A lot of travel agencies allow nurses to travel across the country on assignment while bringing their spouses, however some travel nurses are leaving the spouse at home and to travel alone. The Gypsy Nurse conducted a survey in July with nurses who travel without their spouses. Several of the nurses who took part in the survey have been married for more than 15 years to their current spouse before taking on a travel nurse assignment.  For a couple nurses, they were on their first or second assignment away from their spouse while others have traveled on and off from 2 to 8 years. “We have skype dates where we watch tv together, dinner together and even shop together,” said Lorri R. There are many different reasons nurses decide to travel. Some of the various answers received in the survey include my spouse runs a german shepard kennel and builds classic cars, financial reasons, job layoffs, children in college, wanting more experience, “itchy feet,” and the money was too good to give up. A family decision was why Sandi M. started traveling to New Mexico where she had family members that she did not know; including her sister that she had not seen in 9 years and a niece. “I am going to have a hard time leaving the family I have gotten to know here.” she said. What are a spouse’s thoughts to travel nursing? The Gypsy Nurse asked! Several stated their spouses are good and comfortable with it. […]

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Gypsy, I am a new traveler working on my second contract in Fresno CA. I am  having difficulty choosing a Travel Nurse Agency that offers the best pay in California? My wife and I get the run around a lot and don’t know which company is telling the truth. I have been a nurse for 8 years in ICU and ER and I don’t need to be screwed over. Thanks! Dante, RN Thank you for reading The Gypsy Nurse. You have taken the first step on your journey to become A Gypsy Nurse. Dante, Choosing a staffing agency is a difficult thing. I really don’t have specifics on which company pays the ‘best’ in CA.  There are many companies to choose from and you have to find a company/recruiter that you feel works in your best benefit.  Remember that when comparing pay packages, there is a lot of information that goes into the package and each variable all come out of the ’bill rate’.   Know what your minimum pay is and stick with it.  I will say that Travel nursing isn’t the ‘gold mine’ that many seem to think it is. I will also encourage you to join in on the Gypsy Nurse Caravan Group via Facebook, where you will find over 1600 other travelers that are ready and willing to help answer your questions! I hope that this helps answer your questions. – Gypsy   I love hearing the opinions of my readers.  Your opinion could be the perfect solution for someone.  Please […]

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Here are your weekly Vital Signs for week ending 10/18/13 Compiled and written by: Teresa Posthumus, RN Hand Washing VS Sanitizers Every healthcare provider knows the rules: either wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer.  What are the newest study’s findings?   Every healthcare provider must make their own decisions – informed decisions create better outcomes for both healthcare providers and patients. Good Morning America ABC news: GMA Tries Different Types of hand sanitizer and soap to see which works best.  World Health Organization:  Handwashing: Clean Hands Save Lives The Alternative Medicine and Palliative Care Controversies: There are so many new alternative medical options out there anymore.  As healthcare providers are we being educated and prepared to except these options?  Or do we look at it as a backward voodoo practices.   Today’s patients are more educated with many more resources are we meeting their needs? National League of Nursing: The Future of Nursing Education: Ten Trends to Watch CNN Report on Alternative Medications and Methods: Opinion: Alternative Healing or Quackery? Flu Shot Mandatory Controversy for Healthcare Staff and Effectiveness of Shots: Many hospital employees are being mandated to get the flu shot or lose their jobs!  What are the facts behind the effectiveness of flu vaccinations? USA Weekend: Flu Shot Controversary for Healthcare Workers CDC Flu Shot requirements: Influenza Vaccination Information for Health Care Workers and Vaccine Effectiveness – How Well Does the Flu Vaccine Work? Air Pollution Connection to Lung Cancer and Heart Disease: We all know that there are health choice […]

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The Gypsy Nurse could not be successful without the support and contributions of it’s readers. Today’s Specialty Spotlight is from reader and Specialty Nurse Tonya O., RN who works as an ER Nurse. Name: Tonya O., RN Job Title: ER List your education/certifications: PALS, TNCC, ACLS, BLS Where do you work: Various facilities, from Level 1 Trauma Centers to Critical Care Access hospitals How long have you worked this Specialty? Expert Greater than 5 years How/Why did you get involved? Was there someone/something that inspired you to choose this specialty? I chose the ER because it is never the same thing twice. Even though I have been in this area for 7 years, I still see and learn things I\’ve never been exposed to before. I love being able to comfort and care for a patient at what is often a very scary time for them, and to support the families of the patients I care for. I am an ER nurse, and I can\’t imagine doing anything else. What do you do in a typical day? Critical Thinking! It is key to being in the ER because even the same diagnosis doesn\’t present the same way in every patient. Being able to think outside the box is a big part of my job some days. When a patient presents to the ER, they are triaged, which is sort of a trouble shooting process. What is the patient here for? How many other departmental resources do we need to treat […]

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Angela Hageman with Kendra Collier and our dogs Harley and Fawn.

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Here is your weekend report. This is a round-up and overview of this weeks Travel Nurse happenings with all of the weekly posts in one place for easy navigation. Don’t forget, if you have questions or comments or material that you would like to see covered on Gypsy Nurse, let me know in the comments below. I hope you have enjoyed the content this week. Don’t forget to follow me via Facebook or Twitter (or both) to get the most recent content as it’s posted. Have a great weekend and I’ll be back on Monday. Travel Nurse Inspiration in Photos: Western Wyoming Building Collaborative Success within Nursing “Scrubbing In” Risk of Being Cancelled? Make Travel Nursing Fun: 2 Secrets to Working ‘On the Road’ with Enthusiasm Interview Questions for a Travel CNA Specialty Spotlight: ER Talking Taxes: The Tax Home “Abandonment” Issue Travel Nurse Destination Report: Mercy Hospital Devils Lake, ND Travel Nurse Interview: Katy, RN Check out the Staffing Agency Submissions in the Directory Have you worked for any of the companies listed?  If so, please fill out a review!  If you would like to see your company listed in the directory, send them the submission link.   I hope you’ve enjoyed this weeks edition of Travel Nursing Happenings. Stay tuned next week for additional great content! Have a great weekend.

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I love being a travel nurse and connecting with other nurses and families of my patients. I have made awesome connections and friends.

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