3 Travel Nursing Trends for the Holidays
The end of the year is a busy time, especially for healthcare professionals. Patient care doesn’t take the day off for the holidays and healthcare facilities need the extra help from travelers. Here are three important healthcare staffing trends travel nurses and allied health professionals should know for the 2019 holiday season. Job Expectations for the Holidays Healthcare travel contracts through the end of the year will require employees to commit to working over the holidays. Typically, facilities have required travelers to work two out of three holidays during the busy season. This year, guidelines are becoming more specific requiring travelers to work three of five holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and/or New Year’s Day). “Facilities are looking for contract RNs who are flexible and can commit to working over the holidays so that they can give staff nurses time off and alleviate their holiday hours,” said Jayson Sipe, Director of Talent Advisory at LiquidAgents Healthcare. “Travelers need to keep this in mind if they’re looking to start a new assignment before January as they’ll be expected to help fill those holiday shifts.” More Opportunities for Overtime Pay Healthcare facilities can offer different levels of opportunities for overtime work depending on policies, patient needs, census, management and other factors. Working travel contracts through the holidays can bring even more opportunities to pick up those overtime hours or shifts, and more pay. Prebooking for January January is the No. 1 transitional month for healthcare travelers. Many travelers currently on fall assignments may have planned to end their contract right before the holidays to take some time off to spend time with family and friends until January. Or they could choose to extend their contract to cover more holiday shifts. Either way, they’ll be looking for new contracts in the New Year, which is why healthcare facilities are already thinking about prebooking for January. “Facilities experience the most amount of turnover every January, so they will be preparing to fill those needs,” said Oren Lavi, Director of Client Advisory at LiquidAgents. “The number of healthcare travel openings for January will only increase as we get closer to Thanksgiving.” Travel nurses and allied health professionals can start thinking about where they want to go after the holidays and lining up their first contract for 2020. Read Next: Staying Positive During the Holidays as a Travel Nurse
‘Fear Of Falling’: How Hospitals Do Even More Harm By Keeping Patients In Bed
Melissa Bailey, Kaiser Health News Dorothy Twigg was living on her own, cooking and walking without help until a dizzy spell landed her in the emergency room. She spent three days confined to a hospital bed, allowed to get up only to use a bedside commode. Twigg, who was in her 80s, was livid about being stuck in a bed with side rails and a motion sensor alarm, according to her cousin and caretaker, Melissa Rowley. “They’re not letting me get up out of bed,” Twigg protested in phone calls, Rowley recalled. In just a few days at the Ohio hospital, where she had no occupational or physical therapy, Twigg grew so weak that it took three months of rehab to regain the ability to walk and take care of herself, Rowley said. Twigg repeated the same pattern — three days in bed in a hospital, three months of rehab — at least five times in two years. Falls remain the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for older Americans. Hospitals face financial penalties when they occur. Nurses and aides get blamed or reprimanded if a patient under their supervision hits the ground. But hospitals have become so overzealous in fall prevention that they are producing an “epidemic of immobility,” experts say. To ensure that patients will never fall, hospitalized patients who could benefit from activity are told not to get up on their own — their bedbound state reinforced by bed alarms and a lack of staff to help them move. [khn_slabs slabs=”790331″ view=”inline”] That’s especially dangerous for older patients, often weak to begin with. After just a few days of bed rest, their muscles can deteriorate enough to bring severe long-term consequences. “Older patients face staggering rates of disability after hospitalizations,” said Dr. Kenneth Covinsky, a geriatrician and researcher at the University of San Francisco-California. His research found that one-third of patients age 70 and older leave the hospital more disabled than when they arrived. The first penalties took effect in 2008, when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services declared that falls in hospitals should never happen. Those penalties are not severe: If a patient gets hurt in a hospital fall, CMS still pays for the patient’s care but no longer bumps up payment to a higher tier to cover treatment of fall-related conditions. Still, Covinsky said that policy has created “a climate of fear of falling,” where nurses “feel that if somebody falls on their watch, they’ll be blamed for it.” The result, he said, is “patients are told not to move,” and they don’t get the help they need. To make matters worse, he added, when patients grow weaker, they are more likely to get hurt if they fall. Congress introduced stiffer penalties with the Affordable Care Act, and CMS began to reduce federal payments by 1% for the quartile of hospitals with the highest rates of falls and other hospital-acquired conditions. That’s substantial because nearly a third of U.S. hospitals have negative operating margins, according to the American Hospital Association. Nancy Foster, the AHA’s vice president of quality and patient safety policy, said these policy changes sent “a strong signal to the hospital field about things CMS expected us to be paying attention to.” Limiting patient mobility “certainly is a potential unintended