BOCA RATON, FL (PRWeb), Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:30:01 EST -

Just about everyone in America rubs elbows with healthcare. And now with federal healthcare reforms aimed at granting millions of Americans improved access to quality care, American Traveler healthcare employers from hospitals to home health are on the hunt, once again, for skilled RNs. Good news for nurses looking for RN jobs and even better news for Registered Nurses looking to connect with travel nursing jobs.

Raed the entire Healthcare Jobs on the Rise Press Release

Arizona Travel Nurses Flock to the Festival Chihuahua Races!

If you’re an R.N. working in Arizona nursing jobs, this is your chance to root for the underdog! The charming Chihuahua races are coming back to historic downtown Chandler, AZ—just south of Phoenix. Give your pipes a workout, cheering for the winner on Saturday, May 7th, 2011, from 10am to 7pm.

Denver Nursing Jobs Deliver Mile High Expectations—Especially During Cinco de Mayo!

It’s a fact that Denver nursing jobs put R.N.s in the heart of a vibrant Latino population that’s more prominent and fun than ever come Cinco de Mayo. Come revel in the fun of one of Denver’s most impressive events, May 7-8, 2011. More than 400,000 attendees are expected! Witness Mariachi, Cumba, Salsa, Norteno and many other genres of Latino music and dance—plus tons of superb Mexican food offerings. Denver travel nurses may click here to view the Cinco de Mayo event site.

Nevada Travel Nurses Will Be Impressed by this Huge Festival!

The Cinco de Mayo Festival at the Reno Grand Sierra Resort is northern Nevada’s largest annual celebration of Latino heritage, boasting 2 days of live entertainment, hundreds of vendor booths, Mexican dancing horse performances and food from Big Daddy’s Barbecue and other sponsors. Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is free! Check the official Cinco de Mayo Festival website for more important event details.

On Cinco De Mayo, Texas Travel Nurses Can Dance the Night Away!

Like instructional workshops in sala? Would you love to see over 1,000 professional dancers take to the stage? At the 2011 Capital City Salsa Festival, R.N.s working in Texas nursing jobs can enjoy all this and more in Austin, TX during Cinco de Mayo weekend.

Travel Nurses Live Large on On May 5th and the Other 364 Days

Experience the travel nurse lifestyle, and celebrate the diversity of different cultures in any one of 50 U.S. States! American Traveler offers high paying travel nurse jobs in some of the most exciting tourist destinations in the country. Apply online or call 1-800-884-8788 today!

One of the nation’s largest online job boards announced last month that 29 percent of employers responding to a recent employment survey said they hired temporary workers in the first quarter of 2011. Twenty six percent planned to do so in the second quarter, according to a March 31, press release.

Though the survey doesn’t specifically address healthcare staffing, survey results come from a broad spectrum of more than 2,800 hiring managers and 5,600 workers.

“A good indication that travel nursing jobs and travel therapy jobs are picking up,” said Mary Kay Hull, from American Traveler, a leading supplier of travel nurses and therapists to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, outpatient rehab, ambulatory surgery and home health providers.

Trending was most positive for companies with 500 or more employees and least promising for companies with 50 employees or less. Hiring was hottest in the West and coolest in the South.

Nurse job pay, as indicated by survey findings, is expected to change little in 2011. Fewer than half of employers planned to issue pay raises. Of those, only 15 percent anticipated increases beyond cost of living.

“Here’s where travel nursing jobs rise to the top for nurse job seekers and travel therapists looking to maximize salaries,” said Hull.

As hospitals and healthcare employers regroup in the face of economic recovery, highly skilled temporary RNs and therapists are being utilized to maximize patient care efficiencies – fueling demand for travelers. Salaries for travel nurses and therapists can be 20 percent higher and benefits such as free private housing, free health insurance and a company matched 401(k) result in significant lifestyle advantages, in turn attracting higher quality caregivers to employers’ doorsteps.

With healthcare reform promising to flood the healthcare system with more than 40 million newly insured patients over the next four years, thousands of nursing and therapist jobs will be created. Hospitals and healthcare employers will source a mix of permanent and temporary RNs and therapists and staffing agencies will be on the lookout for highly skilled caregivers with competitive credentials.

