Learn about what to do in your travel nurse assignment city Travel nurses get to experience new places and different hospitals, which can definitely be exciting. Another great thing about travel nursing is the new scenery and finding out what the assignment city has to offer. A great way to begin to explore is to utilize Online Resources. Travel nursing is an exciting journey, and there is always something to look forward to. Visit this information packed online nurse career resource to get all career related links that you need for your next travel nursing job. In addition, you can discover great restaurants, entertainment and meeting new people in your city by consulting these additional online resources: Yelp is a great website that is based on user submitted reviews.  There are reviews on restaurants, salons, museums, gyms, and more.  The best part about these reviews is that they are submitted by people that have already been to that place.  A best rule of thumb about Yelp is to read these reviews with an open mind because everyone has a different experience. The website Meetup is a place where you can meet other [+]

The start of holiday shopping is over a week away, and many travel nurses will likely have to ship gifts and send cards to their loved ones.  We all know the post office is a busy place during the holidays, so it’s definitely a good idea to be prepared before making the trip there.  After all, travel nursing can keep you busy enough as it is! Tips for Boxes and Envelopes It’s a good idea to start gathering boxes and envelopes for gifts that will be secure and hold gifts without any issue.  The post office provides boxes for Priority mail for free, and has flat rates, so no matter how heavy the package is, it will ship for a set price.  It’s important to know that there are deadlines for sending packages using these flat rate boxes and envelopes too.  It is important to know the deadlines for sending packages, especially internationally, since it usually will take more time to get to the intended destination.  Whether you have a travel nursing job in New York or Arizona, it’s better to send sooner rather than later. See USPS Locator Track your boxes this holiday [+]

Recent Study Released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation BOCA RATON, FL 11/13/12 – Nurse staffing agency American Traveler emphasizes the need for culturally-sensitive nurses in areas of the country prone to diversity. Twenty-year nurse study positions traveling nurses as more ethnically and racially diverse and capable of treating disparate patient populations. For hospitals and health systems in parts of the country where nurses aren’t as plentiful, travel nursing or contract staff nurses may be the answer, according to a recent study* released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Authors examined registered nurse (RN) data from years 1984 to 2008 to find that RNs contracted through nurse staffing agencies have education levels similar to permanent nurse staff and are more ethnically and racially diverse. Read the complete Press Release More Healthcare Industry Press Releases *Source: Study released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [+]

Details on the American Traveler Spring Appreciation Party Wednesday, March 14th was no ordinary hump day for American Traveler. It just happened to be the date of our annual appreciation party for R.N.s and corporate staff. Travel nurses enjoy a Florida spring appreciation party, and it was our pleasure to see the return of wonderful stories about the travel nurse lifestyle and other rewards found along the nursing career path. Our guests came together in Boynton Beach, where good food and camaraderie passed the night. We hope you’ll enjoy a few of the photographs saved from this event, where door prizes and goody bags were on the menu too. From left to right, on first picture travel RN (left) & Joyce Streem (right), Senior Consultant; second picture Brandy Kapke (left), Assignment Advisor with Antoinette McCrary, R.N. (right); third picture  Dorothy Maloney, R.N. (left) and Amy Roll, (right) Consultant.

Vice President of Recruitment, Mary Kay Hull who also enjoyed the party, remarked that the guests she spoke with are truly amazing people. Case in point, Antoinette McCrary, R.N.—as young looking as she [+]

Read American Traveler’s Interview with an R.N. living in featured housing in Maui Tara is a Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA), who has taken her decade-long experience in urology and the perioperative setting to one of the most coveted beach destinations on the planet: Maui, where she now works in the island’s main hospital in an exciting Hawaii travel nurse job. Travel Nurse Q&A For R.N.s who might be looking to take a leap like Tara, here is an enlightening Q&A session about the family friendly nature of travel nursing. Tara is joined on her assignment by her husband and two daughters, ages 4 and 8. AT: What is your favorite thing about your featured housing in Maui? Tara: Without the private housing option this adventure would not have been possible for us.  We have the beach right out our front door.  We enjoy breakfast on our private lanai with an ocean view and watch the whales out in the bay. At night we fall asleep to the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach. AT: What kinds of things do you and your family like to do in [+]

