09.27.13
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Ask a Travel Nurse: Should all my experience be in one specialty for travel nursing?

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Question ManAsk a Travel Nurse Question:  

I know it’s recommended for an aspiring travel nurse to accumulate two years of hospital experience in order to travel. Should those two years be in the same specialty or is it possible, for example, to have one year of med/surg/tele experience and then a year of ED experience or something else to make up the total of two years? I currently have one year of med/surg/tele experience.

Ask a Travel Nurse Answer:  

The answer to your question really depends on the facilities to which you will be applying for a travel position.

Certainly the more experience you have being a nurse, the further it will get you. However, if a hospital is looking at staffing the ED and has one nurse with a year of tele and a year of ER, verses a nurse with two years strictly in the ER, then to whom do you think the position might go?

So if you know the specialty in which you wish to travel, focus on gaining experience in that discipline. However, if you want to try to accept positions in one of two specialties, it is sometimes possible with staggered experience.

For example, I worked registry this summer with most of my time spent in the ICU. However, I also did some ER. While I do not technically have a year of experience in the ER, I might be able to accept an ER assignment should the manager feel I have a strong enough background to function well in their ER. But obviously, some specialties lend well to others. Working ER as an ICU nurse is within the same general practice, but working L&D as a tele nurse might not be the easiest crossover.

ANY experience in hospital based nursing will be considered when they review your file, but obviously, those with dedicated experience in the specialty in which they are applying might have an edge.

I hope this helps answer your question.

David

david@travelnursesbible.com

09.27.13
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Counting Down: Marketplace Coverage

In just days, some of your patients and many of your neighbors, family and friends may be asking you  – the registered nurse – about the new Marketplace insurance coverage (Obamacare). The following links will help in your answers.

 

https://www.healthcare.gov/ This link is for those seeking to learn about an insurance plan that will match their individual needs. Consumers should review the options and speak with their health care providers before making a decision. NOTE: There is a six-month registration window. It is NOT necessary to make a decision on October 1, 2013.

 

http://marketplace.cms.gov/ This link gives health care providers and consumers information about the Marketplace. Feel free to make copies and share them with your neighbors, family and friends.

 

 

 

09.26.13
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Call for Mentors

We have an opportunity to influence the next generation of nurse leaders. The PSNA Star Leadership Institute is in search of inspirational, articulate, nurturing mentors, from acute care and nursing academic settings. Mentors should promote new ideas and challenge the old ways of thinking and problem-solving for nurses.

The Institute will be held October 16 – 17, 2013 and April 9, 2014 at The Desmond Hotel, Malvern. Each Institute participant will be assigned a mentor. After completing a survey tool, you will be matched with a nurse manager from a similar facility and/or geographic region. We are inviting each mentor to attend the Institute on October 17 from 12 – 2 pm for the mentoring orientation session.

A mentoring educational program will be held on November 6, 2013 in Harrisburg. Mentors and mentees will be asked to attend this program date.

Mentors should have a minimum of five years progressive management experience at the manager, director or senior management level. Mentors must commit to building this relationship for a one-year period. Mentors and mentees may communicate electronically, by phone and/or in person over the course of the year to help the mentee meet his/her stated objectives.

Mentors will be invited to the Institute on April 9, 2014 to hear mentees present their projects and to attend the graduation ceremony.

If you fit the mentor criteria and desire to positively impact the next generation of nurse leaders, contact Patti Gates Smith at psmith@psna.org or at 717-798-9975 by October 4, 2013.