5 Financial Tips to Maximize a Healthcare Traveler Salary
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life Back in 2015, my husband was a full-time student and I was the main source of income for our little family. Working in one of the lowest-paying areas of the country in a hospital with less-than-ideal staffing ratios meant I was working a ton of overtime and heading straight toward full-fledged burnout a little over a year into my nursing career. Shortly after I hit the one year mark on my unit I began researching travel nursing. I quickly realized I could double my income easily by working contracts two to three hours from home, and negotiate with managers to have long stretches off to go home and be with my husband. From a financial standpoint, this was a no brainer, and I took the leap into travel nursing shortly after. Thanks to travel nursing we were able to pay my husband’s last semester at a private university in cash, purchase a car without a loan, and pay off my undergraduate loans (still working on his grad school loans, but we’ll get there!). We accomplished most of this in about two and a half years, and during a lot of that time, we only had one income. Travel nursing can be a powerful tool for making huge financial gains, but you do have to commit and plan ahead to truly maximize the benefits of travel pay. 1. Write out a budget for each assignment Your expenses and payments will change with each new assignment and so should your budget! Take time to sit down at the beginning of your contract and write out the cost of everything and how your payments will be broken down. Even simple things like the cost of gas or groceries will fluctuate based on the area of the country you are living in, so be prepared to adjust accordingly. 2. Be flexible but conscientious with your budget As mentioned before, it may take some trial and error to figure out what things will cost when you first get to a new location. For example, we had to drastically increase our grocery budget in Seattle because they didn’t have an Aldi (our go-to for cheap groceries) and all of the regular groceries ran more expensive. Plan to overspend the first week or two, and then dial in your numbers once you get the hang of what everything will cost. 3. Write out your financial goals Are you aiming to pay down debt? Perhaps retire early? Save for a big trip? Regardless of your why for making a financial gain, focusing on a goal can help you stay on track with your budget. It is a lot easier to say no when temptations arise if you know the money you are saving is going towards something worthwhile. We even made a little whiteboard with columns for our debt paydown and savings accounts so we could track how much money was going towards our goals and celebrate milestones. 4. Negotiate a good overtime rate I have found that once you get rolling with a financial goal you will often be more motivated to work a little extra to meet those goals even sooner. If you are going to work overtime, make sure you are getting more than just 1.5 times your base hourly (if you opt for a lower hourly rate). Overtime pay as a traveler can be quite lucrative, so make sure and take advantage of it! Keep 2-3 months’ pay in savings. Unfortunately with travel nursing there is always a risk of contract cancellation, housing mishaps or other last minute changes to your plans. Most of these tend to put some sort of strain on finances, and it can be easy to resort to credit cards with significant interest rates in case of these emergencies. Instead, plan ahead for them and stack up some cash to have as a backup fund. That way you don’t have to worry if an unforeseen circumstance arises, and your big financial goals don’t take a hit as a result. Don’t forget to budget fun money One of the best parts of travel nursing is the spontaneity and flexibility. At the very least, most travelers don’t have a lot of obligations outside of work so it is easy to say yes to things like after work happy hours or day trips on a stretch off. In addition we get the luxury of taking as much time off as we’d like between assignments. Even if you have financial goals, plan for some unexpected fun money so you can also enjoy your assignment while making financial progress. Regardless of your reason for wanting to maximize your pay as a traveler, I highly encourage you to work toward taking control of your finances now. With a new year and a fresh start, this is the perfect time to take a little time and really look at where you want your money to go. As travel nurses we have the ability to have fun and make great progress financially, so we might as well take advantage of the opportunity. Alex McCoy currently works as a pediatric travel nurse. She has a passion for health and fitness, which led her to start Fit Travel Life in 2016. She travels with her husband, their cat, Autumn and their dog, Summer. She enjoys hiking, lifting weights, and trying the best local coffee and wine. << 5 Little Known Travel Nurse Struggles (And Tackle Them)
5 Little Known Travel Nurse Struggles (And How to Tackle Them)
