Travel Jobs: Where Travelers Applied In Oct., Nov. Market Predictions
November can be a bit of an odd duck month for the travel healthcare job market. As the last month before the busiest season of the year in terms of patient census, many healthcare facilities are still trying to fill jobs needs with temporary staff. Many states still have job opportunities in the triple digits as of Nov. 13. At the same time, many travelers who were job hunting in September and October are either committed to jobs with November start dates or have pre-booked for late-December or early-January to have free time during the holidays. Travel healthcare jobs November 2018 Based on current job market data and information from staffing agency recruiters and sales representatives, we expect a slight increase in the volume of available job opportunities, but the amount of application activity should remain relatively flat. In other words, the amount travelers applying to jobs is already quite high—with dozens of submittals for competitive positions—and should stay high throughout most of the month. A good portion of the job market volume increase will come from northern and cold weather states, like Oregon, Michigan, Colorado and Wisconsin. Hospitals in these states will need to fill vacancies left by “snowbird” travelers heading south, said Jamison Reitinger, a client advisor for LiquidAgents Healthcare. “Bill rates are remaining consistently high in northern territories, except OR-RN rates, which are increasing across the board due to large OR nurse shortages in Wisconsin, Michigan and Colorado,” Reitinger said. There has also been a notable increase in travel nurse jobs available in the Southeast U.S., mostly in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. A large part of the increase is due to the recent surge in EMR conversion positions available in Kentucky and West Virginia through Appalachian Regional Healthcare. The healthcare system started advertising temporary staffing needs for their hospital in late October and will need travelers through the rest of the year and into 2019, so we expect these states to see more incoming applications from travelers in November. Depending on the severity of this year’s flu season, job market activity could also increase in Southern states like Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas, as those states typically see high levels of flu activity earlier than others. No major changes in the Top 10 most applied-to states The most popular states for travelers—California, Florida and Texas—retained their top spots in October, and should continue to see high application numbers for the rest of the year. South Carolina was the only new state to enter the top 10, moving up from No. 12. Georgia fell out, dropping seven ranks to No. 12. Utah makes the largest jump, Connecticut drops the farthest Utah saw the biggest surge in traveler applications by far, moving up 18 positions to No. 33 on the list. Connecticut dropped 12 spots to No. 46 October’s Top Markets California Florida Texas Michigan Tennessee North Carolina Missouri Pennsylvania Arizona South Carolina Virginia Georgia Indiana Kentucky Oklahoma Arkansas Maine Iowa Idaho Wisconsin West Virginia New Mexico Nevada Oregon Colorado Hawaii Ohio Washington Massachusetts New Jersey Illinois Louisiana Utah Alaska Minnesota Alabama Montana Kansas Maryland Mississippi New Hampshire North Dakota Nebraska Rhode Island Wyoming Connecticut Washington, D.C. Delaware New York South Dakota Vermont Editor’s note: This list is created by analyzing the number of travelers applying for jobs in these individual states and Washington D.C. Is not necessarily an indicator of traveler interest in these states and is not necessarily an indicator of job volume. Application data comes from the StaffDNA jobs database.
EMR Conversions: Appalachian Regional Kicks Off Meditech Upgrade In Kentucky, West Virgina
Appalachian Regional Healthcare (ARH), the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Southeastern Kentucky, is in need of hundreds of travel nurses over the next several months for a system-wide electronic medical record (EMR) conversion, according to industry reports. View current West Virginia travel nursing EMR conversion jobs on the StaffDNA boards >> Currently, Meditech EMR conversion jobs are open at Beckley ARH in West Virginia and Middlesboro ARH in Kentucky, with more expected through the rest of 2018 and into 2019. As of Oct. 29, all major travel nurse specialties are needed, including medical-surgical, labor and delivery, ER, ICU and more. ARH operates 12 hospitals, 11 home health agencies and multiple clinics, pharmacies and home care stores, most of which are located in Southeastern Kentucky. The healthcare system plans to convert its smallest facilities first, working its way up to 358-bed Hazard ARH sometime in 2019. Travel nurses who apply can expect very quick interviews and offers for these EMR conversion jobs, Oren Lavi with LiquidAgents Healthcare said. View current Kentucky travel nursing EMR conversion jobs on the StaffDNA boards >> “Nurses will have more options to move and extend [on contracts] after these initial EMR assignments are complete, as they will be able to move to other facilities that are converting,” Lavi said. ARH is implementing a new EMR for the first time, upgrading from paper charting to an integrated Meditech charting system. ARH announced their selection of Meditech in 2017, according to an official press release. “We are excited to partner with Meditech in providing ARH an innovative Web EHR that fosters and supports sustainability,” Joe Grossman, ARH’s president and CEO said in a 2017 press release. “With the Web EHR, our clinicians will have seamless integration across the continuum, improved productivity, and the sophisticated tools to improve the quality and safety of care delivered to our communities.” What to know about working in Kentucky Kentucky is a favorable state for travelers looking to save money as the cost-of-living is low, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In a 2018 BEA report, Kentucky ranked as the 5th most affordable state in the U.S., thanks to some of the lowest apartment and home rental rates in the country. Nurses can also use a compact license to work in Kentucky. The state joined the enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact this year, along with more than 20 other original NLC states.
