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The PBDS test. A Travel Nurses Nightmare? It doesn't have to be.

ERTraveler — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 10:44:00 GMT

Any Travel Nurse that has traveled to an assignment across the country, moved into their apartment, and then shown up at work the first day to find out that they were going to have to take the PBDS test for the first time is likely to have had a bit of anxiety over it. While full time staff Nurses are given the PBDS to determine what kind of orientation is appropriate for them, not so for the Travel Nurse. In most cases it's a "fail, and go home on your own dime" situation. Literally.The test itself isn't a pen and paper sit down test, where you answer multiple choice questions about. It is presented via computer with video vignettes or descriptions of situations that require you to then narate an appropriate response to. It's stuff you know, but it's presented in a way that can be misleading if you don't know what to expect. Many Travel Nurses refuse to take assignments that require this test, but I don't advocate that approach. It's a test that measures your clinical knowledge and decision making, and you can pass it if you have the right mindset.I'll ...

Travel Nursing 101

ERTraveler — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:53:00 GMT

Travel Nursing as a Career option for Nurses came about in the 1980's in response to seasonal needs in places where the populations increased during certain times of the year such as Florida and California where snowbirds swelled the populations with heavy users of hospital resources. Soon however, the Nursing shortage created opportunities for Travel Nurses all over the country, and an industry was born.

Travel Nursing, and Travel Nurses, have changed a lot over the years, and keeping up with the industry and staying competitive takes a little work. You need to network with other Travel Nurses, research companies and hospitals, and stay informed about trends in benefits and pay. Travel Nurses are an independent lot, they have to be. Starting a new job 3 or 4 times a year in a new town, or state and hitting the ground running with a minimum of orientation takes a little confidence, and a sense of adventure. But it is both financially and professionally rewarding in every sense of the words. ...

Travel Nursing : Taking that first big step!

ERTraveler — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:41:00 GMT

Deciding to take your Nursing Career on the road as a Travel Nurse isn't always an easy decision to make. By nature Nurses are responsible, hard working people who find the idea of short term
employment a little frightening. In reality, Travel Nursing affords you more work security than you might imagine. If you consider that there are tens of thousands of Travel Nursing positions vacant
and waiting to be filled at any given time, and contrast that to the number of nursing positions available for full time nurses close to your home, it suddenly doesn't seem like such an unreasonable
step to make towards financial security.

Add to the sheer number of Travel Nursing positions available, the fact that you increase your income significantly as a Travel Nurse, and you have a winning combination that can take you and your
career to new heights. Being a Travel Nurse opens up your career to new opportunities, and your life to exciting new places and people. Still, it's a big step, one that makes many nurses nervous. It
isn't easy to walk away from the full time job that you've ...

Travel Nurse Across America using Twitter to update nurses on available assignment opportunities!

ERTraveler — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:04:00 GMT

Travel Nurse Across America using Twitter to update nurses on available assignment opportunities!

Travel Nurse Across America announced that they will be providing Twitter
Feeds of available Travel Nursing assignments. They also make mention of the fact that they have seen a "incredible" increase in demand for positions from hospitals. This is
great news for Travel Nurses who've been waiting for the decrease in Travel positions to resolve. According to TNAA, they have
created 20 Twitter accounts ...

Sad side of being a Travel Nurse

ERTraveler — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:50:00 GMT

I've been working for almost 17 weeks now with a great group of Travel Nurses. Our entire shift has been made up of Travelers, and we've become a tight knit group,
having an awful lot of fun working together. But, as assignments wind down, the first of us had their last shift last night and I was so sad to see him go. You get to meet so many
interesting people traveling, and Bill was one of those Nurses you just love to work with. Always finding something to stay busy, always volunteering for that next patient, ...

Things starting to look up for Travel Nursing, finally!

ERTraveler — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:08:00 GMT

If you are like most Travel Nurses, you couldn’t have helped but notice that assignments dried up quite a bit last year. In a profession that basically lives or dies based on the nursing shortage, you would have thought that there were more than enough local Nurses to go around last year.

Broaden Your World With Travel Nursing

ERTraveler — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:03:00 GMT

How would you like a career that allows you to spend January soaking up the sun at the beach in Miami, hitting the slopes at Vail in March and set sail in July for a month-long cruise of the Alaskan coast? Are you looking for variety in your life as well as your job? Are you happiest when you're immersed in new adventures? Are you a nurse, or thinking of becoming one? Then you just may find that travel nursing is the ideal career choice for you.

Considering Travel Nursing as a Career? Jump in! The Water’s Warm!

ERTraveler — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:31:00 GMT

Most Nurses will spend their entire careers moving from one full time position to another, slowly moving up the ladder from a new graduate, to a staff nurse, to a charge nurse, to a manager. Some will further educations to become administrators or to teach, while still others will move away from the bedside into physicians offices or to insurance companies. A sad few will fall by the wayside, victims of burnout. But a few, will step outside their comfort zones and find new excitement and fulfillment in their careers by becoming Travel Nurses. This lucky few will discover a way to fulfill their desires to travel and to see the country, even the world, while practicing their profession in a new place several times a year. Travel Nursing takes you places, literally. If you’re reading this, then you’ve probably at least considered a career as a travel nurse. Good for you! Just getting that far is difficult for many. They don’t like the idea of stepping outside of the full time position safety net, having to start all over somewhere new. But if the idea of making new friends, practicing Nursing in new locations and ...

Quick trip around the Net

ERTraveler — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:30:00 GMT

I just wanted to share some interesting links around the net I've visited lately. Most are for Nurses in general, some more specifically about Travel nursing. 8 Must Have Friends at the Hospital A list of people you need to know at EVERy hospital you work at.Travel Nursing Agency Cirrus Medical Staffing Sees Unique Opportunities For Traveling Nurses In Government Nurse Jobs Demand In Travel Nurse Jobs Anticipated Due to Swine FluER Nursing humor Just for a quick Laugh, at ourselves mostly. ...

Travel Nursing without Traveling?

ERTraveler — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:48:00 GMT

After traveling full time for the past 5 years, I wanted to spend some time working close to home. I missed my family, my partner, my dogs (both of whom barely remembered me), and most of all, my own bed. What I didn't want to do was cut my pay in half to do it! But taking a travel assignment close to home, requires you to rethink how you set up your pay package. You have to be careful, especially if you are used to taking a tax advantaged pay package.If you're working so close to home that it would not require an overnight stay, then you have to reduce the amount of tax free income that you bring in. You can't accept all that tax free housing money if you're not going to actually use it. Don't listen to a recruiter who tells you that it's okay to take the tax free money anyway, because it isn't. You have to be careful when dealing with recruiters, who often will encourage you to take a tax advantaged split that is way to high. They aren't doing this to help increase the amount ...