By Erica Ronchetti

It’s no secret that the healthcare industry is becoming increasingly demanding for nurses and traveling nurses, who must now care for the rising numbers of aging baby boomers and other health care demanders.  In contrast, the number of prospective nurses and nursing students who will become professional nurses and travel nurses is decreasing, despite the growing community of people who require health care and medical assistance.  Travel nurse agencies have been a remedy for this widening gap between patients, nurses, and travel nurses.  They provide nursing staff for hospitals and other healthcare services, and fulfill both patients and facilities needs.

Many schools and universities are experiencing a significant shortage of students who are studying to become professional nurses.  There are insufficient numbers of these students compared to the increasing demands of the United States population and their projected healthcare needs.  Over past years, there has been little to no maintenance of nursing student enrollment levels, and now 73% of Americans acknowledge that this shortage of nurses is a concern, and one that is on the rise.

Companies like Travel Nurse Source and other travel nursing agencies have been developed to address this growing need for healthcare professionals and provide solutions for nurses who are interested in traveling and healthcare facilities who need to fill staffing gaps. Travel Nurse Source operates with the nursing shortage directly in mind, staffing hospitals and facilities across the country to prevent the worsening nursing shortage in the USA. Travel nurse agencies are not a new occurrence; they’ve been in existence for almost two decades with the aim to solve staffing shortages, mainly in facilities that have employee and population turnover based on the seasonal changes.

In light of the nursing shortage, pursuing a career as a travel nurse or finding travel nurse employment has become a good opportunity for stability and professional growth.  Travel nurses can travel all over the US and nursing assignments last from 90 days up to six months, depending on the specific contract.  The travel nursing job can be in a variety of states or regions and facilities, and that is up to the nurse to choose.  Salaries for nurses who choose a travel nursing career tend to be on average, higher then nurses who stay in one location or healthcare venue.  Excelling housing benefits go along with the competitive salary, as well as health insurance, retirement plans, and other benefits that travel nurse agencies offer.

Companies like Travel Nurse Source are indeed valuable assets for the healthcare industry.  To learn more about travel nursing jobs and travel nurse employment, visit our website!  Travel Nurse Source offers exciting travel nursing employment opportunities, such as travel nurse jobs Hawaii, California travel nursing, Florida travel nursing, New York travel nursing, and travel nursing in Alaska!

Erica Ronchetti is Account Manager for Travel Nurse Source, a recruiting company for traveling nurses.  Travel Nurse Source is affiliated with Allied Travel Careers, a recruiting company for traveling physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists.  For more information on what we do, please visit our websites.

By Erica Ronchetti

A travel nursing job is unlike any other form of business traveling assignment.  Generally, if you are traveling for any other business purpose, there is not much time for relaxation, sight-seeing, dining out, shopping, or other enjoyable activities.  You’d be expected to spend most of your trip sitting in on important business meetings or getting the latest information about your industry at a trade show or convention. Travel nursing is altogether different, as your job allows for plenty of free time to experience your destination’s beauty, culture, and unique charm. Why? Because when you accept a travel nursing job you actually live for an extended period of time in the area you select.

Another aspect of a travel nurse employment that nurses find enjoyable is the opportunity to combine travel nursing with a traveling mindset, specifically meeting new people.  Other nurses enjoy the challenges presented by working in different locations.  In addition to meeting new people and enjoying different locations, active travel nurses have the chance to experience many great nursing opportunities in many different facilities around the United States. By embarking upon a travel nurse career, you not only gain extremely valuable nursing experience in different settings and different working environments, but also begin to develop a broad mind set and excellent nursing skills.  Travel nursing will take you to some of the top medical facilities in the United States.  Many travel nurses feel it is important to share their skills, knowledge, and compassion with people from all over the country.  Seeing the country and making a difference in people’s lives, in addition to gaining a quality and diverse nursing education, are reasons to consider a travel nursing career and contact a recruiting agency.

A travel nursing career is the best idea for fulfilling your love for travel and love for nursing.  Popular destinations include California travel nursing, travel nurse jobs Hawaii, travel nursing Alaska, Florida travel nursing, and New York travel nursing.  During time away from the facility you work at, you can roam around and soak up local culture, shop, and experience fantastic local sporting events and entertainment.

Now is an excellent time to learn more about the many wonderful opportunities travel nursing has to offer you and your career.  Visit www.travelnursesource.com for more information.

Travel nurses, what other travel nursing advantages can you think of?

Erica Ronchetti is Account Manager for Travel Nurse Source, a recruiting company for traveling nurses. Travel Nurse Source is affiliated with Allied Travel Careers, a recruiting company for traveling physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists. For more information on what we do, please visit our websites.

When embarking on a travel nursing career, many nurses face the dilemma of deciding whether to work with just one travel nursin company or multiple agencies. There are advantages to both approaches.

Some travel nurses feel more secure when they have established a relationship with a single company and, in some cases, with a particular recruiter. There is a familairity that reduces the “learning curve” as each new assignment comes about. The recruiter understands the unique needs and circumstances of the nurse and can be working in advamce to identify opportunities that fit that particular nurse. The travel nurse builds trust with the recruiter and feels more secure in the knowledgae that the recruiter really is working wqith the nurse’s best interest in mind.