EMR Conversions: Meditech Travel Nurse Jobs Available In West Virginia
Beckley ARH Hospital, an acute-care facility located in Beckley, West Virginia, is looking to fill 35 travel nurse needs to help with an upcoming EMR conversion, according to a source with LiquidAgents Healthcare. The hospital is transitioning from paper charting to Meditech as part of an ongoing EMR conversion rollout to all Appalachian Region Healthcare facilities that started in 2017. Contact LiquidAgents Healthcare for more information about these EMR conversion travel nurse jobs in West Virginia >> Currently, 35 positions are available for primarily medical-surgical/telemetry travel nurses, but other specialties are available as well. Days, nights and variable shifts are all available at this time. Nurses with a compact license can now use it for West Virginia, as the state joined the enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact this year. Travelers can still apply for a single-state license, but West Virginia is not a walk-through state so it could take 5-10 business days to process. What travelers should know about Beckley, WV Beckley is one of the largest cities in the state and is one hour south from Charleston, the state’s capital. The city also has one of the lowest cost-of-living ratings in the U.S., with average rents at 36 percent of the national average—or about $570 a month on average for a 1-bedroom apartment—so travelers can potentially save hundreds over the holidays on living expenses.
EMR Conversions: Cerner Jobs Available For Fall In Virginia, Epic In New Mexico
Travel nurses with Cerner experience looking for a quick contract with great pay should turn their attention to Lynchburg, Virginia for new EMR conversion jobs. Centra Lynchburg General Hosptial, the flagship facility of the Centra Health system, will undergo a Cerner conversion in September, according to industry sources. Centra has been in the process of switching their hospitals to Cerner after signing a contract with the software company in 2016, according to a press release. The facility is primarily looking for ICU, CVICU, OR and step down travel nurses with Cerner experience. The assignments are scheduled to start on Aug. 27, last for five weeks and vary between day and night shifts. The short contract length could provide a good opportunity for qualified travelers who want to avoid working the holidays. Based on current job board data, pay for these positions range from $1,900-2,132 weekly, which is well above the average for the state. Additionally, despite Virginia’s high cost-of-living rating, Lynchburg actually falls below the state and national average, meaning travelers can save money on rent and basic necessities. You can view job board postings based on specialty here: CVICU OR ICU Oncology Editor’s note: Linked job board posts are subject to change based on availability and other factors. Interested travelers should contact their recruiters for the most up-to-date information. Additional EMR Conversion Needs September is shaping up to be a busy month for EMR conversion needs, as several facilities have “go-live” dates scheduled for the month. Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico still needs OR and medical-surgical travel nurses for their switch from Cerner to Epic charting on Sept. 17. Contracts will range anywhere from six to 13 weeks. Interested nurses should have Epic experience, two years of working in their specialty and previous travel assignment experience.
EMR Conversion: New Mexico hospital switching to EPIC in September
Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico plans to switch from Cerner EMR charting to Epic this fall and anticipates travel nurse staffing needs, according to industry sources. The planned go-live date is September 16. The facility expects vacancies in medical-surgical/telemetry, ICU, ER, PACU and OR. The hospital currently holds 300 beds and is a classified as Level II Trauma facility. Contracts will range anywhere from six to 13 weeks. Interested nurses should have Epic experience, as well as two years of working in their specialty and previous travel assignment experience. Additional EMR Conversion needs Two hospitals in the UNC Health Care system in North Carolina will swap from Meditech to Epic during an EMR conversion in the fall. The go-live dates at Wayne UNC Health Care in Goldsboro and Nash Health Care in Rocky Mount is September 22.
EMR Conversion: Upcoming Opportunities In North Carolina
Two hospitals in the UNC Health Care system in North Carolina will swap from Meditech to Epic during an EMR conversion in the fall. The go-live dates for Epic at Wayne UNC Health Care in Goldsboro and Nash Health Care in Rocky Mount is September 22. The facilities are the latest in the hospital system’s efforts to convert all their facilities to Epic since 2014. The hospitals are anticipating needs in at least these specialties; MedSurg/Telemetry, ICU, ER, and OR. Travel nurses looking to apply are expected to have both Meditech and Epic experience, at least 2 years of experience in their specialty, and some previous travel assignment experience. Additional EMR Conversion needs The Covenant Health System, based out of Knoxville, Tennessee, is finishing up its Q3 rollouts at these facilities: Fort Sanders Medical Center is a 352-bed hospital located in Knoxville near the University of Tennessee campus. LeConte Medical Center is in Sevierville, Tennessee, 30 miles southeast of Knoxville. It’s a 111-bed facility. Two hospitals in the system haven’t been assigned a phase–Claiborne County Hospital and Morristown-Hamblen Hospital. Claiborne County Hospital is in Tazewell, Tennessee, 50 miles north of Knoxville. It has 129 beds. Morristown-Hamblen Hospital is a 128-bed facility located 50 miles northeast of Knoxville in Morristown, Tennessee.
