Archive for the ‘Travel Nurse Career Tips’ Category

This May is Oncology Nursing Month

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

A Great Time to Apply for Rewarding Travel Nurse Jobs Across the USA

For nurses, Springtime is a season full of recognition and appreciation, with Oncology Nursing Month one of several national healthcare events that’s celebrated throughout the month of May. For R.N.s guiding patients through cancer treatment and recovery, the theme chosen by the Oncology Nursing Society couldn’t ring truer: oncology nurses ARE exceptional people, providing extraordinary care.

We’re Dedicated to Staffing Exceptional Nurses

oncology nurse50 States Staffing is dedicated to finding exceptional nurses and placing them in rewarding R.N. jobs in all fifty U.S. states! Take advantage of our online career resources that put you on the fast track to unlimited free continuing education credits, salary, testing information and more! If you love mixing travel with high paying nursing careers in a sub specialty, or area of advanced practice nursing, exploring the possibilities in travel nursing careers is a great way to do that, as well as touch a lot of lives and help a lot of people.

And While You’re At It…

Don’t forget to check in with the Oncology Nursing Society for more ideas on how to spread the word in your community about this special month in healthcare. You can also wear, tote along or decorate your office with ONS necessities in honor of Oncology Nursing Month.

While May is a time for R.N.s trained to lead in the transformation of cancer care, it’s also an ideal time for a fresh start in a variety of professional nursing roles. Find out today why so many professionals choose 50 States Staffing as their travel nursing agency. And, it’s simple to get started, simply  apply online !

Learn more about the PBDS Nursing Test and Assessment

Thursday, March 17th, 2011

The Performance Based Development System (PBDS) nursing assessment test measures a nurses’ ability to think critically at critical times – i.e. when saving a life matters most. It’s being used by more than 500 healthcare employers nationwide to measure a nurse’s communication and technical skills and is a “must pass” for travel nurses and staff RNs in search of nurse jobs with major healthcare employers (across all specialties: Med-surg nurses, OR nurses, NICU and ER nurses…)

“The PBDS test seems to be a huge topic when speaking to travelers,” said Deb Bacurin, RN and Clinical Coordinator from the travel nurse staffing firm, 50 States Staffing.

Ms. Bacurin said seasoned nurses fear the multiple-choice test for a number of reasons. First, many haven’t been exposed to such rigorous competency testing in years – some since nursing school. Second, though many excel in their nursing job, they may not be the best at explaining the pathophysiological aspects of certain conditions in a virtual environment. The PBDS nursing test requires nurses to view videos of simulated patient scenarios and write down all steps necessary to effectively manage a particular clinical situation.

PBDS assessment methods continue to grow in popularity among major health systems. Healthcare employers find that testing nurses improves patient safety and outcomes and is ideal for weeding out ‘less than competent’ nurses. In fact as a new hire, most travel nurses get only one shot at passing the PBDS test. Few hospitals offer retakes. If competency testing isn’t yet part of best practice recruiting at a facility, it soon will be. It’s fast becoming a preferred method in sourcing the best candidates.

Inasmuch as some nurses may object or feel offended by the PBDS test assessment or similar nursing test, performance-based assessments are a fact of life now – in the  nursing career and other professions. Measuring human performance in quantifiable terms is the new generation of financial accountability in healthcare, especially since payroll is a hospital’s single most controllable operating cost.

To prepare for the PBDS test

If you’re new to travel nursing or have traveled for years and have yet to encounter a PBDS nursing test, you’ll want to discuss the role free continuing education units play in helping you prepare for the PBDS nursing test and for future assignments. This can be done by contacting a reputable travel nursing agency, such as 50 States Staffing, to find out which hospitals rely on PBDS nurse testing and what specifically to expect from individualized PBDS tests. Competency test questions and testing modalities vary among providers. You can also click on travel nurse career resources for more information.

