By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

Most “top hospital”, “best hospital” or similar research surveys generally have the best interests of the patients in mind, as they should since patients are the reasons hospitals exist in the first place. However, the connection between happy patients and satisfied caregivers is unmistakable. There are many good reasons why nurses and travel nursing jobs routinely gravitate toward finalists on various best hospital surveys. The lists are based on specific methodology and sorted by a wide variety of categories so that both patients and nurses find the facility that best meets their needs. Ranking criteria include a hospital’s ability to handle both routine and complicated cases in various specialty areas. While most patients and nurses are limited to researching hospitals in their area, travel nurses have the benefit of using the lists to choose preferred locations of future assignments in their specialty area.

Here are some entries from U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 “Best Hospitals” list in some of the most popular travel nursing states. The star means that the hospital earned “honor roll” status by scoring high in overall excellence in six or more specialties. Most of the top hospitals are in California, where it’s no secret that nurses and travel nurses are currently in great demand..

California Travel Nursing

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, L.A*: Top specialty areas are pediatrics, respiratory disorders and orthopedics

Stanford Hospital and Clinics*: Stanford earns high specialty scores in the areas of geriatrics, neurology & neurosurgery and orthopedics.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, L.A*: The well-known healing center for Hollywood celebrities specializes in oncology, gynecology, geriatrics and kidney disease.

Texas Travel Nursing

University of Texas MD. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston: Highest scores in gynecology

Methodist Hospital, Houston: Highest ranked specialties include geriatrics, orthopedics and oncology

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas: Gynecology, Kidney Disease and Urology

Florida Travel Nursing

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa: Oncology

Shands at the University of Florida, Gainseville: Oncology, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Kidney Disease

Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami Beach: Neurology, Neurosurgery, Geriatrics

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

By Christine Whitmarsh

I recently had the opportunity to interview chief financial officers at several California hospitals for a magazine article I was writing. The subject of discussion was how the country’s, and specifically that state’s, economic challenges are affecting hospital bottom lines.

One thing that struck me, and which as a nurse I definitely appreciated, was that regardless of the economic challenges their hospitals are facing, many of the CFOs specifically singled out nurses as a reason to be optimistic. The executives essentially said that the one thing they don’t have to worry about, no matter how challenging or chaotic things get with the economy, is the quality of healthcare being provided to their patients. It was refreshing to hear how much these financial officers appreciate and respect their nurses as well as the rest of their patient care staff.

The economy and its effect on healthcare is a topic that obviously affects all nurses, but specifically traveling nurses in that travel rns are on the “front lines”. They are typically sent to hospitals with the greatest staffing needs and see a great variety of different hospitals around the country. Travel nurses are also in a unique position to see the varying levels of economic and administrative challenges faced by hospitals in different regions. The advantage for travel nurses is being employed independently by travel nursing companies and therefore being ensured a stable paycheck and benefits. The other good news in the midst of these challenging economic times is that patients can be assured of receiving quality healthcare because of the dedication shown by travel nurses and all nurses to their profession.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.

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.

“We hire every nurse who submits an application. The problem is very serious and I do not see it improving.”

This astonishing statement was made by a hospital CEO within a survey sponsored by the Council on Physician and Nurse Supply. The 2007 National Physician and Nurse Supply Survey contains some jarring but predictable results about the state of health care staffing in the U.S. The attitude by hospital administrators is downright pessimistic and when a CEO admits that all they are looking for is a warm body with certification then that doesn’t bode well for patients.

Check out the survey results here. It is seriously unnerving even when your eyes are wide open about the nursing crisis.

A survey conducted by AMN Healthcare and covered in the San Diego Business Journal indicates that nurses of the future, at least, will not be the money-grubbing healthcare prostitutes that some would have you believe they are. Apparently, working conditions are the priority for the 1,600 students that were surveyed.

They want to work at a quality facility, have low nurse-to-patient ratios and reasonable hours and shifts. Pay was fourth on the list.

Nine percent said that they would like to be travel nurses.

No matter how you slice it, there still won’t be enough nurses so how are the ratios and hours issues going to be addressed? Read the survey results here.