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Travel nurses can pick where and when they want to work

2009-08-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

Travel nurses offer temporary relief to hospitals short on staff: by 2020, nation's permanent worker shortage is expected to expand to 1 million.

Travel nurses who take on 13-week jobs at hospitals around the country and overseas have become a hot commodity in the health care world, where a shortage of full-time nurses continues.

A newly released survey by San Diego-based AMN Healthcare Inc., a large health care staffing agency, found that 70 percent of the 4,000 chief nursing officers surveyed reported an inability to recruit enough permanent staff as a key reason for hiring travel nurses.

And possibly, the demand for travel nurses could be contributing to the nursing shortage by convincing permanent nurses to switch to the travel mode.

"In a shortage situation that we're in, nurses feel comfortable leaving and picking up travel work," said Marcia Faller, AMN's chief clinical nursing officer and executive vice president of operations. "In that sense, our supply (of travel nurses) improves in shortages. Nurses have a lot more power in those situations."

Still, she doesn't see permanent nurses necessarily ready to leave their jobs for travel nurse perks. There are 2.9 million permanent nurses in the United States, and 22,000 travel nurses.

Faller estimates the permanent nursing shortage at 125,000 to 150,000 nationally, and by 2020, that's predicted to balloon to 1 million.

Perks For Travel Nurses

Access Nurses, another San Diego-based agency that specializes in placing travel nurses, gives a briefing of the health care industry niche on its Web site:

"The industry began as nurses wanted to ski the slopes in the winter and sunbathe on California beaches in the summer, while being able to make a living at the same time." It reports that due to a national shortage of permanent nurses, 15,000 to 20,000 traveling nurses are used weekly in U.S. hospitals.

If a travel nurse works 50 weeks a year, reports Access Nurses, it typically translates to an annual salary of $44,000 to $70,000, and possibly more than $100,000 with overtime added in.
Travel nurses can pick where and when they want to work. And standard work rules on mandatory overtime, weekends and holidays don't apply to them.

Alan Braynin, chief executive officer of the 6-year-old Access Nurses, said his company finds pockets around the country where there are occasional nursing surpluses, such as in small Southern towns, or in Minnesota. Access will "reallocate them based on surpluses." But ultimately, "the nurses decide" where they want to work.

"Braynin's company contracts for nurse work with 1,600 hospitals nationwide and figures 65 positions are filled weekly. The travel nurse is cleared for having the proper credentials, then assigned, while the agency pays the nurse's salary, insurance, benefits and housing--typically a one-bedroom apartment--as well as relocation expenses,

After a 13-week stint, they either sign up for an extended assignment at the same place, try another locale, or take a break.

TV Exposure

Braynin sees recruiting of travel nurses as a key to his business. He's producing a half-hour TV show featuring travel nurses that he expects will be a cable show in San Diego this year.

Among the perks he touts for the travel nurse is the ability to explore different parts of the country while working three days a week.

San Diego is very popular among travel nurses, said Braynin, "because of its climate and natural beauty."

Braynin sees the demand for travel nurses continuing as a result of the permanent nursing shortage. He also sees it as a way for permanent nurses to find relief from burnout, enabling them to stay in the profession instead of retiring.

"Nursing is a stressful profession," said AMN's Faller. "I like to think of travel nursing as an alternative career option. It takes you to new places."

Faller said the average age of nurses is 48, and as they retire, there aren't enough nurses coming out of schools to fill the gap.

In California, Faller notes, nursing schools are already full and turning away thousands of qualified students every year. And those schools have faculty that are also approaching retirement. "That's another piece of the problem," she said.

Meanwhile, experts are trying to figure out ways to solve shortage-related problems, while hospitals are working closely with nursing schools to get more nurses.

"We need to continue to come up with small solutions," added Faller. Using travel nurses is one of them. For hospitals, "They kind of plug the hole until they do find a permanent nurse."