Staying current on healthcare information technologies, new modes of care and communication has never been more important for nurses. Nursing Continuing Education Units with 50 States Staffing are unlimited. Our free CEU courses satisfy State Board of Nursing Requirements and will satisfy YOU! Get in touch with a staffing expert at 50 States Staffing today—call us at 800-996-2206 or apply online!

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Find out How L&D Nurses Are Taking the Edge Off Their Patients’ Labor Pains

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Nitrous oxide, or “laughing gas”, all but vanished from U.S. hospitals generations ago, but has since returned to a San Francisco and Seattle based hospital, where L&D staff in California travel nursing have great things to say about it. Because laughing gas “takes the edge off” labor pains with minimal invasiveness, it’s making a comeback; in such a big way, in fact, that a series of conferences in the New England states have registered nurses working with healthcare officials to offer laughing gas to maternity patients in well-known hospitals, like Vanderbilt University Medical Center as early as this year.

Is an Alternative to the Epidural Coming to Your Hospital?

laughing gas for labor patientsWidely offered to laboring mothers in the maternity wards of Canada and England, current articles about laughing gas suggest that hospitals in America will soon make nitrous oxide commonplace as well; among these Dartmouth-Hitchcock, a prestigious facility employing R.N.s in New Hampshire nursing jobs. To date, Dartmouth-Hitchcock bought two nitrous oxide machines, with midwives on staff speculating up to 20% of their patients interested in using it.

Other A-list healthcare facilities are bound to follow suit, now that the federal government is reviewing laughing gas, its resurgence in popularity attributed to the fact that smaller hospitals—those in rural areas that lack round the clock anesthesiologists—find laughing gas to be a more affordable alternative to epidurals; those who work in registered nurse jobs that treat patients without access to insurance may also want to talk to their L&D patients about laughing gas.

Keep Pace with Healthcare Trends by Working in the Best L&D Nursing Jobs!

At 50 States Staffing, L&D nursing jobs, as well as brilliant careers in every nursing specialty are assured because we staff talent in America’s best hospitals; over 80% of our healthcare facilities have secured top mention in U.S. News & World Report. Since our affiliates provide the cutting edge in healthcare, it’s only a matter of time before our registered nurses work with every technology and career advancing hospital trend the industry has to offer. Apply online or call us at 1-800-996-2206 today!

Travel Nurse Pay is Higher for Nurses Using Employment Services

Monday, February 21st, 2011

Registered nurses who align their skills and talents with nurse staffing agencies earn an average annual salary of $68,160—that’s before travel nursing benefits kick in; once free private housing and health insurance, referral bonuses, unlimited continuing education credits, and other great benefits add to that annual figure, a travel nurse salary is more on par with an income in the six figure range. 50 States Staffing, a premier employment service agency, can offer registered nurses the opportunity to earn up to 110,000 annually.

A Prosperous Travel Nursing Career in All 50 U.S. States

The beauty of a travel nursing career at a #1 staffing agency is the rare opportunity it presents to work in as many as four different travel nurse jobs per year, or in one permanent nursing job you’ve fallen in love with. And what’s not to love? Over 80% of our clients at 50 States Staffing include A-list healthcare facilities, many of whom top the list of America’s best hospitals in U.S. News & World Report. Our travel nurse job agency’s rewarding R.N. jobs are available in every specialty—and located in both urban hotspots and charming locales nationwide. Travel nurses who come to work with us get to experience, first hand, a company that lives up to its name, literally—staffing both registered nurses and therapists in hospitals, clinics, outpatient centers, and home health care jobs in all 50 states.

How Prosperous? Get Median Travel Nurse Salary Figures Here!

At 50 States Staffing, our VIP customer care works 24/7—not only to match your clinical talents with the best nursing jobs possible, but to ease your transition into the travel nurse lifestyle without a single bump in the road. They can vouch for the following travel nurse salary statistics, applicable to any experienced R.N.; median annual wages were at a high of $62,450 in 2008 and are still climbing; these statistics placed the middle 50 percent of wage earners between a respectable $51,640 and $76,570. The top 10 percent of the nurse pay scale earned more than $92,240!