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life There are a lot of obvious difficulties that come with the travel nurse lifestyle. Making new friends, paring down belongings, and finding housing are some top concerns that I hear about from new travelers trying to figure out this new way of living. As you begin to move between assignments these “big” problems start to get easier to tackle. While I planned for all the well-known struggles, here are a few unexpected things I had to learn to navigate on my travel nurse journey. Finding a hairstylist Right before I started traveling I had the horrible luck of getting my hair absolutely ruined by a new hairstylist. I’m talking splotchy color, uneven trim–the works. Needless to say, I was not keen on branching out at each new assignment and trusting a new person with my hair every few months. I actually opted to go from a high-maintenance blonde color to a more subtle style to help stretch out my time between appointments. By doing this you could try to only make appointments when you are home and can see someone you trust. However, for men who need more frequent haircuts or if you don’t want to wait quite that long, I have another tactic. Find someone you work with or meet on assignment who has really great hair and simply ask where they go to get it done. This way you have a pretty good idea if you will be spending money on a reliable stylist instead of someone you simply read reviews about online. Figuring out where to get your car worked on This is another area where you could end up in a costly predicament if you hire someone unreliable. Finding someone to fix larger problems on your car can be scary especially if you don’t know much about cars or what questions to ask. Once again you can try to ask around with coworkers if you end up in a spot where you need to get work done on your vehicle. Another good option is to check out the AAA website. In the past, we have had good luck with any stores listed as an AAA approved business, and it’s nice to know you are going somewhere that has a stamp of approval from an outside source. Learning a new grocery store This is one of those things that is a small issue but takes a little bit of time to adjust to in each new city. One thing you may not realize is that each new state and city comes with its own set of grocery store brands. I had no idea this was even a thing until I moved out of my hometown after college. I have found that Kroger actually has a wide-reaching brand of stores under different names, so that is usually my go-to when moving somewhere new because the prices always seem to be the best. Regardless, it is always interesting to see how opinionated people in the area can be about where to buy your groceries. Keeping up with uniform requirements Even if you enjoy shopping for new scrubs, changing uniforms every new assignment can turn into more of a chore than a fun shopping trip. A lot of hospitals now have specific uniform colors or requirements, which means purchasing enough scrubs to get you through each new assignment without going crazy doing laundry between every shift. If you are budget conscious like me, this inevitably lands you in the boat of owning a few sets of “okay” scrubs instead of a really nice wardrobe of all the fancier brands available these days. Once again this is not a huge issue in the grand scheme of things, but sometimes it would be nice to invest in a few pairs of those really cute trendy scrubs blowing up my Instagram feed. Staying on top of personal medical needs On a more serious note, keeping up with routine medical care can be a challenge while working as a travel nurse. Obviously your primary doctor is likely back home, so you have to be really organized in making sure to get in for yearly appointments during visits to see friends or family. In addition, if you change travel companies your insurance will also change with each new assignment. If you are relatively healthy, this may not be an issue in regards to deductibles or out of pocket max, but it may make it trickier to see a doctor when you are home. Make sure to ask if your company terminates coverage on your contract end date, or if you will be able to sneak in a visit if you get in quickly after your assignment ends. The last thing you want is to have to use something like COBRA to pay for a routine well check between assignments. All in all, none of these struggles outweigh the vast amount of positives that come along with working as a travel nurse. Just like the rest of the tricks, you learn to navigate the big challenges, finding an emergency car mechanic or locating the store with your favorite coffee creamer flavor will get easier as you go along. Once again, you just have to embrace the crazy life that is travel healthcare and take time to laugh about all the “struggles” that no one but a fellow traveler can truly understand. Alex McCoy currently works as a pediatric travel nurse. She has a passion for health and fitness, which led her to start Fit Travel Life in 2016. She travels with her husband, their cat, Autumn and their dog, Summer. She enjoys hiking, lifting weights, and trying the best local coffee and wine. << Eight Things I Never Forget When Starting an Assignment
5 Ways for Travel Nurses to Eat Healthier in the New Year
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life After working with lots of travelers both in a group setting and through one on one coaching, I have found a certain pattern that comes up with both nurses and all healthcare travelers in regards to eating healthy. Most travelers struggle the first week or two on assignment, find a good rhythm in regards to meal prep or eating better, and then fall off again towards the end of a contract. The beginning and end of a travel nurse contract are the hardest times to eat healthy for several reasons. Whether you are just arriving or getting ready to leave, chances are your options for ingredients to make home-cooked meals are slim. In addition, eating out becomes more frequent at the start and end of an assignment. You may resort to eating out due to a lack of groceries, or you are busy trying all the places you read about or want to try before you leave. The key is to strike a healthy balance between splurging on fun food, eating what you have at home, and keeping your stress over what to eat low. Although this balance might sound near impossible, with a few small changes you can take control of your eating habits and feel better about what you are putting into your body this year. 1. Make a trip to the grocery store ASAP when you first move in When you first arrive at a new location running out to get groceries is often the least appealing task. You are tired, you’ve likely driven for hours on end, and most of the time the first thing you want to do is get unpacked and settled in. However, I promise you will be even less motivated to get some healthy snacks and food into your fridge after unpacking and getting organized. My best advice is to empty out your car and then head straight to the store to pick up a few staples–this will also save you money from eating out the first several meals at each assignment. 