consequence,” she said. “It might have happened, but it’s not what I’m hearing on the front line. They’re getting people up and moving.” While hospitals are required to report falls, they don’t typically track how often patients get up or move. One study conducted in 2006-07 of patients 65 and older who did not have dementia or delirium and were able to walk in the two weeks before admission found they spent, on average, 83% of their hospital stay in bed. While lying there, older patients often find themselves tracked by alarms that bleep or shriek when they try to get up or move. These alarms are designed to alert nurses so they can supervise the patient to safely walk — but research has shown that the alarms don’t prevent falls. Often stretched thin, nurses are deluged by many types of alarms and can’t always dash to the bedside before a patient hits the ground. Dr. Cynthia J. Brown, a professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has identified common reasons older patients stay in bed: They feel too much pain, fatigue or weakness. They have IV lines or catheters that make it more difficult to walk. There’s not enough staff to help them, or they feel they’re burdening nurses if they ask for help. And walking down the hallway in flimsy gowns with messy hair can be embarrassing, she added. Yet walking even a little can pay off. Older patients who walk just 275 steps a day in the hospital show lower rates of readmission after 30 days, research has found. Across the country, efforts are afoot to encourage hospital patients to get up and move, often inside special wings called Acute Care for Elders that aim to maintain the independence of seniors and prevent hospital-acquired disabilities. Another initiative, called the Hospital Elder Life Program, which is designed to reduce hospital-acquired delirium, also promotes mobility and has shown an added benefit of curtailing falls. In a study of HELP sites, there were no reported falls while staff or volunteers were helping patients move or walk. Barbara King, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing, studied how nurses responded to “intense messaging” from hospitals about preventing falls after the 2008 CMS policy change. She found that pressure to have zero patient falls made some nurses fearful. After a fall happened, some nurses adjusted their behavior and wouldn’t let patients move on their own. CMS declined a request for an interview and did not directly answer a written question about whether its falls policy has limited patient mobility. In 2015, King studied a nurse-driven effort to get more patients walking on a 26-bed hospital unit in
Perks of Repeating Travel Nurse Assignment Locations
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life Each travel nurse sets out on their journey with a slightly different goal in mind. Some are looking for the best money, while others simply want the means to take extended vacations and explore as much as possible. A lot of travelers are simply trying to see as much as they can while they travel because for many this lifestyle is temporary. Because of this, it may seem absurd to think about taking an assignment somewhere you have already worked as a travel nurse previously. However, I truly believe that your personal happiness and satisfaction is more important than following the idea of what you are “supposed” to do in any given situation. In 2018 my husband and I were lucky enough to score assignments in Phoenix during the high season–meaning we hit the best weather the city had to offer. Later that year when I got an email asking if I would like to return for flu season at my previous assignment, we struggled between the idea of repeating an area “too soon” and going on to explore somewhere new. Ultimately we decided to head back for another beautiful winter in Phoenix, and it solidified our convictions that there is nothing wrong with repeating a location you truly love. In fact, there are some huge perks that come along with doing so. 1. You may have an easy in for a travel nurse job. A lot of hospitals will give preference to travelers who left on good terms previously. I have personally done repeat assignments at two hospitals, and the whole process was much easier than working at a new facility. Your resume typically gets pushed to the top of the pile if you are returning staff, which also means you should get the first choice on shift and floors as well. Conversely, if you did not love your previous assignment you will know what facilities or companies to avoid which can be just as helpful. 2. Housing is less stressful when you know the area. Even if you don’t necessarily want to return to your exact situation as before, it is so much easier to find housing in a city you are somewhat familiar with. You don’t have to worry about safety or traffic or if an area would be a fun place to live because you probably already have an idea. Also, if you connected with anyone in the city during a previous assignment, you can reach out to them for help when looking for housing. 3. You can make time for trips that require a little more planning. Ever get ten weeks into your assignment only to find out about this really cool, amazing adventure that’s only three hours away but requires three months’ notice to book? Or find out about a must-try restaurant two days before you leave town? Despite having three months to explore an area, it is almost impossible to hit every single thing you want to see or do in that time frame. If you circle back to a familiar location you can actually plan ahead for these more hidden gems of trips or activities. In addition, you can ask off for the time needed to explore these areas in your contract. 