Chasing Zzzzs? Here are some tips for getting enough sleep on your Travel Nurse assignment.

Many Americans aren’t getting enough sleep, but for nurses it’s especially important. Studies show that sleep-deprived nurses are more likely to make errors or poor clinical decisions on the job — which can literally be a matter of life or death.

According to a January 2014 article in the American Journal of Critical Care, nurses lacking sleep were more likely than those without a sleep deficit to regret clinical choices made during their shift. So beyond the personal toll of sleep deprivation, nurses have their patient care to think of too. Plus, you always want to put your best foot forward on assignment and protect your license.

If you’re not nodding off the way you’d like to, here are some tips for getting enough sleep on assignment:

Try to Maintain a Regular Sleep Schedule

This is tricky, especially for night nurses who are already battling their Circadian rhythm. But whatever your sleep reality, try to make it a regular one. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day — or as close as you possibly can — even on your days off. This will help your body get into a habit, which will grease the wheels for good sleep. You should shoot for 7-9 hours each “night.” If you have a shift change coming up, alter your schedule in increments so you don’t shock your body.

Turn Off Your Tech

It might be tempting to crawl into bed with your smartphone or tablet, but resist the urge! Make the bedroom a no-way zone for phones, tablets, laptops, and TVs. The light from your TV and devices is a notorious melatonin disruptor and should be avoided at bedtime.

Avoid Caffeine After a Certain Hour

Oh, coffee — the nectar of the Gods! It helps you get up and at ‘em, but you want to avoid it after a certain hour or it could keep you from restful sleep. The rule of thumb for people with “regular” schedules is no coffee after lunch. But as a nurse, your hours often vary outside the bounds of 8-5, so you should adjust accordingly and try not to have any coffee within 7-9 hours of bedtime.

Manipulate the Light

Bright light is a huge influence on your body; it says “Wake up!” If you wake up a little groggy, open the curtains to get yourself going. And on the flipside, wear some shades on a sunny drive home and do your best to lay down to sleep in a dark, cool room.

We hope these tips for getting enough sleep on assignment have you sawing logs in no time. Please share any good sleep practices for nurses in the comments!

5 Ways Travel Nursing Improves Your Skills: Learn how you can take your professional skills to the top of the mountain!

Travel Nurses are a highly skilled bunch of healthcare professionals. They must hit the ground running at each new facility, so they must be fully clinically and professionally prepared. But, even though you arrive at an assignment with a sharp skill set, travel nursing will even help you hone your skills even more!

Here are 5 ways travel nursing improves your skills:

Proving Adaptability       

Travel nursing lets you practice and prove your adaptability. You have to be flexible in terms of patients, colleagues, locations, hospital policies and systems, and more. Adaptability is an asset for any nurse — and traveling is one of the best ways to practice this skill.

Encountering Variety

There are A LOT of x-factors when it comes to hospitals, their purpose, designations, and the area they are in. For example, as you move from one area to another you will likely treat a greater variety of patients. Hospitals can be rural, urban, different sizes, cater to different demographics, teaching hospitals, and even more differences that will translate to a wider variety of experience for you — and your resume!

Meeting the Challenge

Travel Nurses can gain a lot of confidence from facing and meeting the new challenges of traveling. There are a lot of things in life that might seem daunting at first, but once you conquer them you really get in touch with your own strength and that feels amazing. Succeeding in travel nursing will build your confidence which in turn enhances your skills.

Learning New Systems

In your travels it’s likely that you’ll encounter a variety of EMR systems. As you work with each different system you’ll become proficient and this makes you even more marketable and flexible in the future.

Practicing People Skills

While travel nursing you will meet a greater variety of personalities than a perm nurse — including patients, colleagues, and hospital administration. This exposure to a lot of different people and temperaments will leave you with awesome people skills.

Surely there are more than 5 ways travel nursing improves your skills — what are some ways you’ve benefitted from?

Home, Sweet Home: How should you handle housing on your first Travel Nurse assignment?