2. Get familiar with healthier options at fast-food restaurants As great as it would be to pack days and days worth of healthy snacks and meals on the road, it isn’t always feasible. Nowadays most fast-food restaurants have helped with this issue by having healthier options on their menus. Whether you are at Taco Bell or McDonald’s, take some time to pay attention to calorie counts when deciding what to eat on your road trip stops. 3. Don’t treat every meal out like your last meal on earth Travel nurses may end up eating out more simply because we like trying all the new food in each city. As a foodie myself this is one of my favorite things to do. But we do not need to go all-out on drinks, apps, entrees and dessert at every single restaurant. Splurge on items that are truly worth it, but don’t go overboard just because you are eating out. If all else fails, pay extra attention to the calories you are drinking and “save” some of those to enjoy a little more decadent meal. 4. Get creative when it’s time to clean out the fridge At the end of an assignment, you may find that pickings are slim for home-cooked meal ingredients. Obviously you won’t want to make a huge grocery haul if you may not have time to use it. On the other hand, it is nice to be able to use what you have and try to eliminate food waste. Start by picking out what proteins and meats you have left, and try to build meals around those. Usually, you can then pick up a few supplemental items at the grocery store without buying so much that you will have to throw it away before you leave. 5. Realize that small choices do add up If your goal is to maintain or lose weight this new year the best reminder I can give is that weight loss is based on how many calories you consume versus how many calories you burn. All the “little” cheats, snacks at work, or extra sugary cocktails can really add up. Don’t underestimate the power of small positive changes that may be easier and less stressful than a whole diet overhaul. While traveling and getting healthier at the same time can be difficult, it is not impossible. Focus on ways that you can make better choices yet still enjoy your life. Making dramatic changes or cutting out whole food groups or indulgences will often lead to a less successful change overall, so be sure to make small, easily implemented changes to help you establish better habits long term that benefit both your physical and mental well being. Alex McCoy currently works as a pediatric travel nurse. She has a passion for health and fitness, which led her to start Fit Travel Life in 2016. She travels with her husband, their cat, Autumn and their dog, Summer. She enjoys hiking, lifting weights, and trying the best local coffee and wine. << Traveler Tips: 5 Easy Meals for Busy Nurses
When Are You Going to Settle Down? Deflecting the Holiday Questions as a Traveler
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life As travel nurses, we take on a rather unorthodox lifestyle. Our jobs, homes, and plans for the next week or month or year change quite frequently. You may have plans to head to California and with a last-minute contract cancellation find yourself in Maine instead. And that is totally okay (and normal), but this concept can be very difficult for friends and relatives to understand. This time of year many people are headed home for a nice long visit with family. As a married traveler, I know I got plenty of questions about when we will buy a house, find a job back home and live the “normal” life everyone expects. As a single travel nurse, I can only imagine the questioning is even more annoying because you also get hit with comments about never finding someone to date if you keep moving around or hints about your biological clock ticking. Which leads to everyone’s favorite question being asked: When are you going to settle down? While it would be easy to just wave these questions off and simply use the approach that it is none of anyone’s business, it can sometimes be helpful to go in with an answer primed and ready if you do happen across the relatives who won’t let up about their concern over your lifestyle. Option #1: Explain why you do what you do Every travel nurse has their own why behind what they are doing. Some are out to pay off debt, others want to see the world as much as possible. The sheer act of moving so much may not seem “worth it” to an outsider who doesn’t understand the why behind what we do. If you are traveling for financial reasons, be upfront and explain that travelers may make 1.5-2 times as much as a staff nurse and how beneficial that is for your financial goals. If travel is key to your happiness, be sure to lay out how nice it is to take extended periods of time off without worrying about PTO or manager approval. I have found that the time off factor alone is something anyone working a normal job can appreciate, so that’s usually my first tactic if I am explaining the pros of travel nursing. Option #2: Refute the claim that anyone has to settle down, ever For some people, the travel nursing lifestyle doesn’t really have an end date. I have met people who have traveled for fifteen years or more and are very happy doing so. In addition, some travelers even have kids and spouses that travel with them so adding to your family isn’t necessarily an indicator that you have to “settle down” in one location. When I decided to move back home to have a baby, many of my friends