4. There may be a social circle you can jump back into. Whether you are into church or gym classes or just really loved your coworkers, it can be nice to go back to a place where you already have a small community to jump back into. As travel nurses, we are generally pretty good at making friends with anyone, but getting others to warm up to us can be tricky. When you are already a familiar face walking back in people will typically be a little more open from the beginning, which is comforting. 5. Sometimes it is just nice to be familiar with an area. While travel nurses are great at adapting and learning new cities and units and navigating new people, it can get exhausting at times. If you are feeling emotionally spent or even burnt out, going back to somewhere familiar can lessen your overall stress and prove more relaxing than a brand new city and hospital. Don’t be afraid to circle back to an old location just because it feels like you need an easy thirteen weeks–there is nothing wrong with that! Whether you left an assignment feeling like there was still more to see or you just really really loved a certain area, there is nothing wrong with making a U-turn on your travel assignment every once in a while. The beauty of working as a travel nurse is your path can go in whatever direction seems right for you and your life at any given time. Don’t be afraid to take a little stress off your shoulders and go back to a well-loved assignment if the time feels right. The new and unfamiliar will still be waiting when you get done. 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 Reasons Why Travel Nurses Would Actually Want to Work Night Shift
Medicare Fraudsters Now Tap Telemedicine In Medical Equipment Scams (KHN)
Victoria Knight, Kaiser Health News Dean Ernest had been living in a nursing home about a year when his son, John, got a call last winter asking if his father was experiencing back pain and would like a free orthotic brace. The caller said he was with Medicare. John Ernest didn’t believe him, said “no” to the brace and hung up. He didn’t give out his father’s Medicare number. And yet, not just one, but 13 braces arrived soon afterward at Ernest’s house in central Pennsylvania. Medicare, the federal taxpayer-supported health care insurance program for older Americans, had paid over $4,000 for 10 of the braces: a back brace, two knee braces, two arm braces, two suspension sleeves, an ankle brace, a wrist brace and a heel stabilizer. The orders came from four medical equipment companies and were prescribed by four separate health care professionals — a prescription being required to receive an orthotic brace. But Ernest said he didn’t talk to any doctors during the phone call. That’s how the latest Medicare frauds work, said Ariel Rabinovic, who works with Pennsylvania’s Center for Advocacy for the Rights & Interests of the Elderly. He helped report Ernest’s fraud case to authorities at Medicare. Rabinovic said the fraudsters enlist health professionals — doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners — to contact people they’ve never met by telephone or video chat under the guise of a telemedicine consultation. “Sometimes the teledoctors will come on the line and ask real Mickey Mouse questions, stuff like, “Do you have any pain?” explained Rabinovic. “But oftentimes, there is no contact between the doctor and the patient before they get the braces. And in almost all of the cases, the person prescribing the braces is somebody the Medicare beneficiaries don’t know.” While prescriptions for durable medical equipment, such as orthotic braces or wheelchairs, have long been a staple of Medicare fraud schemes, the manipulation of telemedicine is relatively new. The practice appears to be increasing as the telemedicine industry grows. “This has put telemedicine scams on Medicare’s radar with growing urgency,” said James Quiggle, director of communications for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. In the past year, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Department of Justice and, in some cases, the FBI, have busted at least five health care fraud schemes that involved telemedicine. Typically in these schemes, scammers use sham telemedicine companies to scale up their operations quickly and cheaply — they can have a couple of doctors remotely writing a large number of prescriptions. Often the doctors working for these outfits don’t perform medical consultations, but rather write prescriptions without talking to patients, as in Ernest’s case. Of course, that is not how telemedicine is designed to work. In April 2019, the DOJ announced investigators had disrupted what they called “one of the largest Medicare fraud schemes in U.S. history.” Operation Brace Yourself cracked an international scheme allegedly defrauding Medicare of more than $1.2 billion by using telemedicine doctors to prescribe unnecessary back, shoulder, wrist and knee braces to beneficiaries. The DOJ charged 24 people, including three medical professionals and the corporate executives of five telemedicine companies. According to federal court documents, Willie McNeal of Spring Hill, Fla., owned two of the “purported” telemedicine companies, WebDoctors Plus and Integrated Support Plus. Federal investigators allege that through Integrated Support Plus, McNeal hired and paid a New Jersey doctor, Joseph DeCorso, to write prescriptions for braces. DeCorso recently pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. DeCorso admitted to writing medically unnecessary brace orders for telemedicine companies without speaking to beneficiaries or doing physical exams. He also admitted that his conduct resulted in a $13 million loss to Medicare. He has agreed to pay over $7 million in restitution to the federal government. McNeal got the Medicare beneficiaries’ information for DeCorso to write the prescriptions from telemarketing companies, according to the indictment. Then, authorities allege, McNeal sent the prescriptions back to the same telemarketing companies in exchange for payments described as kickbacks and bribes. Federal investigators