Scripps Has Permanent Goals

Vic Buzachero, senior vice president of human resources at Scripps Health in San Diego, said because there is more outpatient treatment these days, patients in the hospital tend to be those needing the highest levels of care.

Still, while Scripps has travel nurses on the job daily, Buzachero figures Scripps is now using less of them than three to five years ago.

He credits that to aggressive goals by Scripps to make its workplace more attractive to attract and retain permanent nurses. "Our turnover rate dropped and we're using a few less travelers," said Buzachero.

Still, Scripps uses travel nurses more when seasonal patient demand is high, typically in winter flu season months. Scripps employs almost 3,000 nurses, and Buzachero estimates that travel nurses make up 5 percent to 10 percent of its staff, depending on demand for care.(source)

Travel nursing is an ideal career for '50-something'

2008-08-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

Travel nursing may be a foreign concept to RNs who have held permanent jobs for decades. But travel nursing can offer lifestyle and career enhancement to a workforce that experiences high burnout. Employment studies indicate that roughly 40 percent of the RN workforce is expected to be at least age 50 by 2010. For these seasoned professionals, 50 States Staffing offers travel nursing jobs all across America.

"We give experienced career nurses access to a way of life they never thought possible: self-scheduling, flex-time, and freedom from overtime and exhaustion," said 50 States Information Technology Manager Sue Higgins. "We're focused on continued success and personal fulfillment. Healthcare travel is perfect for the nurse in the advanced career stage."

Travel nursing fits well into the baby boomer nurse paradigm, said Higgins. It empowers the nurse candidate to exercise control over working practices and lifestyle, and to find facilities where unit design, equipment, and technology are optimized to ease patient handling. Hospitals that promote stress-relief through yoga and meditation and whose fitness regimens boost energy and improve stamina are common among magnet hospitals and other travel nurse employers .

50 States Staffing CEO Robert Bok said today's nurse expects more from their later career lifestyle than generations before. In addition to professional development and credentialing, there's a compelling need to pursue a heightened sense of wellness and spirituality.

"Although travel nursing might not be right for everyone it's an ideal career for '50-something' RNs who want to stay the path to physical and emotional health," said Bok.

Bok said travel nursing is perfect for the experienced RN who wants to continue nursing but is finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the physical and emotional demands of the job.

"And in terms of retirement planning," said the CEO, "50 States Staffing has a company-matched 401(k) plan and a lucrative earnings package supplemented by free housing and health insurance, bonuses, reimbursements, and perquisites."

Web-based technology at 50 States Staffing enables the travel nurse to manage credentials and assignment details online. Access to available positions has never been easier for this technology savvy organization.

"Later career nurses love this benefit because it enables them to plan around travel activities, sign-up for shifts from home, and maintain documentation and licensure," said firm Manager Valerie Podwill. "It's our way of giving back to nurses who have dedicated their lives to patient care and recovery."

About 50 States Staffing

With years of experience providing hospital staffing opportunities to healthcare professionals, JCAHO certified Fifty States Staffing provides travel nursing jobs, per diem nursing jobs, and permanent jobs to healthcare professionals in prestigious hospitals nationwide. They offer high salaries, free private housing, and top benefits to traveling nurses , physical therapists, respiratory and occupational therapists, and technologists all across the U.S.(source)

Travel nursing is more rewarding than working as a permanent nurse

2008-08-26T05:10:00.000-07:00

The ongoing nurse shortage, coupled with a heightened interest in travel nursing, has afforded nurses a boost in earnings and more opportunities in 2008, says travel nurse leader 50 States Staffing . As a result, more staff nurses are choosing to travel.

More than half of the nurse respondents in a recent Medical News Today survey said that travel nursing is more rewarding than working as a permanent nurse, with an overwhelming percentage rating flexibility and pay as the primary reasons for travel nursing.