and family assumed that was the end of my travel career. However, if someone assumes this I usually correct them and rattle off several examples of people who travel with kids. Most people do not realize there are options for living outside a traditional lifestyle, especially if your goal is to grow your family or meet someone and get married. Simply educating them on the fact that it is possible to travel and still have some traditional life experiences may help thin out the questions about settling down. Option #3: The sarcastic approach The second I told my grandma I was engaged I started getting questions about when I was going to have a baby. As a brand new nurse with a husband in grad school babies were not anywhere on my agenda at the time. I started off telling my grandma politely that we would probably consider babies closer to when we turned 30, but she persisted in making comments or asking questions about when we planned to start the process. Finally, I had had enough because my nice answers were not getting through to her. I started saying things like “I just don’t want to give up wine” or “Keaton (my husband) says we are never having kids”. Although I am not sure if she actually believed my sarcastic responses, she got annoyed enough with them that she stopped asking. While this isn’t my preferred way of deflecting familial questioning, in some cases if they are not being respectful of your choices and boundaries you may need to protect your own privacy in a less than friendly way. At the end of the day, it is your life and most certainly your choice. Friends and family do not have to understand your lifestyle, but you deserve to feel comfortable and confident and not like you have to defend your choice in careers. Start by focusing on the positives of working as a travel nurse, but don’t be afraid to be more direct and stand up for yourself if that one nosy relative just won’t let it go. Besides, in the end, you get to take off back to your awesome travel lifestyle when all the holiday craziness is over. Alex McCoy currently works as a pediatric travel nurse. She has a passion for health and fitness, which led her to start Fit Travel Life in 2016. She travels with her husband, their cat, Autumn and their dog, Summer. She enjoys hiking, lifting weights, and trying the best local coffee and wine. << Benefits and Challenges of Traveling as a Team
Legislation to Protect Healthcare Professionals from Workplace Violence Moves to the Senate
Nurses and medical professionals face some of the highest risks of violence in their jobs every day. The industry is another step closer to improving efforts to protect healthcare professionals from violence in the workplace. On Nov. 21, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Workplace Violence Prevention for Healthcare and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309). This bill would mandate the Secretory of Labor to create a standard for workplace violence prevention specifically in healthcare environments. Facilities will need to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to keep workers safe. Plans should be tailored and specific to conditions and hazards including patient-specific risk factors and specific to each work area or unit. Workplace violence can consist of physical or psychological actions, which includes abusive behavior toward authority, intimidating or harassing behavior and threats. U.S. News & World Report deems healthcare as the most dangerous profession with an estimated 654,000 people harmed on the job per year—and that’s when people actually report violence. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) disclosed that about 25 percent of incidents go unreported. Specifically in nursing, there’s been a 70 percent increase in intentional injuries to nurses by their patients between 2012 and 2018. While many healthcare workers may feel that workplace violence is an inevitable part of the job, it’s important to take actions to promote safe environments for the staff, the patients and their families and visitors. As travel nurses change assignments every few months, it’s important to know how each facility they travel to handles workplace violence issues and their prevention programs. For example, what are the proper procedures for reporting an incident, and what support and resources are available. Healthcare recruiters should be able to provide support and insights about safety issues and of any required training so that travelers are properly informed beforehand. “For travelers, communication with your recruiter is key,” said Senior Healthcare Recruiting Manager Richard Dunn. “If an incidence at work occurred or you feel unsafe, tell your recruiter everything so they can get involved to help solve issues as soon as possible.” We’re seeing more facilities requiring some form of crisis prevention training. California has regulations in place that require all facilities to provide specific training to address violence against healthcare professionals. Washington state even requires volunteers and contracted security personnel to receive special prevention training. The proposed Violence Prevention for Healthcare act has been sent to the Senate for consideration. The bill is also backed by the Emergency Nurses Association. Early this year, the organization teamed up with the American College of Emergency Physicians to launch the “No Silence on ED Violence” campaign. While proposed legislation may not immediately or permanently eliminate the risks healthcare professionals face on the job, it continues to bring awareness to this serious issue and how to find effective resolutions. Read Next: Traveler Tips: How to Handle Bullying as a Travel Nurse Other References: Physical and Verbal Violence Against Health Care Workers, Presented by the Joint Commission Violence Against Healthcare Workers: Is Your Facility Equipped to Stop It?