Earn High Travel Nurse Pay Stat!

A great travel nurse salary is well within reach of highly trained and experienced R.N.s, advancing rapidly on the nursing career path. Bookmark 50 States Staffing today!  Call 800-996-2206 or apply online and land the ultimate travel nursing career.

Where Have All the LPNs Gone?

Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011

For Nurses in Acute Care, Licensure as a Registered Nurse Protects Job Security and Raises Salary Expectations

Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) jobs in hospitals have declined rapidly over the last decade, creating a nursing career trend that is relegating LPN jobs to doctor’s offices, nursing homes and home health jobs that don’t pay as well as nursing careers in acute care hospitals; that being said, it’s registered nurses who earn, not just higher salaries, but maintain iron clad job security, as LPN positions are usurped by R.N.s seeking both permanent and travel nursing jobs. The good news for LPNs interested in obtaining a registered nursing license, is that most healthcare employers offer financial and academic support along the way.

50 States Staffing Prioritizes Ongoing Nurse Education By Making It Free and Convenient

At 50 States Staffing, recruiting experts are standing by to help members of our healthcare team attain the credentialing they need to succeed in their nursing careers; that’s why the agency offers unlimited free continuing education credits, one-click access to state nursing boards, testing and school resources, and so much more that ensures employability at registered nursing salaries that represent a near doubling of what an LPN can earn.

An advocate of continuing education for nurses of every stripe, Debbie Bacurin, Clinical Coordinator, adds, “Most hospitals will work with LPNs and help them—both financially and with study—achieve R.N. licensure. Nursing schools are also very accommodating; most are willing to include the LPNs work and life experience as part of the R.N. curriculum. I do believe there will always be a position for LPN’s—I just don’t see many of them being hired in capacities beyond doctor’s office jobs or long-term nursing care positions. If anything, the pressure is on R.N.s to increase their education and get graduate level nursing certifications!”

Define the Terms of Your Brilliant Future as a Registered Nurse by Applying Today!

Helping registered nurses realize their full career potential is what sets 50 States Staffing apart as a leading name in travel nursing careers! Our agency lets you grow your nursing career by your own terms and preferred pace, helping you plan a comfortable retirement, part of a full benefits package. Gather the materials you need for a secure and bright future in travel nursing by calling us today at 800-996-2206 or apply online. You’re going to love the life you design!

Footnote: To read more about the LPN job outlook, nurses are encouraged to read relevant information at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as income stats for LPNs that record the highs and lows of their annual earnings from 2006 to present.

Travel Nurses Can Save Money at the Pump!

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

Gas Saving Tips and Resources that Travel Well with Your Nursing Career

gas saving tips for travel nurses

Registered nurse jobs are as flexible as they are plentiful at 50 States Staffing, where we want to see our R.N.s and therapists make the most of their time on

the open road. If you accept at least 2 different travel nurse jobs per year, chances are—when time permits—you relish your new surroundings by taking frequent mini-vacations and doing lots of site seeing. With this in mind, we’ve got helpful tips and resources for saving you money, next time you gas up and get ready for your next travel nurse adventure!

Travel Nurses Travel Lighter with These Gas Saving Tips

With rising energy costs and inflation in mind, saving money at the pump is important, not just to travel nurses but to every American; with this is mind, we found Gasbuddy—an online resource designed to connect people with the lowest and most competitive gas prices locally, and chances to win prepaid gas cards.

Gas Saving Tips

  1. Don’t drive too fast or too slow! If you have cruise-control, make sure to use it.
  2. Keep tires properly inflated/check tire pressure at fill-ups
  3. Use a gas rebate credit card
  4. Avoid accelerating or breaking too hard
  5. Try to patronize gas stations several blocks from the freeway
  6. Look for wholesale clubs and chain stores that own gas stations and/or offer gas discounts to their members
  7. Carpool to your travel nurse job or use public transportation
  8. Avoid gassing up at pricey stations located on repair shop premises
  9. Travel light – pack lightly for your long travel nursing trips. See travel nursing packing tips.