Ask a Travel Nurse Question:

I’m about to sign on for my first travel nurse assignment. Should I take the housing allowance and find my own place or should I take paid housing arrangements through the agency?      

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:

On your first assignment, I strongly suggest taking the company provided housing. It’s just too many things for a first-time traveler to deal with on their first contract.

Hopefully, you have a company that is willing to put you up in a one-bedroom apartment versus an extended stay hotel (which is generally “lower tier” housing).

Once you have the swing of things, then you can consider looking for housing on your third or fourth contract. I have been at this just shy of 20 years and yet I still let my company arrange my housing. Just too much work and too many factors (like contract cancellations) that increase the risk of taking the stipend and finding your own housing.

Don’t get me wrong, many people do it and prefer it, but it IS extra work. Extra work I’m happy to let my company assume when I’m going into a new environment for the first time. If there are problems, then someone else (my company) has to deal with them. If you are on your own with your housing, any issues will need to be resolved by you (while trying to go through orientation, start your days on the unit, and figuring out a new hospital system).

Also feel free to seek out other travelers who do arrange housing for themselves, in the online travel nursing forums. Some good travel nurse forums can be found at ultimatenurse.com, allnurses.com, and the Delphi forum for traveling professionals (go to delphiforums.com, look for the box on the right that says “Explore existing forums,” type in “travel nursing” and the top result is a group called Travel Nurses and Therapists).

You can also join Healthcare Travelbook (healthcaretravelbook.com), which is a sort of Facebook style place for travelers and also has a forum.

I hope this helps!

David

david@travelnursesbible.com

With so many awesome locations, it’s easy to get hooked on Travel Nursing!

Calling all adventure addicts and adrenaline junkies! Travel Nursing provides a very inviting lifestyle and lots of professional opportunities. It’s so great that many nurses get hooked on travel nursing and never look back.

Here are 4 reasons you’ll get hooked on Travel Nursing:

Adventure

Whether it’s trying out a popular new restaurant in Phoenix or hiking the Grand Canyon, taking in a pro sports game in Denver or kayaking a mountain lake, Travel Nurses have access to all kinds of adventures. First, your assignments themselves may sometimes be an adventure, as you get to check out new hospitals and meet new co-workers. But you’ll also have all of your free time on an assignment to adventure around the area surrounding your facility. Many nurses strategically choose locations based upon cities and/or areas of the country they want to explore … which brings us to the next reason you’ll get hooked on Travel Nursing.

Freedom

Travel Nurses enjoy so much freedom and flexibility. As a Traveler you really have the freedom to craft your healthcare career to be exactly what you want. Additionally, they also have the freedom to choose where they want to be and when they want to be there. Say you like to ski, find an assignment in Colorado for the ski season. Say you hate winter, go ahead and find an assignment that allows you to “fly south” for the winter.

Change

If you’re the type that likes to keep things exciting Travel Nursing offers all kinds of opportunities for change. Changing assignments and locations at your own chosen pace allows you to always keep things fresh! The change you experience moving between different facilities will strengthen your skills, which brings us to …

Professional Growth

Working as a Travel Nurse allows you to grow so much as a nurse and is fantastic for your resume. Traveling lets you witness many different hospitals’ approaches to patient care and serve a variety of patient demographics firsthand. Traveling makes you a much stronger nurse, simply because you have more variety in your professional experiences and Travelers must practice jumping right in and thinking on their feet. Also, when someone with hiring power at a hospital sees Travel Nursing on a resume it automatically tells them that you are highly skilled, flexible, dependable, and have experience in a variety of clinical settings.

Of course, these are just 4 reasons you’ll get hooked on Travel Nursing — there are so many more. Let us know in the comments what got you hooked on traveling!

Ask a Travel Nurse: How should I handle getting state licenses as a new Traveler?

Ask a Travel Nurse Question:

I am preparing to find my first travel job and have found that many of the jobs in the states we want to go request that you have your license in hand before applying. My recruiters have even suggested getting these state licenses (before I even know if I will get the job) so that I meet the qualifications for applying.