Traveler Tips: Decorating for the Holidays
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life Our first holiday season as a travel healthcare couple left my husband and I feeling down as all of the decorations started going up in our cozy Wisconsin town. Christmas is a favorite holiday for both of us, and while we don’t do grand gifts for each other we had always made a point to go all-out decorating for the season back home. We knew as travelers it didn’t make sense to buy a big tree or a bunch of decorations, and we definitely didn’t have space in our car to bring anything extra with us. However, we decided to go ahead and splurge on a few things that made the time of year feel a bit more festive and we ended up being very happy we did. Hit up the Dollar Tree Dollar Tree is one of my favorite stores as a traveler because, well, everything is cheap so if it won’t fit to take to your next assignment you don’t have to feel bad donating it or passing it on to another traveler. Nearly our whole kitchen box was stocked via Dollar Tree, so we were usually familiar with the closest one at each assignment. For our holiday decorations, we set a $20 limit and were able to get a lot of cute (albeit a little cheesy) items to bring the holiday spirit to our rental. I was excited because they even had a little fake Christmas tree and some cheap bells we were able to hang to make our tree complete. Besides the tree, we also stocked up on window clings, a couple of festive table coverings, tinsel and some decorative placemats. Buy a strand or two of lights Holiday lights are actually fairly inexpensive if you aren’t covering a whole house and they add a lot of sparkle to your space. Plus if you really want to keep them you can easily wind them up and find a space to store them in your travel belongings. While most people think of lights as outdoor decoration, we actually looped some around doorways in our rental to brighten up the space during the holiday season. It was pretty easy to do using some push pins, but 3M hooks would also work for this! Stock up on holiday scents Leading up to the holiday season both Yankee Candle and Bath and Bodyworks typically have decent sales where you can stock up on some festive candles. I usually keep an eye out for the 50% off specials and stock up on some of the jar candles because we go through them fast enough that we don’t have to pack them up for the next assignment. If you’d rather not buy a huge candle, grab a candle warmer and some wax melts. This is a small appliance that can easily be packed for your next assignment, and you don’t have to worry about using up a whole jar candle or making room for a potentially breakable item in your packing. Make a day of decorating and doing other holiday traditions Even if you don’t necessarily have a ton to put up or decorate, you can still make a day of the experience. Grab some hot chocolate or a holiday drink, take your time perusing the holiday aisles, and then finish off the day with a local light show or other holiday experience like ice skating. As a traveler we have found it is really easy to get homesick if you focus on what you don’t have–so instead we decided to focus on what we could do to make the season more special and it made a world of difference. Invite other travelers to join in. I’ve said this before in other articles: if you are feeling lonely or a little homesick chances are other travelers in your area are experiencing the same thing. The holiday season can be an especially hard time of year to be away from home, which also makes it the best time of year to try and connect with others in the same boat. One of the coolest things I’ve seen other travelers do is host holiday get-togethers like a Friendsgiving or White Elephant party. There are so many ways to reach out and meet people thanks to social media, so why not find other people in your area who are also looking for a little holiday cheer this time of year? Whether you are going home for the holidays or choosing to work and make that holiday pay, this time of year can feel a little overwhelming as we are bombarded with all the hype about time with friends and family and being home for the holidays. Even if you are able to go home for the actual day of Christmas, the lead up is sometimes more celebrated than the actual day. Just because you are on assignment doesn’t mean you can’t find your own form of holiday cheer, it just might look a little different than it would if you were home. The huge positive for this time of year is it is a great time to bring people together and be warm and welcoming to both new friends and old. There are plenty of ways to celebrate the holidays and bring some cheer into your home whether you are in your hometown or making your short term “home” as comforting and cozy as can be. Alex McCoy currently works as a pediatric travel nurse. She has a passion for health and fitness, which led her to start Fit Travel Life in 2016. She travels with her husband, their cat, Autumn and their dog, Summer. She enjoys hiking, lifting weights, and trying the best local coffee and wine. << Stranded Off the Highway: My Favorite Travel Nursing Memory
Traveler Tips: Benefits And Challenges Of Traveling As A Team
