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STRIKE
UPDATES ( we are neutral when it comes to the concept strike nursing.
We simply provide information and resources.) California
Strike (11/10/07)- TRAVEL
ADVICE COLUMN from our travel expert Shalon Kearney:
author of Hitting the road: a guide to travel nursing.
Shalon
has 10 years travel experience and has worked on the business end of travel nursing
as well. You are welcome to send her questions you have always wondered about,
but were too afraid to ask or didn't know who to go to. She prides herself on
being real (talking about the real story) and that is what we are about. We are
here to give you the truth about travel nursing. All the good and the bad. Email
A Question- send in a question and get a personal response via email.
Email comments - You
can comment, share similar stories or additional information. We all want to hear
what you have to say. Please specify the topic you are commenting on.
What will happen if I
leave my assignment?(3/11/08)
Can
I travel with an Associate Degree in Nursing (5/19/07) Feeling nervous about
my travel nurse assignment (1/28/07) More about short term travel nursing assignments
(10/19/06) Short term travel nursing assignments: are they out there? (10/13/06)
How do you become a paid travel companion? (10/11/06) Is travel nursing pay
negotiable? (10/11/06) Stranded in Sacramento (10/11/06) How do I know
what is new on this site and what is old? (10/1/06) Where is a good place
to work in Southern, CA as a traveling nurse (9/26/06) Travel nursing with
an infant: are we crazy? (8/28/06) Tax Question: can I rent out my permanent
residence?(8/28/06) The hospital isn't working with our schedule( 8/14/06)
I feel pressured, its moving to fast....(8/2/06) What about emailed contracts
(8/2/06) Do I need a BSN to travel? (7/15/06) I decided not to renew my
contract and the company wants me to pay (7/6/06) I am in Nigeria and I want
to work in the United States? (3/13/06) I want to sign on with another company,
but my company says I can't (3/1/06) How does it all work, I am about to
graduate? (1/22/06)
Read
Travel Advice Archive for more articles............
Miscellaneous Articles
What are travelers making financially nowadays?
What is going on in the travel industry?
Why do nurses travel?
Compassionate Caring Program for medical facilities
Tips on other travelers on this site
The success of Travelnursingcentral.com
The first book on travel nursing is now
available
Statistics for Travelers working in the OR
Tax tips for traveling expenses
What benefits are most important to travelers?
Latest Visa info
for forein nurses to U.S.
How ethical are Nurses?gds
How
do traveling nurses feel they are treated by permanent staff?
What do travelers do during the holidays
What are the average rates
for travelers nowadays? 2008
Let's see....Travelers out there, how much money are you making
on your current assignment per hour (not including what you make
in housing reimbursement or other benefits)?
15-20 (0) 0%
21-26 (7) 10%
27-32 (22) 31%
33-38 (22) 31%
39-44 (5) 7%
40+ (14) 20%
Total Votes: 70
Looking at these results, it would be safe to say that over half
the travelers (61%) are making anywhere from 27 to 38 dollars an
hour with another 20% making more than 40 dollars an hour. This
doesn't include all the extra pay they get for their housing and
travel expenses. Not to mention the tax benefits.
The Story of Sebastian : now a health
recruiter As a Nurse Recruiting Specialist for Emerald Health Services,
Sebastian Hitzig has taken his passion for recruiting and helping others to help
Nurses find work at Hospitals all over California as well as Florida. Sebastian
claims that it is his way of giving back to the Nurses who gave so freely to him. In
1995, after stepping on a toothpick and getting a Staph Infection in his foot,
Sebastian was rushed to the Hospital with one of the most severe cases of Bacterial
Endocarditis that many had ever seen. He would spend 93 days in the Hospital and
would be very lucky to receive a second chance. In 1996, after finally feeling
as though the worst was behind him, Sebastian would suffer a Sudden Cardiac Arrest
while working out at a local gym. Six Minutes after his heart stopped beating
it was restarted by an Automated External Defibrillator. Sebastian now wears an
Internal Defibrillator. Since 1996, Sebastian has been in amazing shape
and actually claims that he feels better now than he ever has before. "They
say that you don't realize how much you will miss something until you lose it,
and that is how I feel about my health." Sebastian has worked for a major
medical company, Medtronic, twice as both their Spokesperson as well as their
Recruitment Specialist with their Diabetes Division. But He is the happiest
with Emerald. "I am amazed at how lucky I am to work for this Company. The
owner really cares about his employees as well as the nurses that work with us.
