How Do I Qualify? RNs, PTs, OTs, and SLPs with a completed online application at American Traveler and who are eligible & qualified to work in the USA are qualified to enter the Drawing.

The winner will be awarded a $200 US Apple Store gift certificate. The iPhone is valued at $199 US.

Click here to learn more about iPhone contest with American Traveler

In an effort to keep experienced nurses in the workforce, more travel nursing agencies are catering to late-career RN’s — also known as “Baby Boomer” nurses. Travel nursing benefits like flexible schedules, education incentives, retirement plans and three day work weeks are particularly attractive to these valuable members of the profession.

With America’s nurse shortage becoming more critical, accommodating seasoned practitioners is vital. Fewer nurses are entering the profession than exiting, and travel nursing is an attractive choice both for Baby Boomer nurses who wish to continue working, and for healthcare providers in need of their expertise.

“Travel nursing careers promote a healthy, stable alternative to leaving the profession,” says Clinical Coordination Manager, Deborah Bacurin R.N., who points to surveys published by the Urban Institute. These studies suggest that Baby Boomer travel nurses are willing and able to work through their 50s and 60s, as long as employers are willing to furnish health and retirement benefits and a platform for professional development.

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If you live in South Florida (or even worked as a  Florida travel nurse), you know that it’s got a lot of charm. But Miami’s healthcare market is not quite as charming as its weather. This week the Milliman Medical Cost Index listed the 2008 average private healthcare costs for a Miami family of four — $20,282 — as the highest among the 14 major U.S. cities it studied. And over 40% of that amount came out of resident’s own pockets. Even tougher when you consider that Miamians earn lower than the average national income. The federal government has a lot on its plate at the moment, but healthcare reform is hopefully not too far off. And they may be looking to make a case study out of Miami. Read more here …

It may be a while before social networking is part of daily life in most hospitals, but the New York Times has reported that some hospitals have begun to use twitter, YouTube, blogs and facebook to attract and educate patients, reach out to donors, gain recognition and recruit physicians. According to the Times, Ed Bennett, Web Strategy Director for the University of Maryland Medical System and independent blogger, says that more than 250 hospitals are using some of the most common social media outlets. Bennett told the Times, “There’s a lot of surprise that hospitals are even doing this — hospitals are extremely conservative.”

There are concerns about privacy issues, but, given increasingly tight budgets, hospitals see the value of online tools as an inexpensive way to market their facilities. Some in the healthcare industry have also turned to online communication as a way to demystify the medical environment, posting twitter updates from the operating room and even — with the patient’s consent — real time video of medical procedures.

Some industry experts caution that the ease of use for some of these social media marketing outlets may make the hospital’s technology seem more advanced than their systems infrastructure actually warrants. However, any public misperception may be offset by the bonus of creating traffic to the hospital, both virtually and in real life.

While public outreach is an important aspect of social media marketing, some healthcare facilities are also finding value in reaching out to internal customers, like employees and even vendors. Want to know what’s going on with a hospital’s administration? See if you can follow them on twitter or check out their facebook company page. Our guess is that it won’t be long before travel nurses can learn a lot about a hospital’s culture and personality just by checking their cell phones.

Until about a year ago, state and local governments –- along with hospital administrators — were expressing concern about the nation’s long-standing nursing shortage.

In an effort to fill vacancies, hospitals were offering more attractive wages and signing bonuses. State and local programs were supporting expansion of nursing schools and other recruitment efforts. And, as we all know, many healthcare organizations increased their reliance on travel nurses and travel therapists.

But around January of this year things changed, and the recession began to affect healthcare jobs. Hospitals began freezing staff counts due to budgetary concerns, insurance issues and a drop in elective surgeries. And some seasoned nurses put off retirement while they waited for their 401(k)’s to recover. Some of the few positions that did open up were filled by former nurses returning to work in order to supplement the family income. This has brought about a sea change for many successful nurses (travel and permanent) who are used to functioning in a job market where demand exceeds supply.

