The discussions at the RV Living RoundTable this year at the conference was varied and informative. The round table discussions were attended by gypsies who have never lived in an RV, dreamers planning for their first assignment, gypsies who live in their RV’s now who just want more information, and gypsies who have a lot of experience with RV living and were willing to share it. The Round Table was formatted as a question answer and discussion format so anyone with a question could get help. As winter is approaching, the main questions were related to living in an RV during the cold weather season. My first experience with winter weather happened about a week after moving into the 5th wheel. We had bought a four season RV and thought that as long as we had the heaters on and the underbelly was heated we were fine. Then we woke up and the water line (from the faucet to the RV) was frozen, the sewer line (from the RV to the sewer) was frozen and our fresh water tank was empty. We learned several lessons from this experience. You must have a heated water hose going into the RV. You can make your own using heat tape but we chose to buy a heated water hose. We bought the Pirit brand. Keep the grey and black water sewer lines closed during freezing weather. Remember when you empty, empty the black water first, then the grey water to flush the line. Another […]

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This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series Vital SignsHere are your weekly Vital Signs for week ending 11/30/13 Compiled and written by: Teresa Posthumus, RN CNN Health News Modern-day health woes, solved We all love our technical devices but how are they affecting our lives?  Is there new health issues connected to our technical devices?  If there are what are they?  Read the below listed article share with us how you feel on this subject.   USA Today Heart expert’s debate who should take statins The contraversity over “statin” drugs and the benefits get the latest information.  Read about what the doctors have to say about the topic.  Med Page Today  Emergency Medicine – Butterflies Tied to Lower Hemolysis Rates When you work in the ED at the hospital Lab blood draws are done on almost every patient.  Do you know the percentage of lab draws that are done that hemolysis and cannot be use?  What can be done to decrease the possibility of hemolysis of lab draws?  Check out the web site and see what you can do to make your patients hospital visit a better experience.  National Hope Line Network A New Drug On The Block: Zohydro – another addictive substance  With all the contaversity of pain medications and the abuse it currently has on the public’s health the FDA releases another pain medication.  Read the concerns about this newest medication. That sums up this weeks Nursing Vital Signs, covering the topics that have been prevalent in […]

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This picture was taken of the mountain across the river into New Hampshire from the top of the ski jump

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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. Free Things to do in New York City – Plus Other Ideas 2013 Travelers Conference Gypsy Nurse Welcome Reception The Pitfalls of Maintaining RN Licensure in Multiple States Thanksgiving For the Travel Nurse A Gypsy Nurse Beach Bon Fire & Cookout Our Social Network has Moved! Themed Street Art at Home and Abroad 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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If your test results indicate you have prediabetes you should enroll in an evidence-based lifestyle program to lower your chances of getting type 2 diabetes. Studies show that people with prediabetes can prevent or delay type 2 diabetes by losing 5% to 7% of their weight—that is 10 to 14 pounds for a 200-pound person. Weight loss should be achieved by making lasting lifestyle changes to improve nutrition and increase physical activity. Source: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDTSTRS/default.aspx

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One of the interesting things that I found early on in my travels is that there are many places throughout the US that have Themed Street art around the town. Norfolk VA In Norfolk Virginia, I was seeking cheap/free things to entertain my then 13 y/o daughter during her summer visit and I found Mermaids! Norfolk is full of mermaids!! Well, not real mermaids…did you think I’d lost my mind? They are actually artistic statues of mermaids. They are all over town! I don’t know how many in total but they are all themed and named and have some cute stories behind them. Pretty cute, I think! My daughter and I ended up going on a mermaid hunt and had a great time trying to find all of the mermaid statues scattered around the city.  (Unfortunately, I do not have photo’s from my personal Mermaid Hunt so I’m sharing the ‘borrowed’ photo’s below. Please stop by these sites and explore more of this fun and unique city.) Louisville KY While visiting Louisville KY on a Photo Safari with my daughter, we found Horses!  Statues of fancifully painted horses can be seen around Louisville. The horse statues were a part of the Gallopalooza art exhibition, and the horses honor past winners of the Kentucky Derby. San Miguel, El Salvador A recent trip nearly 5,000 miles away from Louisville, I discovered that themed art does not stop at the US border.  In San Miguel El Salvador, one of the local Colleges (Universidad Andreas Bello) has sponsored some great […]

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If you are 45 years of age or older, you should consider getting a blood test from a health care provider for prediabetes and diabetes, especially if you are overweight.     Source: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDTSTRS/default.aspx

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It is important to find out early if you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, because early treatment can prevent serious problems that diabetes can cause, such as loss of eyesight or kidney damage.     Source: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDTSTRS/default.aspx

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NOTICE:  The Gypsy Nurse (and thegypsynurse.com) are no longer affiliated with the The Gypsy Nurse Caravan group on Facebook.  Being no longer a member of the Gypsy Nurse Caravan Group was not an option I was given as other parties made this decision for me by letting personal differences get in the way of Professional Judgement. The Gypsy Nurse will continue to provide the same Professional Service that you have grown to expect under the New & Improved Facebook page The Travel Nurse Network. Thank you for your continued support. Should you have any questions , concerns or suggestions, please contact me personally at admin@thegypsynurse.com   Check us out on the New FB group Sponsored by:  The Gypsy Nurse! Travel Nurses, recruiters and nurses interested in learning about travel nursing are all invited to join me at the Travel Nurse Network. The Gypsy Nurse believes in the 3 C’s: Collaboration, Camaraderie and Community… The Travel Nurse Network is just that…a network for Travel nurses. An unbiased place for nurses and recruiters to join in a collaborative effort to improve our industry and support each other. Lets collaborate with each other to better understand the industry. Let’s support each other and build camaraderie, and let’s build a community by meeting in person, supporting those having a difficult time and providing information to those seeking a better understanding of our specialty. RULES: – Absolutely NO RECRUITING (I will warn you first but if you continue to actively recruit or spam the members, […]

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Great things are happening in the Travel Nursing Community. In an effort to promote travel nurse socialization and support, The Gypsy Nurse organizes events and Activities all over the Nation! In addition to meeting other Gypsy Nurses and having a Great time, you can earn your Gypsy Bracelet and Charm by attending an Gypsy sponsored event! Beach Bon Fire & Cookout ~ Mad River Beach Arcata, CA This event was organized by The Gypsy Nurse. On arrival, there was a load of wood that needed brought to the Bon Fire site and I was thankful for the assistance of a random young man that graciously helped out! Gypsy Nurses headed to the beach for a Traditional California Bon Fire and Cook-out… We had a great turnout and more food and drink than we could consume. Being the welcoming and giving group that we are, we invited random beach-goers to join in with us.  We were joined by a local young girl who had biked out to the beach and was happy to warm herself by the fire in the damp foggy evening before she got back on her bike and rode home.  We were also joined by a vacationing family who’s daughter immediately fell in love with our Gypsy Dog ‘Fawn’. We rounded out the group with 4 Travel Nurses, one spouse (who got to mark something off his ‘Bucket List’), one Gypsy Dog, 4 Random strangers and a little girl. Want to know what the Gypsy Nurse’s are planning? […]

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