Daily Archives: January 16, 2015

01.16.15
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Ask a Travel Nurse: How do I transition from LPN to Travel RN?

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travel nurse asks question

Ask a Travel Nurse: How do I transition from LPN to Travel RN?

Ask a Travel Nurse Question:

I’m an LPN transitioning to RN, and Travel Nursing has always been a dream of mine. My question is: How do I transition from LPN to Travel RN? Should I take on an ER RN position for experience before attempting to try Travel Nursing?

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:

The easy answer is you will HAVE to take a position for at least a year before attempting to travel.

Even though you are transitioning from being an LPN, that, and being an RN, are two different worlds and are looked upon as such by the people who will be hiring you, the hospitals.

Plus, you need to gain experience in the specialty in which you wish to travel. ER would certainly be a good choice as you will likely find an ER in every facility in which you wish to work.

I also wanted to let you know that while a year of experience used to be the norm for taking a travel assignment, these days, 18 months to two years is what most facilities are currently requiring (which may change by the time you wish to travel).

For now, get in the hospital, at the bedside, in the specialty in which you would like to travel. Become proficient in your skills like IV starts, and NG and Foley insertions. If you do choose ER, even though it is not required by all EDs, I would at least get your ACLS card and possibly your PALS card. If you wish to work in trauma centers, maybe your TNCC. Anything that will show that you have a bit more education.

I hope this helps.

David

david@travelnursesbible.com

01.16.15
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State Health Rankings

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map of US state health rankingsSince 1990, America’s Health Rankings have provided a state-by-state assessment of health in the United States. Recently the annual report for 2014 was released, allowing you to check out health reports by state regarding issues such as smoking, obesity, premature death, immunization, diabetes, and even aspects like poverty and graduation rates. Each state’s info can be broken down further by gender, age, education, income, race/ethnicity, and urbanicity. In addition to the general report, there is a specifically crafted senior report.

As a traveling healthcare professional, you may be headed to serve a population you would like to learn more about. This type of report featuring state health rankings can be very enlightening to Travel Nurses and Allied Health Professionals.

In the overall state health rankings the top 10 were:

1. Hawaii

2. Vermont

3. Massachusetts

4. Connecticut

5. Utah

6. Minnesota

7. New Hampshire

8. Colorado

9. North Dakota

10. Nebraska

 

And the bottom 10 were:

50. Mississippi

49. Arkansas

48. Louisiana

47. Kentucky

46. Oklahoma

45. Tennessee

44. West Virginia

43. Alabama

42. South Carolina

41. Indiana

The state health rankings provided through America’s Health Rankings are made possible through a partnership between the United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association, and the Partnership for Prevention.

According to their website, America’s Health Rankings is the “longest running annual assessment of the nation’s health on a state-by-state basis.” They also say that the purpose of these state health rankings is to “stimulate action by individuals, elected officials, health care professionals, public health professionals, employers, educators, and communities to improve the health of the US population.”

The hope is that the report will encourage an important conversation about health in each state, which will ultimately lead to a group effort that improves health nationwide. Many states actually incorporate the findings when reviewing their own goals, programs, and strategies.

Click here to check out the state health rankings in full.

As a Traveler, what have you learned by serving patients in multiple states? Share you experiences in the comments.

01.16.15
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Study Disputes Perception That New Beneficiaries Are Fueling Medicare Advantage Growth

The majority of people who signed up for Medicare Advantage plans in recent years were switching out of the traditional Medicare program, according to a recent study. The findings contradict the popular belief that growth in Medicare Advantage has been fueled primarily by people who choose it when they first become eligible for Medicare.

The private Medicare Advantage plans are an alternative to traditional Medicare, and often provide additional services such as gym memberships or vision and dental benefits not included in the regular program. But they also generally require beneficiaries to stay within the plan’s network of doctors, hospitals and other providers. The federal government pays the plans to help cover the cost of benefits.

“The prevailing thought was that baby boomers were enrolling in Medicare Advantage plans at a higher rate because they were more familiar with managed care and it was what they experienced in employer plans,” says Gretchen Jacobson, associate director of the Program on Medicare Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation and lead author of the study, which was published in the January issue of Health Affairs. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

For the study, researchers tracked Medicare claims data between 2006 and 2011. Each year more than half of Medicare Advantage enrollees switched in from the traditional Medicare program. The number was 52 percent in 2011, a slightly lower number than the previous year.

Overall, 30 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are in Medicare Advantage plans. Beneficiaries can switch types of plans during open enrollment each fall.

Beneficiaries in their mid- to late-60s made up the largest share of those who switched from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage, the study found.

“Younger Medicare beneficiaries may have fewer health conditions, so they may be more willing to restrict their provider network in a trade-off for having extra benefits,” says Jacobson.

The health law reduced funding for Medicare Advantage between 2012 and 2016, leading to predictions by some that increased cost sharing and eroding benefits would lead to declining enrollment.

So far that hasn’t happened.

“Given that enrollment has continued to grow and there haven’t been major changes in premiums or availability of plans, many project that growth will continue,” says Jacobson.

Please contact Kaiser Health News to send comments or ideas for future topics for the Insuring Your Health column.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

01.16.15
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The White House Community College Initiative an Investment in our Future

National Nurses United supports the White House’s new community college initiative – a move that would open doors for a new generation of registered nurses.

“Millions of young women have long counted on our community colleges as their means to obtain an associate degree in nursing. These programs are essential for nurses, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds or underreported communities to achieve their dreams in providing quality care for patients, and their communities, as well as securing economic opportunity for themselves and their families,” said NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro.

Under the proposed deal, the federal government would cover 75 percent of the cost with the states paying for the rest.

“Yet the ADN degree has come under increasing attack by the corporatized healthcare industry,” DeMoro said, noting the growing numbers of hospitals seeking to restrict hiring and advancement to RNs with four-year degrees.

Reducing the cost of education and lessening students’ loans will expand opportunities and ultimately incomes, especially for women and communities of color, she said.

Everyone benefits from an overall nursing workforce that more closely resembles the population in racial, as well as socio-economic diversity.

Ultimately, NNU said the U.S. should move toward improving access to education at all levels, such as making all higher education tuition free. One way to achieve that would be enactment of a small fee on Wall Street transactions of stocks, bonds, derivatives and other financial instruments, the Robin Hood Tax, which could be used in part to pay for equal access to education for all.

“With this initiative, the White House is planting the seeds for a better educated workforce, a better economy, and a better America,” DeMoro said. “Congress should welcome this proposal and work with the President to bring it to fruition.”