allege these telemarketing companies sold the prescriptions to the durable medical equipment companies, who in turn billed Medicare for the braces. McNeal’s lawyer said he could not discuss his client’s case because it is pending. DeCorso’s lawyer did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The U.S. attorneys allege the money made from the scheme was hidden through international shell corporations and used to buy luxury real estate, exotic automobiles and yachts. It’s clearly a profitable business. Taxpayers are the ones who ultimately pay for Medicare fraud, which often leads to higher health care premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Medicare spending on back, knee and ankle braces highlighted in the inspector general’s investigations increased by over $200 million from 2013 to 2017, according to an analysis of Medicare data by Kaiser Health News. While the number of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries increased slightly, by 5%, from 2013 to 2017, spending on the three types of braces increased by 51% during that same period. In an April news release about Operation Brace Yourself, Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski of the DOJ’s Criminal Division called the Medicare scheme “an expansive and sophisticated fraud to exploit telemedicine technology meant for patients otherwise unable to access health care.” Nathaniel Lacktman, a lawyer who represents telemedicine companies and organizations, was quick to point out that the industry does not recognize the fraudsters involved in these schemes as legitimate businesses. “These are actually really sketchy online marketing companies participating in these schemes who are billing themselves as telemedicine,” said Lacktman, who works in the Tampa office of the law firm Foley & Lardner. “But in fact, they’re companies we’ve never heard of.” All of this comes at a time when Medicare and Medicare Advantage are expanding telemedicine, though the programs have been slower to adopt it than the private sector, said Laura Laemmle-Weidenfeld, a health care lawyer at the law firm Jones Day. “I would hate for Medicare
After A Rural Hospital Closes, Delays In Emergency Care Cost Patients Dearly (KHN)
The loss of the longtime hospital in Fort Scott, Kan., forces trauma patients to deal with changing services and expectations. Sarah Jane Tribble, Kaiser Health News | Photos by Christopher Smith FORT SCOTT, Kan. — For more than 30 minutes, Robert Findley lay unconscious in the back of an ambulance next to Mercy Hospital Fort Scott on a frigid February morning with paramedics hand-pumping oxygen into his lungs. A helipad sat just across the icy parking lot from the hospital’s emergency department, which had recently shuttered its doors, like hundreds of rural hospitals nationwide. Suspecting an intracerebral hemorrhage and knowing the ER was no longer functioning, the paramedics who had arrived at Findley’s home called for air transport before leaving. For definitive treatment, Findley would need to go to a neurology center located 90 miles north in Kansas City, Mo. The ambulance crew stabilized him as they waited. But the dispatcher for Air Methods, a private air ambulance company, checked with at least four bases before finding a pilot to accept the flight, according to a 911 tape obtained by Kaiser Health News through a Kansas Open Records Act request. “My Nevada crew is not available and my Parsons crew has declined,” the operator tells Fort Scott’s emergency line about a minute after taking the call. Then she says she will be “reaching out to” another crew. Nearly seven minutes passed before one was en route. When Linda Findley sat at her kitchen counter in late May and listened to the 911 tape, she blinked hard: “I didn’t know that they could just refuse. … I don’t know what to say about that.” Both Mercy and Air Methods declined to comment on Findley’s case. When Mercy Hospital Fort Scott closed at the end of 2018, hospital president Reta Baker had been “absolutely terrified” about the possibility of not having emergency care for a community where she had raised her children and grandchildren and served as chair of the local Chamber of Commerce. Now, just a week after the ER’s closure, her fears were being tested. Nationwide, more than 110 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, and in each instance a community struggles to survive in its own way. In Fort Scott, home to 7,800, the loss of its 132-year-old hospital opened by nuns in the 19th century has wrought profound social, emotional and medical consequences. Kaiser Health News and NPR are following Fort Scott for a year to explore deeper national questions about whether small communities need a traditional hospital at all. If not, what would take its place? Delays in emergency care present some of the thorniest dilemmas for nurses, physicians and emergency workers. Minutes can make the difference between life and death — and seconds can be crucial when it comes to surviving a heart attack, a stroke, an anaphylactic allergic reaction or a complicated birth. Though air ambulances can transport patients quickly, the dispatch system is not coordinated in many states and regions across the country. And many air ambulance companies do not participate in insurance networks, which leads to bills of tens of thousands of dollars. Knowing that emergency care was crucial, the hospital’s owner, St. Louis-based Mercy, agreed to keep Fort Scott’s emergency doors open an extra month past the hospital’s Dec. 31 closure, to give Baker time to find a temporary operator. A last-minute deal was struck with a hospital about 30 miles away, but the ER still needed to be remodeled and the new operator had to meet regulatory requirements. So, it closed for 18 days — a period that proved perilous. A Risky Experiment During that time, Fort Scott’s publicly funded ambulances responded to more than 