We are very proactive about solving any issue that may appear, have an amazing
Housing as well as Clinical team that gets the nurse ready for any assignment
that he or she may be preparing to take. Sebastian may be reached at sebastianh@emeraldhs.com
, or on his work phone which is 800-917-5055 ext 166.
Why do nurses travel Why travel nursing. Travel nursing is very popular
now and is being recognized as a profession in and of itself. Many of you are
considering travel nursing right now. Even if you know you want to travel......it
is important to know why you want to travel. Let me ask you this......If you were
asked right now to choose between working in the Virgin Islands for 17 dollars
an hour or in Philadelphia for 27 dollars an hour which would you choose? These
are the kinds of decisions you will face as a traveler. This is an obvious choice
between adventure and money which are the two leading reasons nurses travel. Recently,
we did a sample survey and the results show the top three reasons health professionals
travel are adventure, money, and independence. Reason for travel
What is the main reason you travel adventure (12) 38% money (9) 28%
independence (5) 16% career development (2) 6% prevent burnout (2) 6%
avoid politics (1) 3% relocate (1) 3% empty nest syndrome (0) 0%
Shalon Kearney, a seasoned traveler, shares her personal experience
of why she traveled. I have traveled for just about all these reasons at
some time or another, says Shalon. For example,..... I took my first assignment
to Arizona for pure adventure. My fiancé had past away and settling down
was the last thing I wanted to do. I never realized how beautiful the desert could
be. I spent a great deal there taking long hikes, going to the grand canyon, visiting
art museums in Sedona, and gambling in vegas. I crossed paths with another traveler
named Linda. Somehow our paths lead us in the same direction for most of my travels.
For instance..... A company made an offer I couldn't refuse. I decided
to go to Philadelphia for the money. It turns out that my friend Linda was heading
that direction too. She lived in NJ just on the outskirts of Phili. Linda worked
per diem at a local hospital in NJ in the summers where her family and friends
were. Then in the winters she traveled to get away from the cold and her daily
routine. I am glad I had a friend there because I was afraid to leave my apartment
at first. Living in a high rise in downtown Philadelphia was quite a shock to
me being a country girl from Texas. There were so many homeless people on the
streets. By the end of my assignment I actually hopped over the homeless on my
jog to work. Although I would want to live in Philadelphia, it was a great learning
experience and the money was great tool. In general, I made the same
amount of money working 6 months out of the year than I did full time as a permanent
nurse. The other six months I spent traveling abroad and visiting friends.
When you travel, you feel so free and independent. For me, the feeling of
independence is what keeps me traveling. Once you get used to mapping out your
own life.....you just don't want someone telling you when you can take vacation.
As a traveler.....you tell them where you want to work and when you are available.
That is a good feeling. I did stop traveling for awhile though. I went
back to school for my masters in nursing and built a house. By the time I was
finished, I was facing major burnout. I felt like my life was all work and no
play. I sold my house and this time I traveled to prevent burnout. I had always
wanted to see Alaska. It was just what I needed. During my Alaska assignment,
I spent a lot of time pondering what I would rather be doing rather than nursing.
Ironically, all my pondering lead me to write a book on travel nursing.
While writing the book, I still had to work as a nurse so I took an assignment
to California for career advancement. I started working for a travel company on
the business end. The more I worked in the business world, the more I appreciated
nursing. I fell in love with nursing all over again. While many nurses
use traveling as a way to relocate or find a place to live.....I never felt attached
to any one place. I loved every place I went for its uniqueness, but something
told me to stay in California. By the time I finished the book, I had said goodbye
to the business world. This would have been a logical time to move on. But this
time......I listened to my intuition. I went back to Texas, unloaded my storage,
and sent my most precious things back to California. I wasn't even thrilled with
where I was living in California. I told my friends.....I didn't know why I was
staying, but I was going to stay until the feeling went away. Soon after I sent
my things to California, I discovered my reason. I met my husband. We now live
in Santa Rosa California and just had a baby girl, Asian, who I have with me today.
As soon as she gets old enough we plan on traveling in the summers. Why? To provide
balance to our life. If you want to travel, my advice is to evaluate
why you want to travel, know your tax benefits before you go, travel safely, and
most of all when no reasons make any sense.....trust your intuition.
Shalon Kearney, RN, MSN-
authore of Hitting the Road: a guide to travel nursing. Compassionate
Caring Program A new and effective program is sweeping across the U.S.
