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 [+]

Enjoy the Nations Birthday in Washington, DC Lucky travel nurses or therapists in Washington DC should prepare to sample the many July 4th events this upcoming weekend. The Folklife Festival at the Smithsonian is fun AND educational.  And you won't want to miss the fireworks over the reflecting pool by the Washington Monument. Watch for free from a picnic blanket at the monument grounds or do like the locals do, and seek out a comfy off-site vantage point. Tip: Don't drive; take the metro, and check out local restaurants and hotels with rooftop lounges, especially in Arlington, Virginia, for terrific views and lighter crowds.

Part of the fun of being a travel nurse is the likelihood you’ll be in the right place at the right time—if Springtime finds you working in, or considering travel nurse jobs in Kentucky or neighboring states, you’re poised to dawn a frilly hat and head to the famous twin spires of Churchill Downs in Louisville for the 136th annual 2010 Kentucky Derby & Oaks. That’s right, travel nurses! Between April 29th and May 2nd, the most famous race track in the world is a gorgeous spectacle to behold: this year’s Kentucky Derby promises the same brand of “mint julep sippin’-thoroughbred winner speculating-celebrity sighting fun”—a mouthful even if you’re not at the event sampling the traditional burgoo stew. For you ladies working in Ohio travel nursing jobs, The Oaks part of the Kentucky Derby represents a fine opportunity to invite your girlfriends on a road trip. Your destination? The Ladies First celebration held Friday, April 30th at Churchill Downs; this race distinguishes itself from the Kentucky Derby, held the first Saturday in May—the capper on the most famous long weekend for thoroughbred racing on the whole planet. Travel nurses seeking a good [+]

Nursing students who are tired of hauling around heavy -- and expensive --  medical textbooks will be glad to learn that electronic textbooks are taking a big step closer to reality. Software developer ScrollMotion has signed a deal with major textbook publishers, including McGraw-Hill, Random House, Wiley and Kaplan, to adapt their books for the soon-to-be-released Apple iPad. But don’t get too excited just yet. The e-textbook has a ways to go before it becomes widely available to students in nursing programs and elsewhere. Of course, publishers love the idea of creating electronic versions of their medical textbooks -- because of the savings in printing, production and storage costs, as well as the ability to update the books virtually.  And e-books have features that are particularly useful for the student, such as instant access to specific references; and brighter, more realistic graphics. Yet, electronic health textbooks have been slower coming to market than other educational materials such as medical journals, manuals and study guides. This is in part due to e-books’ limited technical capabilities and interactivity, which has held down demand among nursing students and others.  That is about to change. As McGraw-Hill executive Rik [+]

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 [+]

Nurses, take note: There’s a hot new product coming to many U.S. hospitals, and it’s going to make your job as a traveling nurse easier – because it makes the patients happier! The product is Arizant Inc.’s Bair Paws, a layered-paper hospital gown that keeps the wearer warm by using a forced-air system to regulate the body temperature in the chilly operating rooms and other areas of the hospital. These single-use gowns are easily self-regulated for temperature, and they also detach quickly from the hose that goes to the air pump – giving the patient more independence, and the registered nurses more freedom!  Bair Paws were also designed with lots of Velcro and ways of being opened, so that they can be adjusted in a variety of ways by doctors and RNs performing operations and other procedures. The gown has other advantages, according to Arizant Web site: “This budget-friendly gown can also help avoid the significant costs associated with the complications of unintended hypothermia, which has been shown to triple the rate of wound infection (SSIs), extend the length of hospital stay and increase mortality rates.” About 1,700 facilities are using Bair Paws, with more [+]

In today’s difficult economy, workers are realizing the importance of job security and starting to understand that a high-salaried career does not mean much if there are no jobs to be found. With that in mind, job seekers and career changers need to pay close attention to employment numbers and growth. According the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing and other allied health professions are among the careers most likely to see significant growth in the next eight years. Nursing jobs are likely to increase by 23% by 2018, which is well above the national average. U.S. News and World Report listed nursing as one of its 50 Best Careers for 2010, projecting that there will be a growth of 582,000 nursing jobs between 2008 and 2018, stating that many of those nursing jobs will be in physicians’ offices. A popular option for registered nurses is travel nursing. In 2009, nursing salaries ranged from $40,000 to more than $92,000, with a national median of $62,000, but travel nurses can earn a greater take-home salary than nurses in permanent positions, and they earn a number of other benefits, including completion bonuses, free health insurance, free private housing, and free [+]

More and more travel nurses are finding themselves working in a hospital that has a nurses union. What does this mean for the traveling nurse? First, know that this trend is gaining steam.  Just this past December, three large RN unions (in California, Massachusetts and Maryland) merged to form the 150,000-member National Nurses United.  Its mission? Says Deborah Burger, RN, one of three charter co-presidents of NNU: "We are going to make sure we organize every single direct-care RN in this country. RNs and our patients deserve to have a national nurses' movement that can advocate for them." The NNU -- which is seasoned, well-organized and well-financed -- has a very convincing sales pitch.  Among the “pros” of unionization are more security for nurses, more clout when battling administrators, and higher pay and seniority protection for nursing jobs.  Thus, many facilities are accepting a nurses union -- and many traveling nurses are choosing to join a union. To join, or not to join? Not everyone is a fan of RN unions. The “cons” include high union dues, having to comply with their bylaws and other regulations, and having one more layer of bureaucracy between the nurse and the patients. [+]

Life has a way of throwing a lot at us. Some of us manage with date books and scrap paper. Now there’s a better way to organize the continuous stream of data inundating us travel nurses on a daily basis, and the good news is, it’s free! With a logo of an elephant (who never forgets), Evernote.com is a digital repository service that allows the user to create notes. What kind of notes, you ask? The answer is anything under the sun: dictated audio memos, clips from webpages, photos, business card scans, attached files—all these and more can be uploaded to Evernote, consolidated and viewed without going home and digging through your PC’s filing system. You can use Evernote on an iphone, Blackberry, Windows Mobile phone, the latest palm or any major smart phone. If you’re a traveling nurse who left these devices behind, or simply don’t want a smart phone, you can still upload notes to Evernote, by setting up a free e-mail account with them; anything you e-mail to that address goes into your repository as a new note. You can also send your notes to Evernote, via Twitter. Evernote has been endorsed by the [+]

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 [+]