By Stephen Stockhausen, PT, DPT, OCS, Contributing Writer, PT Adventures The travel physical therapist life is pretty incredible—bouncing around to new places, new jobs, new friends and new adventures! But it is no secret that life on the road alone can get lonely. This is where travel teams come in. Simply put, a travel physical therapist team is a pair of PTs (or any combination of PTs, occupational therapists, registered nurses, speech-language pathologists, dieticians, physician assistants, medical doctors/osteopathic medical doctors, respiratory therapists, etc.) that decide to explore the world together. Teams do not necessarily have to be in the same field, and often it is easier to have different professions in order to find jobs in the same locations. Travel teams have a few distinct challenges and benefits that should be considered before you combine powers with another fellow traveler. Challenges of being a travel physical therapist team Job selection via GIPHY As a pair of PT travelers ourselves, we have had to accept that most of the quaint mountain towns we want to explore do not have two openings for PTs at that exact same time. If we had separate specialties this might be a different story. We have accepted that for us to be in the same general location we must consider larger towns or cities to find two PT jobs at once. Neither of us is dead set on working for the same company or even in the same town as one another. However, with our new child, we do require that we can still live together regardless of where we are working. Commuting distance For this reason, we have created what we call the “60-Minute Rule” for job locations. We will consider jobs that are within a 60-minute drive from one another as long as there are viable housing options in between them. (Notice that we do not call it the “60-Mile Rule” California traffic can be crazy!) This ensures that, at worst, one of us will have an hours drive to work, and at best we each have only a 30-minute commute. Enacting this rule requires some research, however. In Alaska, Ellen took a job in downtown Anchorage, while I was in Eagle River. My facility provided us with free housing, walkable to the clinic, and it was only 13 miles from Anchorage, so obviously we lived in Eagle River. Initially, we thought this was going to be a simple solution and would fit our rule easily. What we did not consider was winter traffic on Glenn Highway! Road Rage GIF from Roadrage GIFs Anchorage sits on a precipitously skinny sliver of flat land wedged between the Chugach Mountains and the Cook Inlet. Flatland is at a premium in Alaska, so there is literally only one road connecting the two towns. Ellen would frequently have 75-90 minute commutes as the highway would be bumper to bumper due to a moose kill or black ice. Lesson learned. Being flexible with your job selection and keeping in mind the “60-Minute Rule” will keep your travel team resentment-free and happy as clams. Benefits of traveling as a team Travel physical therapist teams have some distinct advantages over solo travelers. Shared expenses, added safety, and friends are just a few. Shared expenses via GIPHY By far, the biggest benefit for a travel physical therapist team is shared housing costs. For most of us, housing is the largest single monthly expense (assuming you are not drowning in loan debt). Being able to split the burden between both of you will save some considerable cash. Even up-sizing to a two- or three-bedroom place won’t compare to the cost of renting a one bedroom apartment. Many travel teams can save $300-500 per month each by pairing up and splitting housing costs. Other shared expenses can also add a little extra cash to the coffers. One travel nursing team we are good friends with were big time city girls. They took jobs in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver to name a few. In doing so, they often only required one car, as city transportation in large metropolitan areas is frequently cheaper and less of a headache to manage. Plus, a bus pass is far cheaper than gas and parking in most major cities. Safety I only bring this up because of the huge number of questions regarding safe travel as a single person. Our fear-obsessed society loves bad news, and as we have all heard, “if it bleeds, it leads.” Having worked home health jobs in two of Californias most “dangerous” cities, I firmly believe the world is not out to get you. via GIPHY However, we all must do our due diligence to ensure personal safety. Traveling as a team provides one more layer of protection against a dangerous situation from happening. It’s one more set of eyes and ears, and one more rational mind to help make the good decisions that prevent problems from ever starting. Friends By far the best gift that this lifestyle has provided us is the friendships we have made across the country. That being said, there are some lonely times out there. Many of our solo travel buddies have lamented about periods of loneliness they deal with. Most often this is at the beginning of a contract before they have been able to settle in and meet new people, but it’s still a problem. Having a travel buddy helps to inoculate yourself from these feelings. You will have someone to explore with and someone to commiserate with on bad days. Someone to help you out of a jam and someone to push you into new, uncomfortable, and exciting situations. As you each branch out and make new friends, your travel buddy will provide a solid base that you can build a new community around. via GIPHY Being a travel PT team has been a life changer for us. We went from drowning in student loan debt in permanent positions to debt free in four years (less than 2 years as
Five Things Travel Nursing Has Taught Me
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life There is a lot to learn in the travel nursing world. When I first sat down to try to figure out how to make travel nursing work for me, I was quickly overwhelmed with all of the knowledge I needed to be successful. From working with recruiters to navigating short term housing to working on a unit after a very brief orientation, the skills learned as a traveler are unique to this very special career field. Fear not, I did manage to navigate all of these areas and have had a very happy, successful career as a traveler thus far. The great thing about the modern world is the plethora of information available on the internet that will help you get started on your great travel nursing adventure. What an internet search can’t teach you is how the experience of travel nursing will change you. Whether you are working as a local traveler or crisscrossing the country, you will see a shift in mindset and be shocked at what you can learn about yourself on a 13-week assignment. 