How do your qualifications and experience stack up?

Take a moment to browse available therapist jobs in parts of the U.S. you may want to explore. Then call 800.884.8788 with any questions or click on Travel Nursing Job & Travel Therapy Job Questions to learn more.

American Traveler is proud to staff rewarding nursing jobs and therapy jobs in hospitals, outpatient care centers and clinics in all 50 U.S. States—don’t miss your chance to be more than just a spectator in this upward trend for healthcare jobs across the board. Call 1-800-884-8788 or apply online today for the perfect springboard to launch your nursing career!

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 include FREE unlimited Continuing Education Units, so nurses can keep professional credentials up to date and maintain their marketability in a competitive healthcare staffing marketplace.

To learn more about the benefits of travel nursing jobs or to get a recommendation on ACLS courses for Med Surg nurses or other documents for travel nurse jobs, call American Traveler Staffing Professionals at 800.884.8788 or apply online today.

Fortune Magazine, well-known throughout the business world, has published this year’s results for the top 100 best companies to work for; not surprisingly, it includes 11 different hospitals and health systems across the United States—this is fantastic news for a leading nurse staffing agency that fills travel nursing jobs from coast to coast, and even better news for R.N.s who come to work for us!

Our healthcare staff enjoys luxury private housing and other comprehensive benefits with some of the best travel nursing locations in the country as the backdrop—and the cherry on top? American Traveler is proud to be affiliated with America’s best hospitals, ranked year after year by U.S. News & World Report and frequent spot-holders on Fortune’s annual list.

Need a Quick summary of Fortune’s list? Then feast your travel nursing eyes on this!

Several of the hospital systems that made the cut are in coveted U.S. travel nursing locations, spanning the sunshine state—where Florida nursing jobs employ tens of thousands of registered nurses —to the west coast, where California nursing jobs are also known for high rankings; but let’s not forget the American Midwest and Old West, where Ohio nursing jobs and Texas nursing jobs are setting blazing career paths that light up Fortune’s list this year! Get in touch with American Traveler today to make sure you climb the right ladder, and be sure to know all there is to know about great spots for R.N.s by checking in with our related blogs about travel nursing locations !

Travel Nurses Who Sign On at Top Rated Hospitals “Make the Honor Roll”!

Like the professionals who helped develop the tradition of listing the 100 best places to work, American Traveler also believes the foundation of every great workplace is trust between its workforce and management. Our recruiters work 24/7 to ensure that the candidates we hire for top jobs in all 50 U.S. states live a life of positivism, awesome productivity and great patient outcomes! Apply online or call 800-884-8788—it’s high time you made the honor roll!

Footnote: Click on Great Place to Work Institute to view a complete list of best companies to work for in 2011. Interested travel nurses may also visit this site to invite their employer to compete for a spot next year!

Some things in the hospital staffing blogosphere just cannot be overlooked. “Top 10 Healthcare Technology Hazards for 2011″ published by Media HealthLeaders is one. This list is enough to make any healthcare employer evaluate and revaluate again patient safety standards, practitioner safeguards and equipment reliability and training.

Medical research group, ECRI Institute compiled the list, say authors, to encourage healthcare employers to take preventive measures and to “formulate programs to minimize dangers.” Additionally, say hospital headhunters, extra attention to hospital staffing and healthcare recruitment tactics could result in higher quality candidates, increased patient safety and a reduction in clinical errors.

Standards used for the list include recall information, medical device problem reporting and investigation of  “device-related” incidents. The following includes excerpts from the list.*

1. Radiation overdose

Forty healthcare employer incidents of software errors, manufacturing-required software modifications or dose calculation errors for radiotherapy systems, linear accelerators and radiation treatment planning systems occurred between July 2009 and July 2010, reports ECRI.

2. Nursing alarm fatigue

Nursing alarm fatigue can happen when the number of alarms begins to overwhelm healthcare staff, causing them to modify alarm settings to reduce the number of alarms they hear. In some cases, healthcare staff has gone as far as to disable alarms completely. Do you or your staff suffer from Nursing Alarm Fatigue?