Some states have walk-thru options, and I’ve resorted to looking for openings in those states first. I unfortunately do not live in a compact state. I guess this roadblock is surprising to me and I am not sure if I should just get licenses in states I know I will eventually want to go or just keep looking? Any advice regarding licenses?

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:

I would personally not go to the expense of obtaining multiple licenses ahead of time — although some agencies will reimburse you these costs, so if you can afford them upfront that’s one possibility.

Otherwise, try to maybe narrow your choice to two states (one with a walk-thru option and one where you know you will eventually land). Then you could primarily focus your efforts on the state in which you already paid for the license, but keep the “walk-thru state” as a backup option.

Since I’m a “location” traveler, I simply know where I want to go next and am willing to wait for an assignment in that location. But after you have been doing this awhile, you will also accumulate many different state licenses that are pretty easy to renew even if you let them lapse.

Some companies will reimburse for licenses and offer other benefits that will help you get licensed. This is often based on experience, specialty, and likelihood of taking an assignment with the company. You should ask your recruiter if the agency offers any help in this regard.

David

david@travelnursesbible.com

Many companies offer Travel Nurse bonuses for referrals, loyalty, and more. Find out how you can get yours.

A little sugar on top is never a bad thing. When it comes to Travel Nursing, there are many companies that offer bonuses to their Travelers for referrals, loyalty, completion, and more.

Many nurses consider bonuses a benefit and finding the right agency for many nurses can be a lot about shopping what benefits they offer. Each Traveler has different needs in terms of benefits, but when it comes to bonuses, who isn’t interested in that!

Here’s a quick rundown of a few Travel Nurse Companies and what they offer in the way of bonuses:

Medical Solutions

This pet friendly Travel Nurse company offers a $500 bonus for each nurse you refer that signs on and works with Medical Solutions for at least 30 days. There is no limit on how many Travelers you can refer, and for each successful referral you get $500.

They also offer a loyalty bonus that pays Travelers an extra $600 for every 600 hours worked. After that, the clock starts over and you can earn another $600 after the next 600 hours — no limit to the amount of these you can collect either. Completion bonuses are also offered on select assignments.

Click here for full details on the referral bonus and here for details on the loyalty bonus.

American Traveler

This staffing professional company offers referral and completion bonuses. They do not list the amount, but if you want more info I’d suggest asking your AT recruiter.

Click here for listed details.

Onward Healthcare

This company’s refer-a friend bonus program offers bonuses in tiers based upon what your referral’s specialty/qualifications are. They offer a $500 referral bonus for Registered Nurses and even more (up to $1000) for Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapist Assistants, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Speech Language Pathologists.

Click here for full details on their referral bonus program. They also list select bonuses for completion and renewal, although exact amounts are not listed online.

Here are a few more:

Cross Country — Referral and completion

American Mobile — Referral

Medical Staffing Network — Referral

Core Medical Group — Referral

Aureus — Referral

The bottom line with bonuses: With every company you should always ask your recruiter what bonuses are available to you. Be sure that you check on all conditions that may apply, too, so you know exactly what to expect. Some bonus programs may have hidden strings, while others are very straightforward. It’s pretty standard that a referral bonus hinges on your referral actually signing with the company and working a certain amount of time. You will also want to ask if the bonus can be repeated. For example, is there a limit on how many people you can refer/how many bonuses you can collect?

Don’t stress if a travel nursing assignment doesn’t meet all of your expectations.

My first travel assignment was in Southern California about 30 minutes from the coast in Orange County. The apartment was beautiful. Orange County was beautiful. There was even a walking/biking trail behind our apartment complex that stretched for miles in either direction. It was nice to be able to take a walk or bike trip without having to hop in the car to the nearest park or trail. It was everything I had hoped travel nursing would be and it’s an experience that will always stay with me and my husband. I often wonder what would have happened if my first experience was the nightmare you often read about in forums.