"Salaries for permanent positions have flat lined due to the cooling economy," said Debbie Bacurin, Clinical Resource Manager for 50 States Staffing. "In order to boost earnings, nurses are shifting to travel nursing, which often pays up to 20 percent more than staff work and includes benefits such as free private housing, free health insurance, flexible scheduling and time off."

Other high-ranking reasons nurses give for making the switch to travel include fewer hospital politics and the spontaneity and excitement of meeting new people and experiencing new destinations.

"I've never had to miss a wedding and always spend Christmas with family and friends," said travel RN, Nicole Gohring. "I planned to travel nurse for only a year at first, but it's going on five now and the perks and flexibility are tough to beat."

"With the noticeable uptick in travel nursing jobs comes the flexibility to renew 13 week assignments, opt for a new location or return home," said Mary Kay Hull, Vice President of Recruitment for traveling nurse agency American Traveler. "This flexibility has more permanent position nurses calling and requesting traveling nurse assignments in high paying healthcare markets such as Seattle, Washington State and Northern California, where we have an increase of 32 percent in travel nurse job postings."

"As the travel nursing profession attracts more talented and experienced staff nurses, hospitals turn to travel nurse agencies such as 50 States Staffing for more qualified candidates," said Hospital Marketing Director, Dennis Urbanski. "Once a cottage industry, travel nursing now plays an integral role in strengthening the healthcare community and providing quality patient care." (source)

Travel nursing career-visit places and people all over the world

2008-08-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Trinidad Nabarrete used to dream of visiting places and people all over the world.

She says she fulfilled this dream and more when she became a nurse, joined the Peace Corps and eventually became a volunteer for the Red Cross.

Nabarrete was born in Waipahu, Hawaii, where she went to a three-year nursing school. After receiving her nursing degree in 1960, Nabarrete joined the Peace Corps and spent 18 of her 40 years of nursing overseas.

Nabarrete said she decided to practice nursing overseas because she always wanted to travel.

"I used to read National Geographic a lot. I thought, I'm living in Hawaii (and) I'll never leave this place. And then, the thing is, as long as you're nursing and people get sick, they'll always need nurses all over the world. So I joined the Peace Corps and from there I started traveling internationally.

"Nursing is like the teaching profession - you are always teaching. And you know what? It empowers people ... when you share some of your knowledge and your skills. You hope it makes it a little better for somebody, and that's where I'm coming from. That's why I enjoy volunteering."

In the 1960s, Nabarrete was sent by the Peace Corps to places such as Mulga, Turkey, where she worked at Care Medical, which supplies food to different nations. She eventually went to Saudi Arabia for two years and worked at the Riyadh King Faisal Medical Center.

"Traveling was an education in itself," she said. "It's something that nobody can take away from you. It's a unique experience that is so individual.

"You learn so many things and I learned a lot about myself, traveling by myself. And you learn that basically people all around the world are the same. They smile the same, they sing the same (and) they bleed red. It's so easy for me to see beyond what's outside and really appreciate the person from the inside."

One of Nabarrete's last assignments was working with the Department of Defense in Augsburg, Germany, in 1992. "It was cold over there," she said, laughing. "So I prayed and said, 'God please let the next job be some place warm.'"

And, while Nabarrete was visiting her sister in Seattle, the director of nurses called and told Nabarrete there was a position open at the Fort Yuma Indian Hospital in 1992. "I had no idea where Yuma was," she said.

She got the job and came here. Then in 1998, she joined the Red Cross in Yuma because "I was looking to do volunteer work in the community."

She's been a Red Cross volunteer ever since. "I wanted to do something different from nursing," and "volunteering is fun and you meet a lot of wonderful people, I enjoy it."

As a member of the Red Cross disaster team, she goes to disasters such as single-home fires where assistance like housing, food and clothing is given to victims.

Nabarrete has traveled around the United States, assisting Hurricane Katrina victims and, most recently, those caught in the California fires and people suffering through Hurricane Dolly in Texas.

Nabarrete said that Hurricane Dolly was her ninth disaster. She was a nurse for the Red Cross shelter there in Texas.