3. Insufficient decontamination efforts

10,000 patients were tested by the Department of Veteran Affairs last year after endoscopes and accessories were improperly decontaminated at several healthcare facilities. Additionally, two healthcare employers in June reported contacting thousands of patients regarding potential exposure to infection.

4. Too high radiation from CT scans

A 2009 study suggests that 29,000 cases of cancer may have been caused by radiation doses administered during CT imaging scans in 2007, causing many healthcare providers to re-evaluate the frequent, sometimes too frequent use of CT Scans.

5. Healthcare information technology (HIT) complications

In the past two years, 260 HIT-related incidents have resulted in 44 injuries and six reported deaths. Incidents included a confusing user interface that led to the “overwriting of one patient’s data with another patient’s study” and an improperly configured database that caused manually entered patient data to be overwritten during automatic updates.

6. Tubing or catheter misconnections

ECRI researchers say that between January 2008 and September 2009, 36 incidents of tubing or catheter misconnections were reported at Pennsylvania healthcare facilities alone. Incidents ranged from near misses to serious events. An August New York Times report detailed the death of a patient when nutrients intended for the gastrointestinal tract went into a patient’s vein instead.

7. Over sedation

The patient-controlled analgesic (PCA) infusion pump is on the list because of dangers associated with the risky delivery of high-alert medications used with these devices. A 2007 study identified a pronounced incidence of respiratory depression among patients undergoing PCA therapy.

8. Sharps injuries

ECRI suggests that prevention programs with regards to “sharps” awareness may be outdated. Healthcare employers should routinely review and refine sharps safety efforts, making sure that all personnel in high risk areas receive ongoing training and recertification.

9. Surgical fires

The 600 surgical fires estimated to occur each year are about as common as wrong-site surgeries, reports ECRI.  Healthcare staff should be made aware of fire hazards from oxidizers, ignition sources, and operating room fuels, say researchers, and receive ongoing training and updates with new equipment.

10. Failing defibrillators

ECRI researchers point to their own reporting system, along with the FDA database, to reveal the many incidents in which defibrillators didn’t discharge during resuscitation attempts for various preventable reasons, such as depleted batteries.

*Cheryl Clark, for HealthLeaders Media , December 1, 2010

American Traveler is the nation’s leading travel nursing jobs and therapist staffing firm with opportunities for graduates, seasoned professionals and mid-career caregivers. Our healthcare staffing blog provides readers with information about current trends in nursing and therapy jobs staffing. To learn more about nurse job opportunities and staffing programs for healthcare providers, call 800-884-8788 today.

Find out What’s Happening Next Door to Your East Coast Travel Nursing Jobs

Travel nurse jobs available in all 50 U.S. states make a fine medium for touring the country in high style. Chances are your free private housing, a part of the travel nurse benefits package and close to the job site, is also in the respective backyard of America’s top tourist destinations. With your penchant for travel in mind, our team at American Traveler has put together the ultimate resource for our vacation lovers working on the Eastern seaboard this winter—so get out your travel nursing calendar and jot down these dates!

Travel Nursing in D.C. a Capitol Idea!

Washington DC travel nurse jobs are a bundle of fun in the wintertime! Take for instance, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, offering an array of cultural events this January—the Washington DC calendar offers quintets, guitars and drama at the National Archives too. Plan the whole of January and your Valentine’s Day in the capitol city by clicking on this DC events link.

Star-Filled Nights—on Stage that is—are Close to New Jersey Nursing Jobs

When it comes to New Jersey’s concert and performing arts scene this February, the list reads like roll-call on Oscar Night; travel nurses enjoying N.J. residence can check out the New Jersey Performing Arts calendar ; find special events and festivals.

Travel nurses are encouraged to visit New Jersey’s official visitor website or download a free New Jersey guidebook and map of everything the Garden State has to offer, from its pastoral beauty (a real camper’s delight!) to black-tie events.