80 calls for service and drove more than 1,300 miles for patients to get care in other communities. Across America, rural patients spend “statistically significant” more time in an ambulance than urban patients after a hospital closes, said Alison Davis, a professor at the University of Kentucky’s department of agricultural economics. Davis and research associate SuZanne Troske analyzed thousands of ambulance calls and found the average transport time for a rural patient was 14.2 minutes before a hospital closed; afterward, it increased nearly 77% to 25.1 minutes. For patients over 64, the increase was steeper, nearly doubling. In Fort Scott this February, the hospital’s closure meant people didn’t “know what to expect if we come pick them up,” or where they might end up, said Fort Scott paramedic Chris Rosenblad. Barbara Woodward, 70, slipped on ice outside a downtown Fort Scott business during the early February storm. The former X-ray technician said she knew something was broken. That meant a “bumpy” and painful 30-mile drive to a nearby town, where she had emergency surgery for a shattered femur, a bone in her thigh. About 60% of calls to the Fort Scott’s ambulances in early February were transported out of town, according to the log, which KHN requested through the Kansas Open Records Act. The calls include a 41-year-old with chest pain who was taken more than 30 miles to Pittsburg, an unconscious 11-year-old driven 20 miles to Nevada, Mo., and a 19-year-old with a seizure and bleeding eyes escorted nearly 30 miles to Girard, Kan. Those miles can harm a patient’s health when they are experiencing a traumatic event, Davis said. They also prompt other, less obvious, problems for a community. The travel time keeps the crews absent from serving local needs. Plus, those miles cause expensive emergency vehicles to wear out faster. Mercy donated its ambulances to the joint city and county emergency operations department. Bourbon County Commissioner Lynne Oharah said he’s not sure how they will pay for upkeep and the buying of future vehicles. Mercy had previously owned and maintained the fleet, but now it falls to the taxpayers to support the crew and ambulances. “This was dropped on us,” said LeRoy “Nick” Ruhl, also a county commissioner. Even local law enforcement feel extra pressure when an ER closes down, said Bourbon
Tips for Paying Off Debt as a Travel Nurse: Minimizing Housing Costs
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life Every individual will have a different reason for choosing the travel nurse lifestyle. Some people want to see the country, some value extended time off between contracts for international travel, and others simply want to avoid the politics that come along with staff nursing. However, one huge draw for many travelers is the increased pay compared to staff pay at home. The pay increase alone is enough to draw parents to work three days away from home and fly back in between, for spouses to leave their partners behind, and for seasoned nurses to leave huge hospital systems with great benefits. Student debt and overall debt is a hot topic these days and with the average college graduate taking on around $30,000 in student loans many people feel behind before they even start working. As a result, there has been a surge in the number of people eager to get out from under this debt as quickly as possible. For many people, travel nursing can be a useful tool for making this happen without sacrificing as much in your day to day life. By increasing income on the road and minimizing expenses, it may be easier to pay down loans and credit cards faster, allowing travelers to have full control of their entire paycheck once this burden is gone. Start by minimizing expenses back home To legally take a housing stipend and per diem, you must maintain a tax home somewhere in the United States. To make sure you are hitting all the requirements for a tax home I highly recommend TravelTax.com or consulting with a tax professional. However, when you are deciding how to maintain your tax home there are a couple of ways to cut back on your rent and expenses. The first way is to rent a room or split the cost of housing with a roommate. If you rent directly from a friend or family member be sure to pay fair market value (you can’t pay mom $100 a month and call it “rent”). Or you could sign a lease with a friend and use this as a place to store furniture and crash when you are home between assignments. If you own a home you can opt to rent a room to a friend or family member while you are away. You must reserve space for yourself to keep it as your “home” so using it as an AirBNB or something similar might be more tricky. Having a friend or family member stay there is also handy because they may be able to do some upkeep and monitor the property while you are away. The other way to minimize expenses at home is to downsize as much as possible. While it may seem tempting to simply rent a storage unit and put all of your belongings there, keep in mind that if you travel for several years the cost of the storage unit may overtake the cost of simply replacing items when you come home. If you don’t have a cheap way to store items back home, try to downsize to the bare minimums or keepsake items and rent the smallest space possible for storage. Next, minimize expenses on the road. Some travelers hate the idea of driving cross country and talk about renting cars or paying for transport, but this is a huge cost that will not be covered by travel companies. I highly recommend driving to save money and to allow you time to explore our country as you drive. Another way to save money on these trips is to camp or stay at KOAs instead of hotels. Most of the time you will only be stopping to sleep, so by pitching a tent or renting a small cabin at a KOA you can easily save money. Also, try to stick to smaller towns where the cost of living