Anxious to Get on the Road ASAP? Sign Up for Nurse Job Alerts and Get to Work Fast!

Automatic email alerts save you time! Get Nursing Jobs Feed from 50 States Staffing delivered by email to view and apply for fresh and up-to-date job openings across the U.S.! We not only tell you where the job is, but give lots of juicy information on travel nurse job locations.

With all the other perks and travel nurse job benefits i.e. free private housing, health insurance, unlimited continuing education credits and referral bonuses just to name a few, it makes sense to consider working with a top nurse staffing agency NOW. Call 800-996-2206 or apply online. Get your high-octane health career off to the perfect start by calling us today!

Travel Nursing Jobs are a Chance to Indulge in Mini Vacations Close to Your Own Backyard

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

Your travel nursing career familiarizes you with more than just top notch healthcare employers—you’ve also been known to pick spots for job assignments that appeal greatly to your sense of adventure. Chances are you’ve done your homework and looked at a guide book or two, talked to the locals and made an impressive to-do list when it comes to easy-to-plan mini vacations, close-by or just a day-trip away from your free private housing. 50 States Staffing is here to illuminate two states, popular among travel nurses and tourists worldwide, for their mini-vacation potential this winter season.

Get Sweet on Washington Travel Nursing During the Red Wine & Chocolate Festival

Washington travel nursing jobs are just a ferry ride away from fresh local seafood and other culinary delights that make the Pacific Northwest so unique. You’ll see what we mean once you experience the Red Wine and Chocolate Festival during the weekend of Feb. 12-13 and February 19-Feb 21. Buy tickets online and read about the 7 different award-winning wineries pairing their best with specialty chocolates!

Washington Travel Nursing Gives You a Taste for Regional Flavor Statewide!

Washington travel nursing jobsWashington travel nursing jobs lend themselves beautifully to sampling authentic Washington cuisine; take the weekend, or any time you don’t happen to be working, to enjoy a little R&R in the form of wine and cuisine, quick escape to the rugged beauty of the North Olympic Peninsula or metropolitan richness of the Emerald City—Seattle—where wintertime social events are plentiful.

Connecticut Travel Nursing Jobs Provide Exposure to a Winter Wonderland

Connecticut travel nursing jobs are a sojourn into enchanting New England where museums, famous musical Connecticut travel nursing jobsacts and other notable performing arts, not to mention your pick of cultural festivals, dominate the calendar this time of year. Get out your appointment book and make sure your pen is full of ink—you’ll need it to preserve these dates and other information supplied by this Connecticut events link.

Want to Blend Mini Vacations with High-Paying Travel Nurse Jobs?

Wherever you go in your travel nursing career, make sure you make the most out of the unique advantages it offers. You’ll save gas traveling to coveted vacation destinations, close to where you live and work. Request a vacation packet or pick up a state guidebook in your neck of the woods today. You’ll find plenty of information on local events, coupons, regional food, historic sites and more. Let your imagination run away with you during a mini vacation—go hiking in a state park, tour endless museums or do some high-end living uptown. Apply online or call 800-996-2206 today!

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Are you a Travel Nurse Looking for a Little More Sunshine in the New Year?

Tuesday, December 21st, 2010

Beat The Winter Blues with

In many parts of the U.S., December through February are blanketed in snow and known for shorter, darker days, affecting some northern state dwellers with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or put more simply, the winter blues. You can fight the seasonal doldrums by eating right, exercising and rising from that nice, warm bed with a sense of purpose—but qualified registered nurses have an even better option: considering Florida travel nursing! This is your invitation from some of the nation’s best healthcare employers to come out of the cold and advance in your travel nursing career. 50 States Staffing is looking to fill Florida travel nurse jobs with a wide variety of nursing specialties.

Florida travel nursing jobs - it's like a paid vacation!