Meet Cindy Burbatt, R.N. and her Pets American Traveler had the pleasure of checking in with a new member of our travel nursing staff, Cindy Burbatt, R.N. who shared some of the details of her first travel nurse job in Kansas City, Missouri. We talked with Cindy on the eve of her birthday. She was full of excitement for the road trip planned the following morning, departing from North Carolina en route to the heart of the Midwest. As the mother of three grown children, Cindy decided it was the right time to change up her 16-year background as a permanent staff telemetry/med surge nurse by accepting a travel nurse job in America’s heartland. While the truck she drives may not be anything that unusual for a R.N. moving to Kansas City, one standout detail is the 17ft. long trailer attached. It accommodates her longstanding and beloved pets, George and Ash; these are Cindy’s horses, and during the car trip to Missouri they’ll be staying in farms sprinkled throughout various states—places Cindy found through an online network called Horse Motel. When they arrive in Kansas City, Cindy will take up residence in a townhome, compliments of American Traveler’s private housing arrangement. George [+]

Is it possible that forming close bonds with new people on the job, leading an active social life and keeping in touch with friends and family on Facebook can help you live longer? According to a 2010 review of nearly 150 independent studies on social ties the answer is a resounding “Yes.� Not only do close friends result in greater physical and mental health, say experts at Johns Hopkins University, supportive relationships help stave off memory loss, reduce stress and boost immunity – all factors associated with aging. In fact, people with strong social ties had a 50 percent better chance of survival regardless of age, sex, and health than those with weaker ties, one study found. Meeting new people and making friends is high up on the list of why RNs choose a travel nurse career. Countless have reported falling in love while on assignment and others traveling with soul mates and spouses say the experience is more enriching when someone comes along for the ride. In terms of physical health, nurses often embark on travel nurse careers to get away from stressful permanent positions that result in burnout, less quality time with [+]

Penny Krause, R.N. has fallen in love twice; first with her husband, and now with her travel nursing job! Her current assignment is in the southeastern part of the Wisconsin and close enough to Chicago that she can’t resist traveling there every chance she gets. Thanks to the flexibility of travel nursing jobs, Penny is in the Windy City quite a bit, and kind enough to share stories with us, of how she’s making the most of her travel nursing career, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Year Round Travel Nursing Fun! Penny and her husband spent New Year’s Eve on Chicago’s Navy Pier, watching a fantastic fireworks display. The pier is a place, says Penny, that is absolutely beautiful at Christmastime, especially with its indoor skating rink—and Chicago—is known for their deep dish pizzas, ethnic eateries, galleries and nightlife. And, Penny tells us, they are also looking forward to this summer when they can attend a Cubs game in the famous Wrigley Field. For Penny, it’s just a 20 minute drive or short trip on the Metro from her Wisconsin travel nursing job to reach Chicago, and once she’s there, a mere $18 [+]

Single and in her fifties, RN Gerri loves travel nursing ... Gerri just dropped us a line from Baltimore and is having the time of her life. Traveling with American Traveler going on three years now, the Telemetry / ICU expert is enjoying a brief, eight-week assignment in the ‘Monument City’ where trips to “Little Italy� and the city’s Inner Harbor have made for incredible first time experiences. Lady Luck in Atlantic City has tempted the Southern Belle more than once and the Big Apple is on her list of things to do before her assignment is over. Originally from Milledgeville, Georgia, this 54-year-old nursing dynamo loves to travel and has her heart set on assignments in California and sightseeing along Route 66. At first she thought she was too old to travel, but her American Traveler Consultant, Janet Burrell, quickly dispelled that myth. “I hooked up with Janet and it’s been great. We have an excellent rapport and, because of her thoroughness, traveling has been uncomplicated and wonderful,� she said. The 30-year practitioner said American Traveler's free private housing is always above standard and she likes the way everyone at Corporate knows who she is, even [+]

As promised, here is the information about 2009 top 10 locations for travel nurses and some popular specialties in a few locations. Even is this tough economy, experienced nurses have the option to travel to beautiful parts of the country, make new friends, and even pick up new skills at a new hospital; also, apply your own nursing skills and help a new community. So, who should try travel nursing? Travel nursing is the perfect opportunity for nurses looking to explore the country while earning a higher nursing salary and strong benefits. Travel nurse jobs generally last for 13 weeks, during which travel nurses receive free private housing, free health, life, and dental insurance, licensure reimbursement, free continuing education classes, and tax advantages, all while earning up to twice as much as someone in a permanent nursing position. Beyond the financial benefits, travel nurses are given a lot of flexibility in their positions. As a travel nurse, you can choose your own start dates and can include vacation time in your contracts. Plus, travel nurses work in some of the best hospitals across the United States. Whether you want to work in a big city or a rural town, there is [+]