is lower than in larger cities. Once you are at your assignment an easy way to pocket extra cash is to share housing with other travelers or opt for a room rental over a private space. There are lots of travel nurse Facebook groups where people are looking for roommates, or sites like AirBNB or VRBO may have room rentals listed where you can negotiate a monthly price. Any bit of money saved on housing can be used to pay off debt! Don’t forget to track your progress. As travelers we often have to drop large amounts of money on deposits, travel expenses, car repairs…the list could go on. When these come up it can start to feel like we are making little progress on our financial goals. This is why it is so important to track how much you are putting towards your debt. When life gets a little crazy or unexpected expenses pop up, don’t forget to go back and reflect on the amount you have put towards your debt and celebrate that success! Working as a traveler is a blessing for anyone trying to get ahead financially. If you manage your expenses correctly, this career path is almost guaranteed to be more lucrative than your typical staff job. Stay focused, remember how great you’ll feel when you are debt-free, and remind yourself that all the cost-cutting measures are temporary. You will feel amazing and so accomplished when you hit your goal! 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. << Stocking Up: How to Save Money on Essentials for Your Travel Nurse Rental Home
2019-2020 Flu Season Predictions
Health officials are already warning that the upcoming flu season could be severe. The season’s first flu-associated death was recently reported at Riverside University Health System in California, according to a press release. The four-year-old patient had underlying health issues but tested positive for influenza. The facility’s Public health Officer, Dr. Cameron Kaiser, said this is a tragic reminder of how deadly influenza can be. The 2018-2019 flu season was reported as “moderate severity” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and lasted 21 weeks (October 2018 to May 2019), which is longer than previous years. While the season started off as more “mild,” the first states that began seeing high levels of flu activity were Louisiana, Georgia, Oklahoma and Utah. The months of February and March of 2019 saw the highest number of widespread cases across the country according to the CDC’s FluView Map. These trends could be important for travelers to note when considering locations for winter and spring assignments. Health officials also look at Australia’s flu season when predicting the upcoming season in the U.S. As Australia’s winter and flu season is coming to an end, the country has experienced a record-high number of flu cases than previous years and the illnesses started earlier than usual. The CDC recommends people 6 months and older to get the flu vaccine every year, ideally by the end of October. Additionally, it’s recommended that all U.S. healthcare professionals get vaccinated annually. Last year, it was reported 78.4% healthcare personnel received flu vaccinations, which included an estimated 90.5% of nurses. Can refusing to get vaccinated for the flu affect your career as a healthcare traveler? Most likely, yes. Travel nurse Alex McCoy shares insights in how declining the flu vaccine could possibly have a negative impact. Read Next: Declining the Flu Shot: How It Impacts Travelers Check back for updates on the 2019-2020 Flu Season and how its affecting the travel healthcare market.
Travel Nurse Recruiters: What a Good Recruiter Won’t Do
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life Even after over three years in the travel nursing industry, I come back from the Travelers Conference every year in awe of the sheer number of staffing agencies in this industry. From huge corporate companies to smaller local companies, finding an agency that fits your needs can be overwhelming. My advice to every new traveler is the same: the agency matters less than the recruiter themselves. I have worked with agencies that have a great reputation but the recruiter I was matched with fell short. Similarly, I have worked with companies that have a less-than-positive rap sheet and found the diamond in the rough recruiter. Your travel nurse recruiter is on the front lines for you every day, and their approach to working with you can make or break your experience with their company. While each individual travel nurse will have a different preference in regards to the personality of their recruiters, there are some important deal-breakers that should make you run away from a recruiter without looking back. It is important to keep in mind that your relationship with your recruiter is a business-minded one, so there is a certain level of mutual respect that should remain no matter what the circumstance. A good recruiter won’t get mad if you work with other companies Different agencies will have different facility contracts. Period. Some facilities will use multiple vendors, but the only way you can ensure you are truly getting the best job for your situation is to speak with two or three different travel nurse recruiters and compare what contracts they have to offer. Some recruiters may try to tell you this is unacceptable or get angry if you mention speaking with another company. This is absolutely not the case and should be considered a huge red flag if your recruiter says this to you. A good recruiter will give you the best pay package upfront Settling on a pay rate should not feel like a used car dealership. Your pay as a travel nurse is determined by the bill rate given by the hospital. The company should take a set portion of every bill rate (this portion will vary by company) and the rest should be broken down into taxable and nontaxable income for the traveler. If you mention the package is too low and your recruiter comes back