At leading staffing agencies, high paying nursing jobs offering amazing benefits are as ripe for the picking as a juicy Florida orange. Spend a gorgeous winter, comfortably attired in shorts and T-shirts, enjoying free private housing that’s close to your travel nurse job. In Florida travel nurse jobs, R.N.s can work a typical 13 week assignment or as few as 3 weeks—plenty of time to make it to The Sunshine State’s social events of the season.

Apply for Florida Travel Nurse Jobs in Time for Exciting January Events!

Reserve your place in the sun, for the Key West Food & Wine Festival, January 27-January 30th. There’s still time to apply for Florida travel nursing jobs that put you close to the tropical beauty and uniqueness only Key West—more affectionately known as Mile Marker 0—can bring! Read more about statewide touring possibilities by clicking on this GoFlorida link.

Florida Nursing Jobs Offer More than Just Amazing Pay—They Also Put You Close to World-Famous Destinations

Beachside beauty isn’t the only bright spot on the Florida map; this state also offers unparalleled healthcare in terms of quality. Travel nursing in Florida involves employment in top notch facilities like Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Boynton—a prestigious place for travel nurses, and not far from Miami where nursing jobs pay impressive salaries, as well as grant exposure to South Beach’s lively social scene. Florida nursing jobs in other parts of the state are just a mini-cruise away from ports of call like the Bahamas and the Caribbean, and when you’re not setting sail, soak in the tropical wonder of Fort Lauderdale and world-famous Palm Beaches.

Travel nurse jobs allow you take your spouse along! Read Florida travel nursing testimonials

Warm Up to the Possibilities by Applying for a Florida Nursing Job Today!

So what are you waiting for? Trade your snow boots for water skis and call 800-996-2206 or apply online today!  This is your chance to work in A-list magnet, teaching and research hospitals, with low-nurse patient ratios, and welcoming permanent staff—and in winter temperatures averaging in the 70s- no less. Start collecting seashells and winter dreams by the dozen by looking into Florida nursing jobs now!

Travel Nursing Keeps You Healthy and Wealthy!

Friday, December 17th, 2010

High-Activity in Travel Nursing Careers Help You Steer Clear of Middle-Aged Spread

As we age, staying healthy goes hand in hand with staying active. Travel nurses are no exception. Plenty of middle-aged, young-at-heart professionals are on the 50 States Staffing team, making healthcare employers across the nation grateful these experienced individuals chose to become travel nurses and therapists later on in their careers. Travel nurse testimonials prove that moving from one rewarding nursing assignment to the next means exposure to new activities that all but renounce the couch potato lifestyle—great news considering the advantages of maintaining a high activity level throughout one’s life.

travel nursing careerAccording to The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) moderate exercise, when people do it daily for no less than 30 minutes throughout their young adulthood and into middle-age plays a vital role in minimizing weight gain, especially in women. The study followed more than 3,500 men and women for 20 years, citing high activity levels as the reason the female test subjects avoided a weight gain of 13.4 pounds per year. The men in the study weighed 5.7 pounds less than their inactive peers, giving fresh insight into the middle-aged spread; perhaps it’s not inevitable—though a related study on exercise and fitness did warn delaying regular exercise until middle-age, even at 30+ minutes a day, was not enough to reduce age-related weight gain.

Young, Old or In-between, Travel Nursing Keeps You on the Move!

Any recruiter at a leading healthcare staffing agency knows that travel nursing careers can be as physically demanding as they are rewarding; they also know the majority of their applicants are up to the challenge! Registered nurse jobs at 50 States Staffing are a chance to live in some of the most desirable locations in the U.S., in free luxury housing, close to activities that define a city and make it unique. Do you love to ski? We’ve got travel nursing jobs near mountainous terrains. Are you a surfer or beachcomber? Peruse our jobs in California travel nursing! Love to swim and hike? When you work in Florida travel nursing jobs you can work on your muscles and your tan during your time off from being a travel nurse or therapist.