Massachusetts Nursing Jobs a Breath Away from the Ultimate Winter Getaway

The official vacation website, jammed packed with things to do in Massachusetts, says it all with their slogan: “It’s all here.” The state lets you design your own mini-vacation, with potential for a romantic, fun, family style, historical or expedition-style getaway. When your Massachusetts nursing jobs coincide with winter in the Common Wealth State, you open the door to January and February events that warm the heart and charm the senses—just click on things to do in Massachusetts and find categorized monthly events.

Going Places in 2011? American Traveler Staffs Travel Nurses Exactly Where They Want to Be

If you haven’t done so already, get in touch with your inner-traveler by calling toll-free 800-884-8788 or apply online. Our nursing career resource center is buzzing with tips that let you make the most of your days as a healthcare professional—working in as many as four different travel nurse jobs per year! Revel in your east coast travel nursing job by discovering its broad spectrum of gems—from enjoying sweeping farmland, quaint hotels and antiquing—to relaxing in a day spa after a day of shoe shopping.

We hope you enjoy everything in store for the New Year!

Director of talent management at the Cleveland Clinic, Lois Bock, told Hospital & Health Networks that during the first two months of 2010, the Clinic filled 500 physician and RN jobs, along with numerous clinical support positions.

Hospitals doing well as the economy recovers will be ones focused on quality patient care, said Deborah Bacurin, clinical coordinator for American Traveler Staffing Professionals, a leading employer of ER and med/surg nurses. With healthcare reform’s emphasis on performance and efficiency, Bacurin said, hospital’s looking for maximum reimbursements can’t afford to cut back on staff, as fewer nurses can lead to increased medical errors, a breakdown in patient-doctor communication and a drop in positive outcomes.

At University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, patient admissions are up by 14 percent, prompting the hiring of 50 new nurses in recent months, reports the Iowa City Press-Citizen. UI vice president for medical affairs, Jean Robillard, “attributed the rise in patient admissions to declining unemployment rates in the region.”  Find Iowa nursing jobs

A look at hiring in the south, Tift Regional Medical Center in Georgia has hired more med/surg nurses and ER nurse jobs specialists to keep up with demand, as nearly 3,000 more patients visited their ER this fiscal year over last. Moving even farther south,  Florida gained more than 22,000 healthcare jobs over the past 12 months, trumping the state’s standout industry, construction, which now employs about the half the workers it did during the boom times.

Despite the uptick in demand for nurses of all specialties, nurse graduates are not faring as well as those with ER nurse job experience or med/surg nurse credentials, positions much harder to staff, according to Diane Holmay, vice president of nursing at Franciscan Skemp Healthcare, a division of the Mayo Health System.

Unfortunately for newcomers, Bacurin said, numerous healthcare markets are saturated with experienced, well-documented nurses already licensed and ready to work.

Though it’s likely that healthcare hiring has seen the bottom of the most recent recession, the need for medical/surgical jobs and ER Nurse jobs depends on how state and local hospital economies continue to recover in coming months and how many nurses laid off during the recession get their jobs back.

To learn more about ER nurse job opportunities and med/surg nurse jobs across the country call at 800-884-8788 or apply online today.

Travel nurse jobs give R.N.s the distinct advantage of exposure to a wide variety of charting systems, familiarizing many with what has today become a popular practice in surgical jobs: making checklists. Surgical checklists are creating a sizeable dip in errors and patient mortality—and it’s not just their content changing patient outcomes and hospital efficiency for the better—it’s also the teamwork required from everyone on the surgical team committed to seeing checklists work.

Borrowing a strategy from the aviation industry, healthcare is also using teamwork and briefings, to improve safety and efficiency during operations. Surgical checklists are a component in this, so effective they are becoming a new standard in healthcare; even the most highly regarded US hospitals are improving thanks to checklists.

Surgical checklists document every step of a patient’s surgery and hospitalization, from admission to discharge, and are reducing the risk of dying after surgery and suffering other types of complications. In one study that addressed a pool of 7,600 patients, surgical checklists decreased mortality by half and morbidity by one-third; these statistics were generated in six different Netherlands hospitals, on 11 separate checklists comprised of about 100 items each.