with a couple hundred more dollars, chances are they were holding this money back from the beginning. On rare occasions, they can pitch directly to the facility and ask for more money, but this is more the exception than the rule. A good recruiter will give you a pay package upfront New travelers may be told they have to submit to a job to see a pay package at all. Nine times out of ten this is untrue. Every recruiter should be able to give you a breakdown of pay before you submit to a contract. After all, the pay is a huge factor in determining if a job is the correct fit. In some instances, the recruiter has to pitch a bill rate against different companies to compete for a job. If this is the case, they should still be able to give you an estimated pay range before you agree to submit. A good recruiter won’t fail to answer emails or calls during an assignment Sometimes travelers find themselves in scary or unsafe situations while on assignment. While most of the recruiter’s work is done once you are at your new location, they will still remain your main point of contact throughout the full assignment. A good recruiter will periodically check in throughout your time at each location, perhaps offering to start looking for new placements towards the end. On the other side of things, if you need something or have a concern while on assignment, your recruiter should respond within a day or so if you reach out. Most companies have emergency lines if you need something immediately, but your recruiter should handle day-to-day concerns or questions. A good recruiter won’t push you to take their assignment every time. Each time you look for a new assignment your preferences or needs may change. The reason you have two or three recruiters on hand at all times is to make sure you can find something to fit your needs each time around. A good recruiter will realize you may find something that is better suited with a different company depending on what they have available. They shouldn’t take your decision to switch companies personally. Instead, they should maintain a professional connection with you, so you feel comfortable reaching back out the next time you are looking for a new location. Bottom line: A good recruiter won’t make you feel uncomfortable. I hear of so many new travelers who got pushed into a bad deal because they were made to feel uncomfortable or to override their gut feeling. A good recruiter simply won’t make you do these things. If something seems unfair or an alarm bell is going off in your head, I suggest reaching out to an experienced traveler and running your situation by them. Trust your gut and don’t be afraid to stand your ground if you are feeling pressured into a job or contract where the terms seem off. 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. << Travel Nurse Spotlight: Doing What You Love
Extended Stay Hotels vs. Short Term Rentals: What is the Best Travel Nurse Housing Option?
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life This week I just finished up five days in Las Vegas at the Travelers Conference soaking up all things travel healthcare. I was also lucky enough to sit on the housing panel answering questions from prospective travelers on the best ways to find housing. Also on the housing panel were two representatives from well-known hotel chains. These hotel chains have begun to realize there is a strong market in the travel healthcare world for short term housing and are working hard to market towards this niche. The panel was a nice mix because we got to see how these hotels are catering more towards travelers but also offer options for other ways to secure housing. I wanted to go a little more in depth in this area and offer some pros and cons for both short term rentals and hotel options that may help you decide what the best option is for you at each assignment. Pros of Short Term Rentals When I use the term “short term rental” in this article I will be referring to any sort of room rental, short term lease, or AirBNB type of housing option. Basically anywhere that is not part of a hotel chain. One great thing about short term rentals is you may have the opportunity to simply rent a room or share rent with a roommate which can save you a lot of money. By using services like AirBNB or online forums you can often find fellow professionals looking to save on rent by splitting costs with a roommate which leads to a win-win situation. On the other end of the spectrum, you may also be able to find larger properties if you need space for a family or a yard for pets. Depending on the area of the country your stipend may cover enough for a more private rental even with the short term fees. Cons of Short Term Rentals While short term rentals can help you save money or be more particular about your space, you also have to consider if they come fully furnished, if you have to pay utilities, and if there are deposits associated with these rentals. Most of the time if you rent a room or through AirBNB your utilities and furnishings will be included in the package. Do keep in mind that this may come with limitations related to utility usage or internet and TV offerings. I have heard of landlords limiting changes to the thermostat, having visitor restrictions, or offering the lowest internet or TV services. These questions should definitely be addressed ahead of time so you can decide if you can live with these guidelines. If you choose to seek out a short term lease through an apartment, you may not get everything included that you will need to live. Many travelers choose to utilize storage bins and air mattresses in lieu of furniture in these situations and bring basic kitchen necessities. Depending on the space in your car, you may be able to make this work or it may be worth it to pay a little more for a fully furnished and stocked rental. Pros of Extended Stay Hotels We actually lived in an extended