Cerner ranked top EHR by nurses in satisfaction survey
Cerner took the top spot among all electronic health record systems, according to Black Book Research’s 2018 EHR Loyalty Survey released this week. The market research company surveyed almost 15,000 registered nurses in three separate surveys across forty states and received 7,409 total respondents. Survey participants were asked to rank EHR systems on their overall usability and functionality in four areas. Those surveyed also had to have used one of these systems in the last four years. Cerner had the highest average usability and functionality rating of 93 percent, followed by Meditech and Allscripts in second and third place. Cerner is one of the top five most popular EHR systems in hospitals today, with 25,000 customers nationwide according to Capterra. eClinical Works, the largest EHR in the states by a total number of customers, received the lowest scores in all categories, earning an average rating of 39 percent. Overall average scores show an increasing level of confidence nurses have in using EHR systems. In BlackBook’s 2014 survey, the average rating across all EHR systems was 21 percent, which has jumped to 79 percent this year. Additionally, 96 percent of this year’s respondents said they would not want to back to using paper systems. Among different hospital roles, emergency room, oncology, labor and delivery, and operating room nurses reported the highest average satisfaction levels using EHR system. Medical-surgical, ambulatory and psych nurses reported the lowest average scores.
Trinity Health Selects Epic For New EHR Enterprise Platform
Trinity Health, one of the largest non-profit hospital systems in the U.S., announced today it will use Epic to implement an integrated electronic health record (EHR) and revenue cycle management platform. The company plans to roll out the new EHR platform to all of the system’s hospitals, ambulatory care centers, physician offices and continuing care programs in the coming years, according to their official press release. The Catholic healthcare system, based out of Livonia, Michigan, operates 94 hospitals and 109 continuing care locations across 21 states. Trinity’s goal is to create a single, comprehensive EHR for patients, consumers and employees. Patients and consumers will have access to online scheduling, e-visit, and simplified online bill pay tools, while physicians and clinicians will have a shared patient record which should improve patient safety and outcomes, according to the release. “People deserve customized and convenient healthcare experiences, including simple access to a complete health and billing record. At the same time, physicians and clinicians need tools that make it easier to practice medicine. We look forward to implementing a single, enterprise solution enabling us to deliver excellent, people-centered care,” said Mike Slubowski, president and chief operating officer of Trinity Health, in the press release. The company plans to train more than 100,000 employees on the new EHR platform, which could provide opportunities for Epic EMR conversion travel nursing jobs within the next four years.
EMR Conversions: Ongoing Jobs Near Knoxville, Tennessee
The Covenant Health System, with hospitals located primarily in and around the Knoxville, Tennessee area, is completing an EMR conversion over the first three quarters of 2018, and it needs travel nurses to help with the transition. The system is switching from McKesson EMR to Cerner EMR and will need help with at least four specialties: Med/Surg, Telemetry, ICU, and ER. There is a potential for other needs. Covenant System hiring officials say they’re looking for candidates with recent McKesson experience. While Cerner experience would be nice, it’s not a requirement. Covenant will provide training on the Cerner system for nurses that it chooses to extend. Candidates should also be open to the idea of floating between other facilities within 50 miles of their home hospital while on assignment. Floating will not occur mid-shift, and nurses will be given notice of the need to float at least two hours prior to the start of a shift. Two and three hospitals will be converting each quarter, starting with Methodist Medical Center, Roane Medical Center, and Rhea Medical Center in the first quarter. Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee is a 301-bed facility 25 miles east of Knoxville. Roane Medical Center is in Harriman, Tennessee, 42 miles west of Knoxville. It’s a 52 bed short-term acute care facility. Rhea Medical Center is a 25 bed critical access facility located in Dayton, Tennessee, 80 miles southwest of Knoxville. Hospitals included in the second phase of the conversion, happening in the second quarter of the year, are Parkwest Medical Center, Fort Loudon Medical Center, and Cumberland Medical Center. Parkwest Medical Center is a 400-bed facility in southwest Knoxville. Fort Loudon Medical Center is 30 miles south and west of Knoxville in Lenoir City, Tennessee. It’s a 30-bed, short-term acute care facility. Cumberland Medical Center has 73 beds and is located 70 miles west of Knoxville in Crossville, Tennessee. Two hospitals will convert in the third phase, occurring in the third quarter of 2018: Fort Sanders Medical Center and LeConte Medical Center. Fort Sanders Medical Center is a 352-bed hospital located in Knoxville near the University of Tennessee campus. LeConte Medical Center is in Sevierville, Tennessee, 30 miles southeast of Knoxville. It’s a 111-bed facility. Two hospitals in the system haven’t been assigned a phase–Claiborne County Hospital and Morristown-Hamblen Hospital. Claiborne County Hospital is in Tazewell, Tennessee, 50 miles north of Knoxville. It has 129 beds. Morristown-Hamblen Hospital is a 128-bed facility located 50 miles northeast of Knoxville in Morristown, Tennessee.