Lois Greenwood-Audant Ph.D., (director of VITEC,a popular business training center
at Maui Community College), has customized numerous training programs in the field
of service for over 10 years. Recently, a local nursing home requested she put
her abilities to use at their facility. They needed help. She worked with them
for 2 years and developed a compassionate caring program that was so effective
that the concept is spreading fast. The nursing home experienced (within
1 year of the program): 75% improvement in annual state
and federal survey processes 56% decrease in resident care concerns
40% decrease in overall concerns from residents and families
The program is very intensive. She not only teaches the program,
but she works with management to maintain the concepts after the training. She
also, trains nurse manager and others in the facility to teach the program. This
way the concept can continue to live and be effective in the facility once it
is introduced. Finally, she will work with nursing homes to develop effective
measurement tools to measure their progress and conditions (if they aren't already
in place). Anyone interested in implementing this program in their
facility can email lois@travelnursingcentral.com.
Find
other travelers Meet members section is meant for travelers to meet
and exchange information. A way of bringing travelers together. You can use this
site to get together with other travelers in your area. Also, if you are
wanting to travel to a specific location, consider finding a nurse located in
that area. Even if that nurse is not a traveler at this time, they should be able
to tell you what travel companies tend to staff travelers at their hospital. This
can save you a great deal of searching, plus you will know someone when you get
there. 2. The success of Travelnursingcentral.com
Travelnursingcentral.com is 4 years old now. The site was designed specifically
for traveling healthcare professionals to fill in the gaps as far as services
for travelers, resources, support, and information. It's success depends greatly
on its members. We pride ourselves on being an independent site and hope to
become the largest independent site on the net for travelers. This means
that the information we provide is not monitored by a company that only wants
to present one side of travel nursing. We present the true story. Our primary
clients are travelers. The membership is completely free. You
will not be added to a mailing list or receive tons of junk mail Your participation.....
once a member, is crucial because much of the information comes from your input
and opinions. Together everyone can learn from each other. We can essentially
revolutionize the industry together. Also, many great services
are available to you at no cost that will make your life easier. You have everything
to gain. We just added the forum for you. Please be patient
with us while we figure out how to work and manage it. 4.
Statistics for travelers - According to our sample surveys, 95%
of travelers say they feel that traveling has made them a better healthcare
provider.
- Recently, OR Manager (September 2002, vol 18, No9),
reported 27% of OR managers using temps to staff OR positions. This
is a rise from only 19% in 2001.
Furthermore, OR managers rely more
on agency staff in the East and West as well as teaching hospitals. Larger
OR's (10 rooms or more) were 40% likely to use temps as compared to small
OR's (1-5rooms) using 15%. Finally, Urban (35%) and suburban areas
(30)% were more likely to use temps than rural areas (17%).
8. Tax Tips for Traveling Expenses When you
are doing your taxes this year. Find out what the standard federal mileage rate
is ___cents per mile for the year. This will help you do your taxes because you
can deduct the remaining amount that was unpaid. For example, if your company
only paid you 25 cents per mile for your travels to and from assignments and the
standard mileage rate was 36 cents per mile, you will be able to deduct an additonal
amount (11 cents per mile) on your taxes for every mile you traveled to and from
various assignments. 9. What benefits
are most important to Travelers I have to say. Those of you who receive
HT magazine, must agree that they have really improved the quality of their magazine
over the years. It is refreshing to finally see statistics regarding travelers
being collected and reported. For so long, healthcare travel was sort of an abstract
idea most didn't know anything about. Now traveling is becoming an established
career option with its own set of statistical data etc. The following is a summary
of the HT survey results. According to Bobby Harrison in HT magazine
November 2002 Vol 10 No4, travelers regard bonuses (especially sign-on bonuses)
and continuing education as the top two benefits they consider most important
and over half of the travelers wanted their own private housing. What
utitlities are companies paying for nowadays? Well, the majority of travelers
say that their electricity, water and gas were paid for by their company and 33%
said their companies paid for utility security deposits. This is much better than
it used to be. Many travelers are wanting to be paid weekly by direct
deposit and have availability of overtime in addition to guaranteed hours. As
far as discounts..... hotel, air, and car rental discounts were most highly rated.
Furthermore, most travelers elected CASH as their number one award program over
vacation plans and prizes etc. As the nursing shortage increases and
healthcare travel becomes more established, companies are extending their benefit
packages. It is interesting that while HT magazine received 2,475 responses
to their survey, only 24% of those respondents currently traveled or had traveled
in the past. The rest (76%) of the respondents wanted to travel. Most of
these respondents were single (only 61%) caucasian (80%)women (83%) with children
(58%) between the ages of 25 to 54 years of age. Why do you think more
people are not traveling .....who want to travel?