Why Contemplating a Travel Nurse Career is a Wise Move for 50+ Healthcare Professionals

Employment statistics show that approximately 40 percent of the nursing workforce is now age 50 or more, meaning many of our candidates are placing a greater premium on commodities like flex-time and freedom to better define their work environments; young or old, this is travel nursing in a nutshell, described in more detail in one of our travel nurse newsletters. Our recruiters staff talent in forward thinking hospitals that value stress-relief and increased body awareness programs, making “getting fit” an imperative for everyone in the healthcare community. When you apply at 50 States Staffing, the ease of progressive work environments in all 50 states comes with the added benefits of generous 401k package, free health insurance, bonuses, reimbursements and more.

No matter your age or waistline, it’s your adventurous spirit that makes the decision on whether or not to pursue travel nursing. If you’re a qualified registered nurse or therapist and want to stay on the path to physical and emotional health, call 800-996-2206 or apply online NOW!

Footnote: Travel nurses and therapists interested in reading more on the JAMA study can read the abstract of Maintaining a High Physical Activity Level Over 20 Years and Weight Gain online.

Contemplating a Career Boost in the form of an ICU Travel Nurse Job?

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010

Find Out How It Measures Up Against a Staff ICU Position

Embarking on a travel nurse career means you’re adventurous and ambitious, eager for the 20% hike in salary ICU Travel nursing jobs have to offer, not to mention job placement in America’s best hospitals—a given at 50 States Staffing, where the client base includes over 80% of top ranking hospitals in U.S. News & World Report.

If that isn’t enough, it may behoove the R.N. to know that, although ICU nurse employers can appreciate your loyalty after working at the same hospital for years, many prefer the well-rounded, patient-care perspective of a traveling ICU nurse. While travel nurses snag the attention of healthcare employers nationwide, they are also touring a great deal of it! Working in bustling cities in the  U.S. is a wonderful perk that comes with the job, and the best part?  At 50 States Staffing, we provide free deluxe housing accommodations for you, your spouse, children and pets!

ICU nurse - find Florida nursing jobsSay, for example, you’re interested in Florida nurse jobs; once you accept the job offer, our recruiters put everything in motion, providing you with the tools and convenient online resources to relocate with ease, making your way in an exciting new city that’s at the center of well known shopping and dining districts, site-seeing highlights and more.

Still, it’s hard to say goodbye to your comfort zone and leave a permanent staff job, but consider the pros of a travel nurse career—with its free private housing, included in travel nurse job benefits, plus exposure to new sites and professional experiences, almost anybody would be tempted; so how do you make the right call when the question arises: Should I stay or should I go? Veterans of the profession recommend a close study of travel nurse testimonials as the first step in your decision making process.

I’ve Read Other Travel Nurses’ Rave reviews. What Other Factors Should Weigh In On My Decision to Take an ICU Travel Nursing Job?

ICU travel nurse jobs at 50 States Staffing offer superior pay, flexibility in scheduling, life-enhancing benefits and the opportunity to see Alaska, Hawaii, New York City, Florida, Montana, Maine—just to name a few! Click on the travel nurse jobs locations link to read more about hospital highlights. Assignments last anywhere from 4 to 26 weeks, and VIP customer care is there for consult anytime you need it, to feel even more “at home!”.

Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before Embarking on an ICU Travel Nurse Job

Because you may change ICU travel nurse jobs as often as 4 times a year, it’s a good idea to remind yourself why you got into this vein of nursing in the first place, so make sure you answer in the affirmative to everything on this shortlist.

  • Is my background and experience working with diverse patient populations both impressive and positive?
  • Am I able to facilitate multiple treatment techniques with patients?
  • Do I have an interest in Health IT and emerging trends in medicine?
  • Do I look toward my healthcare career to provide me with cultural enrichment?

That last item on the list resonates the most with R.N.s born to be travel nurses. If you’ve always  wanted the chance to blend work and adventure, AND meet friends for life, contact 50 States Staffing TODAY by calling 800-996-2206 or apply online! Happy trails, travel nurses!