Some nurses feel that they expand their options and have more opportunities to identify the particular location that they want and cut a better compensation deal by working with multiple agencies. They prefer to compare and contrast a variety of assignments and negotiate a package that is more financially attractive.

There are benefits to both approaches and it is really up to each individual nurse to decide which approach is best for them when seeking their next travel nurse job. At Travel Nurse Source, we provide the opportunity to present your credentials to multiple travel nurse agencies and then make a decision whether to keep working with all of them or to settle in with just one. And with the quality of the travel nursing companies that are members of our network, you can be sure that you will be treated professionally and with the respect you deserve.

The following article was contributed by Janet Fikany, senior recruiter for Healthcare Staffing Network (HSN), a member of the Travel Nurse Source network of agencies.

It’s clear that nursing is still one of the biggest growth industries today, and there are now forecasted projections saying that the shortage of nurses could very well approach 29% by the year 2020. If, in fact, our nation intends to achieve measurable, affordable, high-quality health care during this next administration, then the nurse shortage needs to be addressed, and soon. One primary problem is that Nurse Educators often are paid much less than nurses who are actively practicing; therefore, the real shortage exists because that pay disparity has not been addressed. There aren’t enough teachers.

Travel nursing, however, is and always has been its’ own niche- it’s a different story entirely. Where, with staff positions, there are plenty of jobs, and not enough nurses, lately the trend for travel RN’s seems to be completely inverse—we have lots of nurses, but not enough jobs. This is actually shocking to many people, because when they hear numerous agencies saying that there’s a dearth of travel assignments available, the obvious question is, HOW can this be happening in the middle of a nurse shortage? It seems impossible.

There are several answers. I wish I had a crystal ball to see which ones were going to be impactful in the short or long run- but in these crushing economic times, who can say? First off, you have large agencies that have, in their attempts to be all-encompassing, significantly driven down hospital bill rates, hence, nurse pay rates.

Then, we also see that there have been massive closures of Emergency Room Services, because of the growing numbers of uninsured people who have no choice but to use the ER as their “doctor’s office”- and the hospitals can’t afford to keep them open. Therefore, I’ve seen a huge shift in available ER positions during the past year. Travelers who used to command an easy $35-40+ per hour are now working with several agencies, and still it can take months; and their pay rates are not what they once were. We used to have TONS of ICU assignments, but even those are a scarcity lately.

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There is a sea of travel nurse companies out there all offering their version of the best travel nursing jobs in America. Most agencies try to lure in prospective nurses by touting higher than normal wages, exciting geographic locations or an array of exotic promises that end up broken. These are the agencies that give the best travel nurse agencies a bad name. Here are some tips to help you avoid such unscrupulous travel nurse agencies.

1. Become Educated a. Make sure you research the company before making a decision. Ask to see references, check out reviews from other travel nurses. Even talk to hospitals. You’ll be glad you did!

2.  Have outlined expectations

a.   Know what you want going into a negotiation. Have a clear idea of where you want to go, how       much you want to make, and what type of travel nursing position you are looking for. Having this outlined prior to talking with the travel nurse agency will help keep you more focused on your professional goals.

3.   Be Diligent; stay on your toes.

a.  Its important never to assume anything when dealing with travel nurse agencies. You need to clarify everything! Is housing paid for? Am I eligible for health insurance? What is the completion bonus? Get everything in writing. Even if the attempt is sincere prepare yourself in case of a mistake.

By keeping on your toes and doing your due diligence you can rest assured that have found one of the best travel nursing companies that is going to give you the respect and opportunity you deserve. Finally make sure you use a trusted service like Travel Nurse Source.com to help introduce you to your next prequalified travel nurse agency.

An article in the Indianapolis Star lists the top professions for people that like to travel. Prominently featured was travel nursing which not only seemed to offer the greatest flexibility but also had a salary range that was the tops of all professions listed.

The paper did indicate that one of the requirements for nurses seeking travel nursing jobs is a Bachelor’s degree which is not accurate. Nevertheless, travel nursing is being recognized as a profession with a lot of opportunity both to see the country and to be compensated handsomely.

Browsing through the nursing forums I came upon this tirade posted in the allnurses.com forum. Apparently, this nurse has had it up to…well, some high part of his anatomy and just takes off on what he perceives as the abuse of nurses by a system that mandates work rules at the expense (literally) of the nurse on duty. The author of this post sees the older generation of nurses as out of touch with their own profession and as facilitators of abuses that are considered SOP by many in the health care industry.

The main complaint is forced overtime without pay. Is anyone else experiencing this on a regular basis. One of the benefits of being a travel nurse is that the requirements are (or should be) contractually defined and being forced to work without pay would be reported immediately. But what about staff nurses? Are they slaves to the system? No options? No formal system to report problems or concerns?

Read this post and give us your feedback. Would this be tolerated by a travel nurse? Should this be tolerated by any nurse? What would you do in similar circumstances?