stay hotel for most of our first assignment and it was a great experience. Some of our favorite features included housekeeping, hotel amenities, and no deposits upfront. Most hotel chains offer some sort of housekeeping service that will vary based on length of stay. If you book for months at a time you can expect a room clean one or two times per week depending on the chain. The nice thing is this also includes restocking of paper goods and changing of sheets, etc. Another huge benefit to an extended stay hotel is they are move-in ready. The kitchens should be stocked with the basics, all linens are provided, and all the utilities are taken care of. All you really have to bring is your clothes, which is great if you are flying to a destination or have limited car space. The last big pro is most of these hotel chains are pet-friendly for up to two pets. Weight limits and fees will vary by brand, but it can be nice to know as long as you can find your preferred brand in your new city that there won’t be any unexpected fees or regulations that come up. Cons of Extended Stay Hotels While all of the amenities and conveniences that come with extended stay hotels are very appealing, there is one big drawback for many people: cost. Like anything else in life, having all the perks comes with paying for all the perks. Most of these chains offer discounts if you book for 30 days or more, but they are typically more expensive than finding a short term lease yourself, and they are definitely more expensive than renting a room or living with a roommate. Other than that, I would just encourage travelers considering a short term hotel to read reviews on that particular location ahead of time to get a feel for safety and cleanliness as that can vary between individual hotels. The bottom line: will you pay a little more for convenience? In the end, if you are debating between staying at an extended stay hotel versus finding a short term rental, it really boils down to cost vs. convenience. Some travelers are really looking to save money or pay down debt, which could make the cost of an extended stay seem like too much. However, if you are traveling to explore and simply enjoy the experience, an extended stay hotel can be a good way to alleviate a lot of the stress that comes with moving frequently. 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
2019 National Surgical Technologists Week: Top States for Travel SurgTech Jobs
This week September 15-21 gives national recognition to Surgical Technologists across the country. This special week-long acknowledgement was founded in 1984 by the Association of Surgical Technologists’ Board of Directors. Today, there are more than 80,000 surgical techs in the U.S. Thank you to every surgical tech for all you! Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the Association of Surgical Technologists is hosting a “Surg Tech Superhero” contest this month that allows people to nominate someone in the profession for a chance to win prizes. Nominations close Sept. 30, 2019. See for more details here. In honor of National Surgical Technologists Week, here’s a look at top states for travel Surgical Tech positions in the U.S. This data is based from the Travel Certified Surgical Tech Pay Rankings and Cost of Living by State Report, the StaffDNA Job Board and other current trends in the travel healthcare industry. Wisconsin Whether travelers are looking for a small town feel or a bustling city life, Wisconsin has something for everyone. While the winters may be harsh, the state makes up for it in affordability, low crime rates and close-knit communities. Certified Surgical Tech travel assignments are paying up to $1,800/week, which is very competitive in today’s market. Popular areas such as Madison, Appleton, Wausau and Milwaukee suburbs have several CST specialties open in anticipation for a busy fall and winter. Click here to view CST jobs in Wisconsin. Tennessee Home of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Elvis Presley’s hometown and Dollywood, there are several reasons why Tennessee is a great place to travel. Chattanooga, TN has a Surgical First Assistant job paying nearly $3,000/week, which has made recent appearances on the weekly highest-paying jobs list. Facilities in Nashville and Cleveland, TN are also popular destinations with several high-paying Surg Tech openings. Click here to view CST jobs in Tennessee. South Carolina If looking for Southern Charm, South Carolina has Surgical Tech openings across the state paying up to $1,500/week. While this may be lower than other featured states, the lower average cost per living rating and diverse landscapes make the state desirable for travelers. The most in-demand specialty in South Carolina right now is for Cardiovascular Operating Room Techs followed by Sterile Processing Techs. Click here to view CST jobs in South Carolina. Georgia For Surgical Techs specializing in areas than other cardiovascular, Georgia could be a good choice. Other specialties such as ENDO, Sterile Processing and general OR have openings in several areas of state. From the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains to the lively city of Atlanta, healthcare travelers can enjoy multiple activities year-round. Click here to view CST jobs in Georgia. Oregon While the average cost of living and weekly rents may be higher here, Oregon has so much to offer travelers, including several Surgical Technician positions. Whether interested in a large, high-traffic trauma center in downtown Portland or smaller facilities outside of the metro areas, the StaffDNA job board has openings paying up to $1,500 weekly right now. Click here to view CST jobs in Oregon. These are just snapshots of states with high-paying opportunities for Surgical Techs looking to travel. Browse all locations and pay packages here. Read next: 5 Most Expensive States for Travel Certified Surgical Techs