced certifications,” notes Deborah Bacurin, RN, clinical resource manager at American Traveler.

By pursuing advanced nursing training by earning additional credentials and certifications, you are proving yourself as a motivated individual who cares about keeping on top of the latest trends and education – and therefore, a top candidate for American Traveler’s travel nursing jobs.

This goes double for new grads and nursing students, who are finding that it is somewhat difficult to find the ideal job right out of school with basic nursing skills. Get as many certifications and credentials as you can, as soon as possible, advises Bacurin.

Also, do not expect the employer to reimburse you for this nursing job training (although it never hurts to ask!); view these credentials as prerequisites for top RN jobs.  The more certifications the better – and the more advanced, the better.

Here are Bacurin’s suggestions for certifications in their specialty that RNs should pursue:

• ED: PALS, NRP, ENPC, TNCC, CATN, CEN
• Critical Care: PALS, NRP, TNCC, CCRN
• Tele: PALS, TNCC
• Peds: NRP, PALS, ACLS
• M/S: ACLS, PALS, TNCC

For those looking to change nursing-job specialties or increase your skills:

• M/S to Tele, ED or ICU: Go for the trauma certifications (TNCC, CATN); plus  advanced-life support certs such as ACLS or PALS
• L&D or M/B: Go for AWHHON, NRP or S.T.A.B.L.E.

For more information on these and other licenses and education programs, see our Nursing Professional Resources page; also, you can always discuss your options with your American Traveler consultant.

Meanwhile, share your nursing-training experiences with fellow travelers. What certifications and credentials have you found to be most valuable in advancing your travel nursing career?