There’s a lot of talk about the growing shortage of doctors and registered nurses, which is likely to be exacerbated by any health-care-reform package that adds millions of patients to insurance rolls. 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 [+]

Although there is technically a nursing shortage, that doesn’t mean there isn’t lots of competition out there for travel nursing jobs. The best way in increase your competitive edge is to add to your skill set and experience level. Basic qualifications such as BLS, ACLS, PALS and TNCC are not enough anymore to land the best RN jobs. “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 [+]

From one side of the country to the other, big things are happening in healthcare; for nurses bound for Nevada travel nursing jobs or already working there, a discontinuation of hard card nursing licenses, effective January 1st of 2010, leaves some of us, who spent years faithfully carrying them, anxious and confused.  That’s one way of looking at it, but on the upside, this change literally lightens our load, and with support from the Nevada Board of Nursing, it should be a painless transition. If you’re wondering why the cards are history, here’s the reason: At a September ’09 meeting, it was decided that the hard cards failed to serve their intended purpose of keeping status and licensure information up to date. Some employers were accepting the card alone as proof of current licensure/certification status, without confirming on the Board’s verification system.  Since the accuracy of the information on hard cards is only guaranteed to be valid on the day the card is issued, a suspension, revocation or other imposed discipline may not show up—hence the Board’s recommendation that all employers of nurses/CNAs verify statuses online at the Nursing Board’s website, where we travel nurses [+]