Summary of a Surgical Checklist

Surgical lists deal with pre-operative care, the operating room itself, Recovery, ICU and post-operative care, specifically with issues like:

• Ensuring blood is available during surgery
• Double-checking that surgeons operate on the correct site
• Ensuring the staff in the recovery ward or ICU are clear on how to take care of the patient after surgery
• Medication administration is being handled with speed and accuracy
• Deciding when a patient should be allowed to eat again
• Giving the right antibiotics before surgery

Healthcare Employers Look Toward Travel Nurses as Flexible Educators, Invaluable in Helping Train Permanent Staff in New Charting Systems

Since travel nursing jobs employ healthcare professionals in A-list facilities where cutting edge technologies are in use, they must adapt and learn quickly. With staff that has more than risen to the challenge, teaching hospitals rely on travel nurses to help permanent staff transition more seamlessly into new patient charting systems.

Clinical Coordinator Deb Bacurin is among the fray who appreciates great nursing staff and says, “when it comes to patient charting, travel nurses are every bit as conscientious as permanent nursing staff, as well as totally up-to-speed on computerized charting systems. When new systems are introduced on the scene, travel nurses view it, not as a burden, but as an opportunity to enhance their nursing skills set.”

At American Traveler, You Can Check “Job Search” Off Your List

If you’re a qualified operating room nurse looking for a top paying surgical job and generous benefits package, apply online at American Traveler ASAP! It’s your best bet for rapid career growth, as well as limitless exposure to emerging trends in healthcare. Together we set the benchmarks that better protect our patients. Our clients are largely made up of hospitals named as the nation’s best in U.S. News & World Report. Peruse our nationwide med/surg jobs, to see what we mean—not only is an exciting travel nurse job waiting to be filled, but patients are waiting for your skilled and efficient touch!

Footnote: OR nurses working in med/surg jobs with an avid interest in reading the latest on protecting themselves from medical errors can visit The Agency for HealthCare Research and Policy for tips.

Are you dreaming of spending the holidays somewhere beautiful? With its temperate winter weather and mountain views, Arizona nursing jobs are getting snapped up fast. If you’re a travel nurse looking to mix desert adventure with holiday cheer, travel nursing jobs from 4 to 26 weeks in the Grand Canyon State are a Christmas wish come true; R.N.s already stationed here enjoy free, Arizona travel nurse housing, close to shopping, nightlife and seasonal events this December you won’t want to miss!

Holiday Events in Arizona

• Glendale Glitters… and smells like gingerbread, December 3 and 4th, from 6 to 10pm – Glendale celebrates “Gingerbread Nights”, an annual event for all ages, featuring horse-drawn carriage rides, holiday arts and crafts and more!

• December 17th and 18th, travel nurses can rock out to their favorite holiday music, dance academy performances and jazz ensembles when “Glendale’s Jingle Bell Rockin’ Nights comes to town from 6-10 p.m.

• Tucson Shines Bright this December For travel nurses working near Tucson this holiday season, Luminara Nights at the city Botanical Garden are worth penciling in. December 3rd thru December 5th, surround yourself with floral beauty, twinkling lights, holiday music and great food! Look to the city of Tucson’s official site for more December highlights, featuring events like the Trail of Lights Parade and Christmas Mercado!

• Travel nurses can wrap up their Holiday Shopping at the Mesa Arts Festival, December 11th and 12th! This annual Arizona event features the artwork of nearly 100 regional artists!

• Enjoy the Christmas Mariachi Festival in Phoenix! The US Airways Center in Phoenix is home to some big events this holiday season, where it puts on the highly anticipated Christmas Mariachi Festival on December 11th at 7pm.

• Don’t Miss the Legendary Holiday Lights in Scottsdale Holiday Lights at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park take you by train, if you wish, through a brightly lit winter wonderland. Get on board Friday, December 10 – Saturday, January 1. Excluding December 24, 25 and 31!

Wishing Nursing Staff in Arizona Nursing Jobs and Beyond a Wonderful Holiday Season!
Whether Arizona travel nurses enjoy December’s Mexican Holiday markets and tamales, take in the festive décor or just sip cocoa at home, American Traveler wishes them a happy December and much fun in the upcoming New Year!

Happy holidays one and all!