“In this market, we all have to think creatively when looking for work,” says Deb Bacurin, Clinical Coordinator at American Traveler Staffing Professionals. “Consider working in a location where your specialty is more in demand. If you’ve been travel nursing, you’re ideally positioned for this kind of mobility and flexibility. You many also need to think about floating or working in a department that may not be your first choice, but is still within your scope of practice.”

Above all, bear in mind that when this recession turns around, the nursing shortage will still be there, and you will be calling the shots again.

In fact, the San Diego Union Tribune reported that Joanne Spetz, an associate professor of health economics at the University of California San Francisco School of Nursing, has cautioned against assuming that the nursing shortage is over. When the recession ends, Spetz noted, the conditions that created the nursing shortage will be back in full force. If anything, the staffing deficit could jump sharply as nurses who put off retirement leave the work force in one massive wave.

If you’ve made a career in healthcare, and in particular as a travel nurse or as a travel therapist, your decision is still a sound one. This is a rough patch, no doubt, but economic forecasters are already seeing some signs of economic recovery, and our hope is that the healthcare sector will be one of the leaders of the charge.

One-stop healthcare-staffing source

In an effort to eliminate the need by hospitals to engage multiple physician search staffing agencies and in-house recruiters, American Traveler has extended its healthcare staffing services to include locum tenens and permanent physician recruitment. In conjunction with the locum tenens physician staffing company Candidate Direct, American Traveler now provides a full array of consulting services targeting healthcare staff retention and performance, payroll budgets and quality of life issues.

Read the entire article at www.americantraveler.com/physician-staffing.html

Become a Nurse Anesthetist and earn over $180,000 a year plus Benefits!

It is common knowledge that nursing as a profession has experienced over two decades of a severe shortage. Will that change in the near future? No, not a chance!

So you are a nurse; you work hard; you love what you do, but you just want to earn more money. What do you do? If you already have a BN degree and at least two years of experience in critical care, you may want to consider investing a bit more time in your education and becoming a CRNA.

There are permanent positions for Nurse Anesthetists and locum tenens jobsin great demand all across the U.S. Not everyone is familiar with this profession, but actually, Dr. Susan Hanrahan, the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Professions at ASU, confirms that nurse anesthetists have been around for nearly 150 years.

“Nurse Anesthetists for a very long time have been filling a very special need, not only in urban areas but especially in rural areas.” In rural America nurse anesthetists are the primary anesthesia providers for many hospitals and other medical facilities. In fact, nearly 100% of rural hospitals in America use CRNA’s.

If you have experience in critical care, then your training and skills are exactly what it takes to advance your career into this prestigious field. As a CRNA, you’ll have even more opportunities for greater income, along with other gratifications and rewards. Registered nurses who have become CRNA’s report that they feel that their peers in the healthcare setting regard them more like a physician than as a nurse, when it comes to the organization’s hierarchy.

So how do you get started on earning this valuable certification? First, you’ll need to find a qualified school and earn admission. School accreditation in the CRNA degree is not as common as it is for an undergraduate nursing degree, so schools are a little harder find. But don’t worry; it can be done with persistence and patience. Be prepared to work hard for two and half years and pay some hefty tuition.

Dr. Hanrahan says, “Students can expect about $27,000 in tuition and fees. And they will still have to pay for their books. However when the students finish the program, their compensation as a nurse anesthetist is very healthy.”

Working travel nurses may want to consider another option if the requirements of a CRNA degree aren’t within their scope of possibilities. Expand your job opportunities and enhance your hourly pay by becoming cross trained in multiple specialties. For example a med-surg nurse may request floating to a Tel unit. After becoming experienced in telemetry, nurses can expand into critical care cross training and more. Excellent compensation and plentiful employment opportunities are a winning combination. For more suggestions on expanding your travel nursing resume, see this article: How to improve your nursing skills to make you a stronger travel nurse. A CRNA can expect career stability in all kinds of economic climates. For more information, RNs interested in becoming a CRNA can check out this page on Wiki Answers: Q: How much money does a nurse anesthetist earn?