While I can’t say I have ever had what could be considered a “nightmare experience,” I’ve had a few not-so-great ones. Looking back I’ve come to realize two important truths about travel nursing assignments:

Not every assignment is going to be a bed of roses

This isn’t exactly a profound statement but it’s something to remember. Most assignments will probably fall under the category of good, great, or amazing. If the majority of yours don’t fall in one of these three, you either have really bad luck or a really bad outlook on life. The fact remains, they won’t always be great.

My second assignment was in an apartment right on the beach just west of L.A. I don’t mean it was “close to the beach” — I’m talking about opening a sliding glass door and the only thing between me and the Pacific Ocean and dolphins was a sandy beach. Sounds amazing, right? Not so much.

It was during the “May Gray/June Gloom” season. Never heard of it? Me either before this. Basically the cold waters of the Pacific meet the warming SoCal land and create a thick fog bank. My sunny days laying on the beach were replaced with chilly, gloomy days wearing a jacket and jeans. When the sun did finally come out, it rarely got above 70. Combine that with water temps of about 65 compared to 85 in Florida, and you have yourself a difference in expectations and reality. And that brings us to truth #2.

Unrealistic expectations can turn a good assignment into a bad one

Looking back, I think my expectations slightly soured my beach experience. But who can say they’ve lived on the beach, foggy or not? My husband and I had lots of fun and made some great memories. We even got to see a whale right below our balcony less than 100 feet from the beach! It just goes to show the power of preconceived notions.

Two assignments later landed me in the middle of Pennsylvania just outside Harrisburg. The area looked flat, run down, and just plain boring. My husband and I were less than excited about it but it was a six-month assignment and the timing was going to work perfect with my pregnancy. We loved it! There were several state parks nearby that were just absolutely beautiful. Located in the Appalachian Mountains, we saw waterfalls, amazing lakes and creeks with crystal clear water, and colorful drives down tree-lined roads during the fall. It was a welcome surprise that is still one of our favorite assignments.

There have been other pleasant surprises and some disappointments on our journey. We continue to move forward, pushing those preconceived notions aside and deciding about an area based on personal experiences. I encourage you to keep an open mind and be flexible with your choices for destinations. You may come across a few disappointments, but the gems that you find along the way will stand out in your mind as lasting, wonderful memories that leave little room to dwell on the not-so-wonderful ones.

Ask a Travel Nurse: How do I handle Traveler cliques on assignment?

Ask a Travel Nurse Question:

How do you handle cliques during orientation for a travel assignment? I tend to make friends easily, but lately it’s been difficult and I’ve noticed a lot of cliques at new traveler orientation. Any advice?

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:

I’m actually not certain that I’ve ever run into the problem as you stated. I do understand unit cliques and how they can impact your work environment, but I rarely see any of the people I meet in general hospital orientation, so those cliques never become an issue.

Since I have not encountered the issue with “orientation” cliques (or misunderstood basic hospital versus “unit” orientation), I’ll simply give you some basic info on the dynamic of cliques and hopefully you can apply that to your situation.

You have to understand that if there are groups of people that are tight, as a traveler, you may not make it into any clique with the short amount of time you are there (possibly only 13 weeks). However, you really don’t need to be invited into any circles to make a pleasant work environment.

You say that you are friendly; that’s a good start. But, you should go above and beyond that in your first few weeks as a traveler. Until you have met everyone in the unit, get the reputation as “that new traveler” that’s “really helpful”.

Any free time you have should be an opportunity to go around the unit and see if anyone needs help with anything. Do NOT sit and read, play on the computer, or isolate yourself in any way from the other people with whom you work. Having other “traveler” friends is great, but I have had many assignments where I am the only traveler or end up doing more “outside activities” with the regular staff than I do any of my fellow travelers.