1. Living simply gets easier with practice A huge source of stress for new travel nurses is how to pare down their possessions to what can fit in their car. While this is definitely difficult at first, it will get easier as you go along. What I have noticed is at some point the hassle of having to unpack, pack and carry certain items around begins to outweigh the perks of actually having those items with you. As a general rule, if you bring something along for one assignment and do not use it the entire 13 weeks, it’s time to either take that item back home or get rid of it. Similarly, I also like to weigh the pros and cons of buying certain items at each assignment rather than packing them each time. For example, you can get a cheap coffee pot if needed at each location and donate it at the end of your 13 weeks or pass it to another traveler rather than taking up space in your car. 2. There are lots of people out there looking for a friend So many people are worried about being lonely while on assignment. I’m going to let you in on a little secret: there are people everywhere just waiting to be your friend. The reality is as adults it is incredibly difficult to make new friends. For some reason, as we age we get more closed off and less likely to reach out to new people and actually invite them to hang out or sit down and have a real conversation. Be friendly, reach out and actually make the first “move” and you will find it is much easier to make friends than you fear to go in. 3. Independence is a learned but useful skill I found as a travel nurse my personal limits were pushed more than I could have ever anticipated. When you are working a permanent job and the inevitable chaos of life hits, you usually have the comfort of family or friends to fall back on. As a traveler, these support systems may still be available to lend an ear if you have a bad day, but you learn how to navigate a lot without having someone who can show up and take the stress off in person. One of the coolest things traveling helped me realize is how resilient I am. After growing up and having tons of family nearby to call to lift heavy things, pick me up when my car broke down, or do a quick favor around the house it has been incredibly gratifying to realize I can accomplish a lot without someone there to lend a hand. One of my proudest moments was unpacking my entire car by myself for the first time. It was exhausting and felt like it took about 8 million trips, but it was the first time I had ever managed to move without help, and that was a really cool feeling. 4. Google can be used for just about anything The beauty of traveling in the modern age is everything is figure-out-able (yep, that’s definitely a real word). But seriously, Google turned into my best friend as a travel nurse. Internet searches can help you with just about everything you need as a traveler. I use it to find housing, to make sure that housing is safe, to find a gym, and even for connecting with other travelers in the area. If you are unhappy or lonely at an assignment then you can use the incredible power of the world wide web and find just about anything that will help perk up your mood or make life a little easier. 5. Things will always work out If you choose to work as a travel nurse for an extended period of time you will inevitably experience some hiccups along the way. The key to pushing through these times is to remember that a month or a year or ten years from now most of these bumps in the road won’t matter. I choose to believe if something doesn’t work out, there is a good reason for that and whatever is coming next will be even bigger and better in the long run. Maybe a contract gets canceled but you meet your new best friend at the replacement job. Maybe your car broke down and your road trip was delayed but you avoided a worse wreck down the road. Maybe you took a lower-paying job right before a great opportunity opened up but you end up at your dream location. In the long run, as long as you end up happier and feeling accomplished, the little issues along the way truly don’t matter. Working as a travel nurse has its ups and downs for sure. However, the experience of working as a travel nurse is one that
7 Things Travel Nurses Can Expect at Indian Health Service Facilities
Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities provide free primary and preventive healthcare services to Native American Tribes and Alaska Natives, which is approximately 2.2 million people in the United States. IHS employs approximately 2,380 nurses, which is the highest number of healthcare professionals they staff. Typically located in remote areas, healthcare travelers play an critical role in keeping IHS facilities operating and bringing proper care to the tribal communities. “There are several unique factors that travelers should be prepared for when taking a contract at an IHS facility,” said Javier Llevada, Director of Client Advisory at LiquidAgents Healthcare, a leading travel healthcare staffing agency. “It’s a very different environment that every travel nurse should try to do at least once in their careers. They’re also first-time traveler friendly.” Here’s an overview of what travel nurses and allied healthcare professionals can expect at IHS facilities. Cultural Experience The culture at IHS facilities is very different from traditional hospital settings. Many staff are American Indian or Alaska Native (an estimated 71 percent). Tribes still practice many of their original customs and traditions. It can be a very enriching experience for travelers to learn the new cultures and philosophies. Some tribes also maintain their own language, so travelers could face language barriers and working with interpreters if needed. “The No. 1 thing to remember when considering an assignment at IHS facilities is to be open-minded and willing embrace the culture,” said Llevada. “It’s good to know that the IHS staff are really appreciative of travelers and want to help make the transition and lifestyle change as smooth as possible.” Housing There are typically three housing options for healthcare travelers at IHS facilities: onsite at the facility if provided; RV or hotel. Travelers need to be properly prepared and get