"The people come because they can't cook their meals and things. There is also a lot of health teaching because with a lot of disasters, like when you have the floods and the mosquitoes, people walk in contaminated water. They're drinking contaminated water and all these things so you have a lot of health issues compounding already what they have.

"I really enjoyed my job. Nursing is like teaching. You hope it makes it a little better for somebody. Most of my work has been in hospital nursing. However, as a volunteer I go where they need me. If they need me in the hospital that's fine, if they need me in the fields that's fine (and) if they need me to teach that's fine."

Although Nabarrete enjoys her job, she said the hours can be draining. "You don't mind working real hard because there is a satisfaction in it, but it also takes a toll on you."

Members of the Red Cross rotate their shifts to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week for local disasters. "In the Red Cross we work 12 hours a day, and sometimes we don't have a day off for (10) to 14 days. But you can't complain because the discomfort, or the things that (are) hard for me is nothing compared to what the people have to go through."

The most rewarding part of volunteering for Nabarrete is "when people come up ... and say to me that you've helped them. Parents come up and give you a report on their children that you've taken care of. It's a wonderful feedback (and) that's my reward."

She added, "I hope my story inspires other people." (source)

Operating room travel nurse benefits

2008-08-25T17:33:00.000-07:00

See the country and gain valuable experience while working in some of the nation's most prestigious healthcare facilities as an operating room travel nurse.

Nursing jobs available in great locations, You could go surfing the beaches of Hawaii or rock climbing near the Grand Canyon - You choose where you want to go!

JOB BENEFITS INCLUDE:

* Free Private Housing or Generous Housing Allowance
* Free First Day Health, Life and Dental Insurance with Prescription Coverage
* Competitive Salaries and Guaranteed Pay
* Completion Bonuses
* Referral Bonuses
* Dependent Health, Life and Dental Insurance
* Travel Reimbursement
* Shift Differentials
* 401(k) Retirement Plan
* Direct Deposit/ Free Checking

Additional Incentives to take Travel Nurse Jobs

2008-08-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

FASTAFF, the leading traveling nurse company, is giving new nurses an extra incentive to complete assignments.

FASTAFF, a national travel nurse staffing agency, is raising the stakes and offering new nurses a $500 bonus if they start an eight-week assignment before November 15, 2008.

FASTAFF offers some of the best pay and benefits in the travel nurse industry. This new completion bonus strengthens FASTAFF's compensation package, helping nurses reach their career, financial and personal goals sooner.

Nurses who have not worked for FASTAFF in 2008 can start an eight-week assignment between now and November 15, 2008 and receive a $500 bonus upon successful completion of their first travel nurse job. Plus, nurses can receive a $500 loyalty bonus when they opt into the loyalty program for a total of $1,000 in bonuses on their first 8- week FASTAFF assignment in 2008. Best of all, if nurses start an assignment now and take advantage of the loyalty bonus program, they can potentially earn an additional $10,500 with the completion bonus and loyalty bonuses.

To qualify, participants must not have taken an assignment with FASTAFF in 2008, and new assignments must begin between July 15, 2008 and November 15, 2008 without exception. Participants must opt into the loyalty program to receive loyalty bonuses, and the assignment must qualify for the loyalty program for bonuses to be paid.

About FASTAFF Travel Nursing:
FASTAFF offers rapid response travel nurse staffing for assignments in nationwide healthcare facilities. FASTAFF works with travel nurses to help them meet their goals - financial freedom, flexible schedules, career development and more. The average annual earnings of a FASTAFF travel nurse who works 36 or more weeks is $101,288. FASTAFF also offers complimentary travel and quality housing, benefits starting on the first day of work and loyalty bonuses for every eight-week assignment that a travel nurse completes.

Travel nurse map

2008-08-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

Travel nursing career-visit places and people all over the world
Operating room travel nurse benefits
Additional Incentives to take Travel Nurse Jobs