Find Your Inspiration to Advocate, Lead and Care! Registered nurses have always embodied the theme for this year’s National Nurses Week: "Advocating, Leading, Caring". When R.N.s visit the American Nurses Association (ANA) this Spring, they can’t help concur with its President, Karen Daley that ANA is their quintessential advocate; video galleries, pledges and other resources on the site show that celebrating a nurse’s calling is about so much more than remembering to wear a pin this week. Capture the spirit during May 6-12 and take it with you the rest of the year! It’s empowering to reflect on the amazing history of your vocation. Before the nursing career path became what it is today—the #1 career advertised on U.S. News & World Report’s List of Best Careers in 2012—nurses worked in relative obscurity. It’s hard to believe fewer than 20 R.N.s attended the first ANA convention in 1896—even more surprising that back then, they weren’t technically R.N.s. There were no laws licensing nurses at that time. This International Nurses Week, thank ANA for helping R.N.s become the backbone of American healthcare! Look at how far this profession has come, employing more than 3 million [+]

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 [+]

Advanced Cardiac Life Support training saves lives in emergency situations – an undisputed fact. It’s why most healthcare providers insist on critical care nurses being ACLS Certified. This, of course, in addition to healthcare reform measures pressuring providers to improve patient safety and reduce mortality rates to maximize Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. 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 [+]