Social media today emboldens staffing agencies to use Facebook, Twitter and other SM mediums to communicate with, reach out and recruit healthcare candidates for open positions. Strategies include creating new and interesting healthcare content for social media platforms, sharing pictures and stories of nursing and therapy jobs candidates,  promoting hard-to-fill positions, and other calls to action that connect with candidates directly. Healthcare clients rely on staffing partners to engage with candidates via cyberspace since only 16% of hospitals, in the United States, are reported to be active in social media. This is a trend hospitals can easily improve by partnering with American Traveler, a healthcare staffing agency that is highly successful matching candidates with hard to fill jobs through our active social media presence and engagement with our Facebook fans and Twitter followers. At American Traveler, clients top best hospitals lists in U.S. News & World Report. We staff these facilities with cutting edge nursing and allied healthcare talent; the continuous and on-point social media that goes along with that is simply a byproduct of our staffing services. With a purported 51% percent of consumers claiming that a hospital’s social media presence [+]

Because Social Media is a relatively new phenomenon, Social Media outlets, career websites and employers have just begun tracking its performance. Though measurable statistics are still hard to come by, American Traveler has found that healthcare employers are increasingly logging on to nurses’ Social Media sites in search of qualified candidates to fill nurse jobs. By enrolling in the FREE CEU course offered by American Traveler entitled Social Networking; Putting Your Best Post Forward, you’ll learn how to make Social Media work in your favor. In the meantime, take a moment to see what might help get you hired in the Social Media stratosphere. 1. Qualifications When compiling online Profiles, it’s beneficial to list certifications, specialties, professional development, education and commendations. Include specific medical technologies you’ve been trained on and computerized patient care software you’re familiar with. 2. Creative Content This might include links to bona fide online resources (i.e. journal articles of interest, trade association websites, legislation, regulations, etc.) on your Facebook page; research projects, surveys and PDFs or links where you have been published. This is especially valuable for active nurse bloggers looking to boost credibility as a [+]

As much fun as Social Media has become, it can ruin your nurse career if you’re not careful. By following a few simple rules when conversing in online nurse forums and posting on Facebook, Twitter and others, nurses can freely enjoy Social Media and avoid common pitfalls that lead to conflict. Don’t post personal information. Outside of a basic online Profiles nurses use to network with employers, it is best to remain anonymous when participating in cyber discussion groups and posting on public and private Internet sites.  Anonymity can be effectively accomplished by utilizing avatars and clever pen names. Avoid using your real name (including just your first name) or actual thumbnail photos of you. Don’t post pictures or names of patients. Adhering to patient privacy and disclosure laws as mandated by state and federal governments (HIPPA) is paramount to avoiding conflict and liability as a nurse on the Internet. Avoid posting information that can potentially reveal who a patient is or where they’re being treated.  When sharing clinical information and experiences with others on the Internet; be sure not to refer to “a patient,� “the patient,� or “patient x.� In [+]

FREE CEU Course for Working Travel Nurses Helps Keep RNs Safe in Cyberspace Social Media is a lot of fun. It’s ideal for sharing photos and stories with family and friends and in the travel nursing world has become invaluable in journaling exploits and networking professionally.  But caution is to be had for nurses engaging Social Media, especially in nurse jobs search and communicating in online forums. To help working nurses maximize the use of Social Media while protecting themselves from getting stuck in a permanent nurse cyber-rut, American Traveler benefits include FREE CEU Courses. Topics include Social Networking; Putting Your Best Post Forward, plus many more educational topics of professional importance. The goal of the course is to inform nurses about the impact social networking has on their professional image and careers. With more healthcare employers searching Social Media websites everyday for potential candidates, the last thing any nurse needs is to be found unintentionally violating patient privacy or posting controversial comments or pictures on a Facebook page. Even if a nurse deletes or edits compromising Internet content, it’s typically already cached on a server somewhere. By using legitimate channels, employers conducting background checks and the courts can harvest it, experts say. "Taken in [+]

Is it possible that forming close bonds with new people on the job, leading an active social life and keeping in touch with friends and family on Facebook can help you live longer? According to a 2010 review of nearly 150 independent studies on social ties the answer is a resounding “Yes.� Not only do close friends result in greater physical and mental health, say experts at Johns Hopkins University, supportive relationships help stave off memory loss, reduce stress and boost immunity – all factors associated with aging. In fact, people with strong social ties had a 50 percent better chance of survival regardless of age, sex, and health than those with weaker ties, one study found. Meeting new people and making friends is high up on the list of why RNs choose a travel nurse career. Countless have reported falling in love while on assignment and others traveling with soul mates and spouses say the experience is more enriching when someone comes along for the ride. In terms of physical health, nurses often embark on travel nurse careers to get away from stressful permanent positions that result in burnout, less quality time with [+]