10. Take your pet to see the Westminster Dog Show in New York City

9.  Get back home to see family  

8.  See one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. Travel nurse jobs in Arizona will get you close to the Grand Canyon!

7. Find your soul mate. Yes this  happens on travel nurse jobs!

6.  No longer be part of the permanent staff

5.  Become a “Snowbird” before your retire … travel nurse jobs in Florida … Here we come!

4. Check out the city your want to relocate to …

3.  Go on a northern adventure -  take travel nurse jobs in Washington state or Alaska

2. Learn to hula in travel nurse jobs in Hawaii - free airfare and housing included!

1.  Why Not

Share with us your reason’s that you  take  travel nurse jobs !

Nurses become travelers for many reasons.  Some are adventurous.  They call wanting to go to Alaska or the pacific northwest.   Many  nurses choose these locations  because they  love  travel nursing   for the great  scenery and the weather.  When they get there they can’t believe how nice and friendly people are!   Travel nurses can go whale watching, climb mountains or see an ice glacier , when you are travel nursing, you learn to truly appreciate all that nature has to offer.

Love is also a main reason nurses get up and go on  travel  nursing jobs!  They want to see family -just to visit or to help a sick family member.  Many want to be in near a significant other.  Many also take their significant other with them.

Of course there are the nurses that want to get out of the cold weather.  They plan their assignments with friends and family in mind.  Who doesn’t want to go visit them when they are in  Hawaii, Florida or Arizona?

The great thing about travel nursing is that you can go and stay just about anywhere in the U.S.  It is up to you to decide where you want to go , and Why Not?

Read more about travel nurse benefits

Watching the Superbowl last weekend got us thinking. Do you switch sports team allegiance when you’re on a travel nursing job – or are you die-hard, no-switching-ever loyal to your favorite teams?

Travel Therapist Nick is a noisy Ravens fan, but when he started his New York travel nursing job near Manhattan, he took the opportunity to get excited about the Giants and get to as many games as he could.  His colleagues like to see that he’s committed to his new location; plus, Nick says it’s fun to get behind a local team, especially if they’re on a winning streak.

On the other hand, our friend Janet, who went to school in Washington DC, is a nutso hockey fan and won’t ever abandon her beloved Caps. Janet has taken several Florida travel nurse jobs, and when she travels during hockey season, she tries to connect with local hockey fans and get a good-natured rivalry going.  She even prides herself on being the only one wearing a Capitals jersey in an arena full of “enemies.” (Yes, she travels with hockey paraphernalia.) Whatever way you go, there’s no doubt that sports are a great way to connect with neighbors and co-workers, whether you play them yourself, or just watch them on tv.

With the inauguration of every new president, we always look forward to the new administration tackling the ongoing issues in our industry, whether we think of our field as travel nursing or as healthcare in general.  There are so many issues on President Obama’s plate right now, but we’re hopeful that healthcare will be a priority for his administration. In the course of his campaign, Obama said that  healthcare reform must be woven into an economic recovery plan. After all, healthcare is one of the nation’s most important industries and an essential factor in our economy’s future success. In the past few years, the healthcare labor market has been one of the “healthiest” out there.

We’re discussing it all with our fellow travel nurses and therapists , and we’re hearing calls for:

• more input into the healthcare system by nurses, physicians and even patients — rather than managerial organizations and third parties
• more focus on financial incentives for preventive care, reducing the need for critical care
• reform of the health insurance system – with some favoring universal coverage, others a more gradual approach
• nursing education including financial aid and recruitment efforts for nursing school teachers

We’ve thinking about how travel nurses and healthcare workers can best contribute to reform, and what kind of political action we should take … seems like now is the time, while the agenda is still open. If you’ve got a plan of your own, please tell us about it.