10.
How bad is the nursing shortage and where is it the worst? It is no secret
that a nursing shortage is present and here to stay for some time due to many
factors such as: the aging population, retiring nurses, additional career options
for women etc............. However, is the nursing shortage equally effecting
everyone at the same global level or is there geographical differences? Recent
surveys are showing a geographical difference in the supply and demand of nurses.
While the nursing shortage is effecting everyone, the West seems to have been
most effected. Once again, in HT magazine did a great job reporting more
statistical information regarding travelers in their HT November 2002 vol.10 No.4
issue. According to Ann Ericksen, the American Organization of Nurse Executives(AONE)
also did a recent hospital survey. The results revealed institutions nationwide
operating with an average of 10.2 percent RN vacancy rates and more than one in
7 are trying to manage with vacancy rates as high as 20 percent. Where
are hospitals having the most problems? It appears that the West is reporting
the greatest "staffing problems" and the midwest reporting the least.
This doesn't suprise me when the results also show that only 68% of thehospitals
in the West are actually using travelers and agency, while 72% of the Northeast
hospitals use travelers. It looks as though the west needs to recruit more travelers.
This leaves me wondering. Why aren't Westerners using more travelers then they
are? Do travelers not want to go to the area for some reason? Is the money not
good enough? Are they not trying to recruit enough and get by with less? Is this
why there are so many nursing strikes in the West? Please post any opinions you
have about this topic on the message board. 13.
Latest Visa info for foreign nurses to U.S. Source: This information
is provided by: SHUSTERMAN'S IMMIGRATION UPDATE is the most popular e-mail
newsletter regarding U.S. immigration laws and procedures with over 40,000 subscribers
located in more than 140 countries. Published by the Law Offices of Carl Shusterman,
One Wilshire Building, 624 South Grand Avenue, Suite 1608, Los Angeles, California,
90017. Phone: (213) 623-4592 To subscribe, type in your name and e-mail
address at shusterman.com
and click on "Subscribe".
What
is going on in the Travel Industry In order to stay ahead, I believe it
is a good idea to occasionally step back and take a look at the industry and where
it is heading. Sometimes, doing this helps direct you in your decision making
in the future. Recently, I spoke with a recruiter that had been around awhile
and he provided insights into what has happened over the last few years in the
travel industry. He explained that several years ago there used to only
be a few travel nursing companies that were considered major players in the industry.
As more and more health care professionals began to travel more companies became
major players. You had about "20 players he said, then a few smaller companies."
Now, from what he understands, "there are around 300 travel companies out
there." Many of them are considered major players. The "players"
are becoming more and more equal. The competition is getting fierce.
In trying to deal with all the competition, the hospitals have resorted to forming
consortiums. This means the hospitals are grouping together and setting the rules.
In there group they decide which companies they will do contracts with and how
much they will pay them. In other words, they are starting to set the pricing
rather than negotiating with every travel company individually. The travel companies
must agree with the pricing in order to stay a part of the elite group and in
order to do business with not just that one hospital, but the group of hospitals
in the consortium. This section of the industry is virtually non-competitive.
The agencies almost become a staffing office for the hospitals. Therefore,
right now we have a dichotomy between the non-competitive world of hospital consortium
and the competitive world outside of the hospital consortiums. Will this dichotomy
remain or will one of the worlds become dominate? In an effort to cut costs, more
and more hospitals may form consortiums. Then it will be up to the travelers to
come together and set the limits on how much money they are willing to work for.
Regardless, what happens.... changes happen slow enough for us to adapt and travelers
are good at that. How
do traveling nurses feel they are treated by permanent staff?
In general, how receptive do you feel permanent hospital staff are toward
travelers? very receptive (friendly) (5) 28% cautious (3)
17% they tolerate travelers, but keep them on the outside (8) 44% rude
at times (1) 6% mostly resentful and unfriendly (1) 6%
Visiting
Family During the Holidays
As a travel nurse, what's your plan to see
family during the holidays this year?
Take an assignment near family (5)
25% Opt not to travel during the holidays (6) 30% Have time off written
in your travel contract (5) 25% See family during non-holiday times (2) 10%
Not see family at all (2) 10% Other (0) 0%
CA Strike They will only walk Labor and Delivery nurses
through the CA Board for the strike. Every other nurse will need to hold a current
CA license. If you are available or want more information, please call
me at (877) 912-2566. |