Another way to break into a clique is not to break into the circle of people, but just make a connection with one member of the group. Let’s say that we take your hospital orientation scenario. Most times, they go around the room, ask where you are from and will be working, and tell a little about yourself. Find someone with whom you share a common interest, or maybe something as simple as being from the same state, and strike up a conversation during a break (or downtime if working on the unit).

Being friendly and engaging with people is the part that you play. Whether or not they choose to accept or embrace that friendliness is their part (a part which you cannot control, so don’t let it weigh on you).

I hope this helps with your situation

David

david@travelnursesbible.com

Waiting for the nursing shortage to peak? Go where the need is now: Travel Nursing.

We hear a lot about the nursing shortage. It’s a real phenomenon that has gone in waves, changing along the way as outside factors make an impact on the industry.

But why then, many nurses ask, is it still sometimes difficult to find a job? A new infographic from pet friendly Travel Nurse staffing company Medical Solutions addresses this and other questions surrounding the nursing shortage.

According to an article from Bloomberg.com, “In the early part of this century, many registered nurses were leaving the profession saying they were overworked, underpaid and unable to provide good patient care, according to a 2002 report in the New England Journal of Medicine. Hospitals responded by encouraging people to become nurses by offering more benefits, signing bonuses, scholarships and tuition reimbursement.”

The next major level in the nursing shortage will be  the mass-retirement of the baby boomers, which was slightly delayed by a recession that saw many of their 401ks take a hit.

In the meantime, Travel Nursing is an excellent way to find steady work while also going where the need is. Click here to check this informative new infographic on jobs and the nursing shortage from Medical Solutions and click here to search Travel Nursing jobs available right now.

Nurse Bullying is NOT OK!

Nurse bullying is a problem that affects many nurses, and Travel Nurse bullying can be an intensified issue considering Travel Nurses are injected into a workplace that is otherwise fully formed culturally. This can make it easy to paint a Traveler as an outsider which provides favorable conditions for nurse bullying.

But, it doesn’t have to be that way! So, how to stop nurse bullying? Here are a few facts and tips on how to stop nurse bullying.

Facts on Nurse Bullying

• Frequency: According to the ANA, 18-31% of nurses have been bullied at work.
• Types of nurse bullying: Vertical, which involves a nurse being bullied by a manager or other superior, and horizontal, which involves a nurse being bullied by a peer colleague. Bullying can be aggressive and overt or it can be more “under the table” — regardless the type, negative effects are the same.
• It affects patient safety: In addition to a hostile job environment, nurse bullying can also harm patients. Putting nurses under additional pressure distracts and can cause errors on the job. The Joint Commission has said that “intimidating and disruptive behaviors can foster medical errors and [result in] preventable adverse outcomes.”
• It costs hospitals: Nurse bullying at its height can eventually lead to nurse turnover, including, in the case of Travel Nurses, cancelled contracts, which incurs costs that hospitals must absorb. According to a 2009 MedSurg Nursing article by John Murray, “bullying in the workplace can cost over $4 billion” on an annual basis.

How Travel Nurses Can Combat Nurse Bullying

• Be aware: So often a Traveler will just brush off bullying; chalk it up to being the new guy or gal. Be in touch with what’s really going on and remember that you deserve respect on the job.
• Document: Take notes — including dates, names, and times — on how you’re being bullied.
• React properly: The worst thing you can do is retaliate in a bullying fashion, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t defend yourself. It’s a tricky balance to strike, but just be communicative, professional, and honest. Speak up and say, “You are bullying me. Please stop.”
• Report: If a situation can’t be resolved on your own, you should formally report it to hospital administration and/or HR.
• If you see a colleague being bullied: Observe the situation and makes the same notes you would if it were you being bullied. Tell the colleague being bullied that you’ve noticed and are willing to provide any support necessary. Don’t be afraid to speak up against bullies. Like the saying goes, “If you see something, say something.”
• Be a part of the solution: At the end of the day, nurse bullying is a part of a hospital’s culture. While you might not be there long as a Traveler, do your best to be a good part of the culture and improve it through your own personal conduct, if nothing else!