Read her story about flexible travel nurse jobs and where they are taking her Ask travel nurse Linda DeLeon if she’s curled up with a good book lately, and the ER nurse is likely to tell you that yes, she’s been reading and writing her own literature to pass the wintry nights. In addition to being a busy R.N. travel nurse book signing in Delaware, the Louisiana native has also managed to pen, since 2010, two vampire novels with a third on the way. American Traveler caught up with Linda on an evening shortly before Christmas to talk about her books, Veil of Time and Fall Into Darkness; these tales of immortal love that span the 17th Century and into present day are part of a series, featuring a love triangle between James, a history professor, Vanessa and the enigmatic Claire, the protagonist in all three stories who Linda says is a character derived from her own life. And what a life! Linda has been a travel nurse before, but her current assignment is her first nursing job with American Traveler. She and her husband, who met in Las Vegas across a black jack [+]

How Emergency Department Interpreters are breaking down barriers Cultural diversity in the cities where travel nurses thrive in emergency room jobs is part and parcel to their exciting lifestyle. ER nurse jobs at American Traveler place registered nurses in travel and permanent emergency room jobs nationwide, from big urban cities to charming, small towns, so it’s hardly uncommon to treat patients with (LEP) limited English proficiency. The U.S. Census Bureau reported an estimated 48.4 million Hispanic residents in 2009, making them the nation’s largest ethnic race or minority; thus, as a well-trained professional in emergency room nurse jobs, you’re likely to encounter your fair share of patients who’s native, and, in many cases only language is Spanish. Since much of this growth has taken place in states that attract registered nurses to great travel nursing jobs like bees to honey, those in Florida travel nursing jobs and California nursing jobs, especially, have come to rely on medical interpreters, known as ED interpreters in hospital emergency departments. American Traveler’s Clinical Coordinator Debbie Bacurin, R.N., a former Nurse Manager and veteran of emergency room jobs, says: “It can be very stressful for everyone involved when the hospital [+]

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 [+]

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 [+]

Last week, we talked to Patrice Ballard, MSN; a travel nurse working as a Clinical Educator and part-time ER nurse for 8 months in Globe, Arizona. Part I of our nurse interview clued us travel nurses—eager to blend our medical talents with the spirit of adventure—into Patrice’s exciting months working and traveling the Southwest over. We loved reading about the circumstances behind Patrice’s first travel nurse job and tidbits on her unique housing; this week’s segment dishes on what it takes to succeed as a traveling nurse and why husbands might just fall in love with the travel nursing life, too. Q: Is your current work as a Clinical Educator as rewarding in and of itself, as the compensation and excitement of travel? A: Absolutely! There’s nothing better than preparing my students for nursing careers that will be as rewarding for them, as my career has been for me. Q: What has been the most rewarding aspect of this assignment? A: This travel nursing job has reinforced the way I’ve always felt about life: that every person is given the unique opportunity to see the good in things or the bad. I’ve always chosen to see the good, [+]

Clinical Educator and ER nurse, Partrice Ballard, combines a love of travel with preparing nursing students for bright futures American Traveler caught up with Patrice Ballard, MSN for a chat about her experiences working as a Nurse Educator in Arizona. Part I of this two part nurse interview introduces RNs and physical therapists keen on combining work and travel, to a fellow professional who currently enjoys the best of both worlds. Patrice is a wife, mother and full-time Clinical Educator, with the admirable ability to work, also, in the ER once a week. Here, she shares commentary and tips for making the most of an 8 month long travel nursing assignment. Q: What prompted you to pursue a travel nursing career? A: You know, it’s a little ironic—albeit in a wonderful way—that I began a travel nurse career after 15 years in the ER.  Friends and family used to describe me as a “hover mother� – couldn’t picture me on an out-of-state assignment, but when the opportunity to work 34 weeks in Globe, Arizona came, I jumped on it. Q: You secured a unique position. How did that come about?[+]