Virginia Commonwealth University - Microelectronics Materials & Device Laboratory (MMDL)








 

27 April 2008 - 19:33

Travel Nurse vs. Mighty Mouse

Travel nursing is frequently billed as a career for the adventurous. Facing the challenges of a new city and a new employer every few months comes with its share of excitement and challenges. But a travel nurse on an assignment in Texas never bargained for the adversaries she faced. Not for the fainthearted or the weak stomached, this story of one nurse’s battle with home invaders will have you standing on a chair or avoiding certain lovable cartoon characters.

Cheese anyone?

No Comments | Tags: Uncategorized

20 April 2008 - 21:57

If It Gets Any Worse I’ll Become a Travel Nurse

I came across a blog post by a first year RN who has some serious issues with the demands that her hospital employer is placing on the nursing staff. Her frustration is so high that she is considering becoming a travel nurse based on the assumption that it has to be better than what she is expected to do in her current position. You’ll have to read her post because there are too many things to cover here.

As hard as it is to find qualified RNs, you would think that hospitals would become more interested in the working conditions and satisfaction of the nursing staff rather than trying to see how far they can push them. There are far too many opportunities out there for good nurses to allow themselves to be abused by out-of-touch hospital management. Some things never change.

No Comments | Tags: nursing issues

2 April 2008 - 7:51

Do Male Nurses Handle Stress Better?

I was reading an article in the Wausau Daily Herald yesterday and a couple of points got my attention. The piece was about the increase in the number of males joining the nursing profession. One man mentioned in the article was a travel nurse and that always gets my attention, of course. But a comment made by a nurse supervisor in the article also got my attention.

A nurse manager in the article was quoted as saying about male nurses, “They tend to remain calm and level-headed during stressful situations, and they balance the dynamic.”

Balance the dynamic? The impression that I get from this comment is that calm, serene male nurses are a balance to the female nurses that can’t handle stress and are over-emotional.

I just wonder what the female nurses, who comprise 90-95% of the nurse population think of this characterization? I just was quite surprised that of all the statements that could have been made about the positive aspects of more males entering the profession, that a male nurse’s ability to handle stress is front and center.

Any comments, criticisms, howls of outrage?

No Comments | Tags: Uncategorized

27 March 2008 - 20:52

Travel Nurses Cause Nursing Shortage?

Hospitals in Baton Rouge are combating the ongoing and worsening nursing shortage by implementing “shift bidding.” So far, the practice has helped fill holes in some formerly open shifts providing much needed coverage.

An interesting aspect of this article is that one individual mentions travel nursing as a cause of the nursing shortage. I found the rationale a bit confusing since it wasn’t clear whether nurses were leaving the hospital to become travel nurses and leaving holes in the schedule or some other reason. Seems to me that travel nurses help solve the nursing shortage, not cause it.

Read all about it here. 

No Comments | Tags: Uncategorized

24 March 2008 - 19:52

Rough Start to Travel Nurse Assignment

I came across a brand new blog by a travel nurse with with just one entry but I thought that the content of the post was important to share. This nurse shares her experiences from the first few days on the job and it is a great insight into the potential hazards and remedies of a rough start to a travel nursing assignment.

Take a look and let me know what you think. Any similar experiences?

No Comments | Tags: Uncategorized

23 March 2008 - 21:07

Travel Nurses Cross the Picket Line

A California hospital has recruited travel nurses to fill positions during an anticipated strike. This creates an interesting ethical dilemma for any travel nurse. When is it appropriate to step in and fill a position already occupied by another nurse?

As stated in this article about the strike and travel nurse replacements, there seems little animosity about the nurse replacements from the striking workers. However, I can’t believe that all nurses are so benevolent that there isn’t some resentment in this situation.

Do you think it is appropriate for travel nurses to fill these positions during a strike. Is this solidarity? Should patient care always come first regardless of an employment dispute?

Your opinions appreciated.

1 Comment | Tags: Uncategorized

13 March 2008 - 20:49

Brand New Travel Nurse

Came across an interesting blog today. A nurse going by the online name of Goatgirl has made the decision to become a travel nurse. She has started a blog to record her transition from floor nurse with a great deal of responsibility to the new nurse on the block. And a traveling nurse to boot.

Check out this blog if you want to get in on the ground floor of an experienced nurse as she steps into the brave new world of travel nursing. She seems like a competent, no nonsense person who won’t be pushed around. Should be interesting.

No Comments | Tags: Travel Nurse Blogs

9 March 2008 - 12:27

Shifting Gears Into A Nursing Career

Where do they come from? Just about everywhere it seems. Women and men are entering the nursing profession from other careers. A lack of satisfaction in a current job and an inclination towards service has led many adults to reconsider their current career path and make the sharp mid-life left turn into nursing.

Read the article in the Hartford Courant and you will be amazed at the radical shifts in vocation that many have undertaken in favor of a career in nursing.

No Comments | Tags: Uncategorized

4 March 2008 - 20:33

Travel Nurses Are Just As (or more than) Qualified.

A study published in late 2007 indicates that there is no basis for the perception among some healthcare industry professionals that travel nurses and other nurses considered “temporary nurses” do not provide the same quality of care as permanent nurses. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Nursing Administration.

The study concluded that “nurses employed by staffing companies are as well or better qualified than permanent nurses employed by hospitals, and that the higher use of temporary nurses does not lead to safety and quality problems for patients or nurses.”

You can read about the study by clicking here.

No Comments | Tags: Nursing Surveys

26 February 2008 - 10:27

Travel Nurse Hawaii Assignment. Too Long or Too Short?

To follow up on the previous post about the nursing shortage in Hawaii, I came across this post in a forum in which the boyfriend of a prospective travel nurse asks for help determining what the standard assignment length and living conditions would be in Hawaii. The responses are interesting for the vivid descriptions of the Hawaii experience for an extended stay. Consensus seems to be that the good far outweighs the bad. Personally, I’d be looking for the longer assignment vs. the shorter. But that’s just me.

No Comments | Tags: Travel Nurse Destinations



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