Are you a Peds Nurse or registered nurse in the NICU, looking to make the honor roll? Registered nurses interested in landing the best travel pediatric nursing jobs in the country—at  teaching hospitals, magnet nurse facilities and large medical centers with cutting edge PICU jobs that treat critically ill newborns—are well advised to pay attention to this Years Honor Roll for Best Children’s Hospitals. Leading travel nurse staffing agencies put Peds nurses and NICU nurses on the map for award winning pediatric care. What about you, personally? Will your next travel nurse job be at a top ranking facility for children with life-threatening or rare conditions beyond the capabilities of most hospitals? Read on for a clearer picture of which medical centers rank the highest in nurse-patient ratios, access to specialists and top notch quality of care in every pediatric specialty. Pediatric Nursing:  Get high ratings for nurse –patient ratio’s The U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll distinguished the best 62 medical facilities (ranked high in at least one specialty) out of more than 5,000 hospitals reviewed— the Best Children's Hospitals rankings are facilities that treat children with cancer, cystic fibrosis, defective hearts and [+]

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 [+]

Here’s a heads-up to NEURO and ER nurses everywhere: Did you know that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 1 million emergency-room visits per year for traumatic brain injury (TBI) or concussion?  Worse: “Each year, U.S. emergency departments treat an estimated 135,000 sports- and recreation-related TBIs, including concussions, among children ages 5 to 18.” As an ER nurse, you probably do know that many of these brain injuries go ignored far too long, resulting in complications, hospitalizations and even death.  To help get the word out about the seriousness of concussions and TBIs, the CDC has launched a Concussion in Sports Web page. This Web page is loaded with useful information and statistics for consumers -- coaches, parents and others -- including the basics of how to recognize a possible brain injury or concussion or what to do if a concussion occurs. But the site is also an invaluable tool for the ER nurses and other healthcare professionals, too. Let’s say you just took an American Traveler assignment for a pedriatric ICU job in Cincinatti, or for a critical care job in Hudson, FL (these jobs are actually available right now!) -- and a suspected brain-injury [+]

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 [+]

Here’s a tongue twister for you: are you a registered nurse, only recently registered? If you’re like many graduate nurses and you’ve just finished school and quit working a day job in anticipation of finally getting to focus on your career, you might be doing a bit of financial catch up; after all, nursing school and the licensing examination weren’t free. The good news is, you can expect to earn 40K or more in your first year of full-time employment – that’s a good salary, and every penny of it worth managing wisely. When it comes to money matters, financial analysts at Wall Street Journal have got your back, bringing 4 fundamentals in money management to the attention of graduate nurses, and RNs like you, new to a profitable career path. #1: Assess your biggest liabilities. Look at your student loan or mortgage, and talk to the lender about refinancing at a better rate. Institutions like Sallie Mae are accustomed to negotiating smart option catch up plans, and may suggest low interest only payments until you’re back on your feet. As for mortgages, lenders know they have to stay competitive, [+]

Just before Christmas, our Rehabilitation Therapy blog checked in with Ellen Bloome, PT, then in recovery from a hip arthroscopy surgery to repair a torn labrum. Ellen provided us with some telling, tongue-in-cheek imagery, i.e. “crutching in” for her first physical therapy visit. For once, Ellen was the patient, about to see—if you’ll pardon the pun—what it’s like to have the cast on the other foot! In her first 4 days of therapy sessions with devoted PTs like herself, Ellen learned a lot—mainly that she loves the idea of a Colorado Physical Therapy job, and will gladly accept any number of them—but beyond those snowcapped mountains, Ellen came away with something even better; she absorbed everything her fellow PT’s taught her, and came away from the experience with sharper skills AND happier hips! What about you? Are you a traveling nurse with a story to tell? Did you injure yourself or contract an illness that landed you in the hospital and/or in the care of a trusted colleague? If you are a registered nurse, who ultimately benefited from the nursing experience tell us about it from the patient’s perspective. You can also post your stories and comments to our Facebook wall, but in [+]