guidance from their recruiter on the best housing options for your lifestyle. Higher Pay IHS facilities usually offer higher weekly pay packages to attract travelers to the remote locations. “With a typically lower cost of living in the area, travelers can maximize their pay and save more, especially if they select the facility’s provided-housing or RV living,” Llevada said. For example on the StaffDNA Job Board, Chinle, AZ has openings paying more than $2,000/week for ER, Pediatrics, OR and Labor & Delivery. Relationships with IHS Staff & Other Travelers In healthcare traveling, there are sometimes stories of staff nurses treating travelers differently or having tight knit cliques that make it difficult for travelers to fit it. That is not the case at IHS facilities. The permanent staff are so grateful for the help from travelers that they make sure to be very welcoming and express their appreciation. It’s not uncommon for the whole community to come together with a potluck meal to welcome travel nurses who are starting an assignment, or to bid them farewell when they leave. Travelers on assignment at the same time can also build strong friendships as their going through a similar experience together. For example, a group of LiquidAgents’ travelers on assignment at the same facility in the Navajo Nation went on an excursion together on their days off to the Canyon De Chelly. Compliance & Licensure Located on federally recognized tribal land,IHS facilities accept any active state license for Registered Nurses, which is great for travelers. If you’re waiting for a new state license to be processed (i.e. California can take up to 3 months), taking an assignment at an IHS facility can be a good option in the meantime. Compliance is also relatively simple to complete to get started. Skills With the higher pay and smaller community, travelers need to be aware that they’ll have to be self-sufficient and able to work more independently. IHS facilities have less support staff than full-sized hospitals, so Registered Nurses are expected to provide total patient care. Outdoor Adventures One of the most exciting parts of working at IHS facilities is the locations. Beautiful outdoors, state parks, mountains, canyons, hiking, kayaking, scenic views—there are endless places and activities to see and do. If you have worked an assignment at an IHS facility, share your experience in the comments below!
Blacklisted as a Travel Nurse? What You Should Do Right Away
It’s news you never want to get. Something has happened, and you’ve been marked “Do Not Hire” or “Do Not Return”. Whether you’re considered “Do Not Hire” by an agency or “Do Not Return” by a hospital or vendor management system, it may feel like you’ve severely crippled your career. While being a setback, it doesn’t have to be permanent. There are things you can do to prevent being blacklisted and get back in good standing. Time is of the essence. “Being proactive rather than reactive is key,” said Richard Dunn, Senior Recruiter at LiquidAgents Healthcare. “The more information you can get over sooner rather than later can be a determining factor in being placed as a DNH or not.” Getting off an agency blacklist The first thing to note about being marked as “Do Not Hire” by an agency is that if you are on the list for clinical reasons it may be hard, if not impossible, to get off of it. However, if you’ve been blacklisted because of a personality issue or because of something situational, you can get back into an agency’s good graces, and that process starts with a statement showing that you understand what has happened and why. Your statement should show some remorse and show some effort to fix the issue. That could be courses or extra class work completed to build knowledge. It should also include references from recent jobs worked showing that they were completed without incident and that behaviors that were an issue in the past aren’t any longer. More than anything, you need to do things that give the agency a reason to trust you again. “Nurses need to know that if they term their contract for any reason, they need to submit a statement over within 24 hours to make sure it is submitted,” added LiquidAgents’ David McKenzie, Director of Talent Advisory. “A lot of nurses do not realize if they do not ask their recruiter what they should do to get their side of things over to the facility, it may result in them being blacklisted from the facility’s VMS permanently.” Getting off a hospital blacklist Getting back into a hospital’s good graces takes a similar effort. The best place to start is by working with your recruiter to craft a statement expressing remorse at the way things ended previously. After that, do what you can to prove things are different now. Show that the behaviors the hospital took issue with are in the past. Show that you’ve completed coursework that may have been interfering with you executing on the job previously. Show that you’ve taken classes to increase your knowledge and skills. Provide references from recently completed assignments that show the kind of work you’re capable of. While it’s no guarantee that you will be removed from a “Do Not Return” list, it’s the best foot you can put forward in efforts to get off of one. Getting off a VMS blacklist Like agencies, a VMS is willing to consider removing nurses from a blacklist if the reason they landed there in the first place wasn’t clinical. And, like with agencies and hospitals, the process starts with a statement expressing understanding of the situation, why you were considered “Do Not Hire” and what you have done to correct any issues that may have caused you to be blacklisted. Most vendor management systems are willing to reconsider “Do Not Return” candidates if it was extenuating circumstances that put them there, like a family illness that caused them to have attendance issues. While a situation you never want to be in, having a trusting, ethical recruiter to represent you and puts your best interests first makes a big difference. Read Next: Travel Nurse Recruiters: What a Good Recruiter Won’t Do