How To Reach The Elusive $100K Travel Nurse Salary
One of the most pervasive myths in travel healthcare is the potential to earn a six-figure travel nurse salary while jet-setting across the country. It certainly sounds appealing, and plenty of recruiters or agencies will try to sell you with that exact same message–but do you actually have that much earning potential as a traveler? Here’s our semi-short breakdown of five tips you can follow to earn your way towards $100k. If you just got off a brutal shift and five tips are way more than you want to read right now, click here to skip to the summary with our take on the issue. 1. Find cold weather, small towns and high-paying states Earning the most as a traveler often means going where the money leads, regardless of the location or harshness of season weather. This means you’ll be headed north in the winter, swapping with the “snowbirds” in states like Illinois or Wisconsin to cover gaps in staffing. It can also mean working in small towns and underserved locations that have trouble recruiting travelers, retaining staff nurses or that just aren’t that popular destinations. Generally, working where people can’t, don’t or won’t will earn you more through potential bonuses and higher pay packages. You also need to be aware of what state offer routinely high pay packages year-round, like California, Texas and Massachusetts. Peppering in jobs from these states can help boost your earning potential. 2. Work when everyone isn’t Not many people want to work during the holiday season from November to January, so jumping on a short-term holiday contract is a great way to build your travel nurse salary. Holiday pay typically matches overtime rates. Speaking of overtime, adding in extra shifts is always an easy way to get more money from a travel assignment, so look for overtime opportunities when you can. Important note: Make sure you know the exact overtime stipulations of your contract before committing to more hours. Some hospitals may not offer overtime pay that matches up exactly with state laws. Some agencies may offer “blended” bill rates–which has no difference in pay between regular and overtime hours–in states that charge overtime when working more than eight hours a day, as opposed to 40 hours per week. You should be able to discuss these details clearly with your recruiter. 3. Always take the housing stipend If you’ve established a tax home and are eligible to take a tax-free housing stipend instead of using company housing, taking the stipend means more money in your pocket in most cases. It can be a bit risky and a huge hassle, since the task of finding housing now lands on your shoulders, but you can often find housing that’s less than the total stipend, letting you save the extra cash. There are tons of online resources (Airbnb is very popular among travelers) to find quick, affordable housing. You can check the rates for per diems, along with meals and incidentals by state by visiting the General Services Administration website. This shows the maximum rate offered by location, not the general rate, but it can still help you gauge how much you may receive for an assignment. 4. Look for rapid response or strike opportunities Nurses who stay flexible with their assignments can make great money responding to strikes or other unexpected staffing problems at a hospital. Crisis rate pay packages are often significantly higher than standard, adding up to $10 or more per hour to your pay. Keep in mind these jobs are fleeting and tough–you may get to the job to find the situation has resolved itself before you’ve even started, and you must have all necessary compliance docs ready at a moment’s notice to jump on job opportunities. You also won’t get tons of flexibility on job shifts, since you’re there to help during a critical period. 5. Specialize Nursing specialties that are more in demand or require extensive training will often pay more. Specialty bill rates between hospitals and agencies range from 2 to 10 percent higher than standard rates, which means higher pay packages overall. Specialties that commonly see these higher rates are ICU, L&D, CathLab, ER, OR, PICU, NICU and CVICU. Standard rates are associated with more common positions like Medical/Surgical, PSYCH, PEDS and Postpartum. Our summary If you skipped to the bottom, here’s the short answer if you want to make $100,000 a year as a travel nurse. Work as much as you can; at every available opportunity; in places you may have never wanted to visit; in economical housing; in extreme weather climates; during most holidays; with the lowest amount of downtime possible; in difficult or highly specialized positions. Also ignore the fact that a portion of those wages will go towards insurance, travel, compliance and tax home expenses, regardless of whether they are offered by your agency. If that’s not an ideal answer, it’s certainly not an ideal situation. There are travel nurses out there who do earn up to $100,000 a year, but they will be the first to tell you it’s not easy. It’s up to you to realistically decide what you want from your travel nurse career, and your recruiter and agency should be there to help you make informed decisions at every turn.
Nurses at San Francisco hospital protest Zuckerberg name after Facebook scandal
Nurses at one of San Francisco’s largest hospitals took the ‘Zuckerberg’ out of Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center on the heels of Facebook’s privacy scandal. Protesting nurses taped over the sign last Saturday, saying the name makes patients uncomfortable, according to a New York Times report. “We are in charge of keeping our most vulnerable people private and protected,” nursing administration employee Heather Ali told the Times. “Now people wonder, ‘How much is my privacy protected at a hospital with that name on it?’” The hospital added Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan to the hospital’s full name as a result of a $75 million donation to the facility in 2015. You can read the full New York Times report here.
Kaiser proposes change to national labor partnership amid nursing union fractures, continued protests
Negotiations between healthcare company Kaiser Permanente and members of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions (CKPU) remain tense as nurses across the state continue the third and final week of planned protests at Kaiser-owned California facilities. Members of both parties met on May 7 to discuss details of the Coalition’s Labor Management Partnership, which was established between Kaiser and CKPU in 1997. Kaiser presented their new potential blueprints for this partnership, which would focus on individual bargaining with local union contracts expiring in 2018 or those who are entitled to wage reopeners, according to a company press release. The company plans to maintain provisions of existing agreements while bargaining new contracts, according to the release. “We asked union leadership to review our proposed improvements to the partnership agreement and provide feedback,” the company said in the press release. “The next step is to work in partnership with labor to have a final version of a new partnership agreement in the coming weeks.” CKPU fired back against the new bargaining format, saying the proposal represents a “top-down, unilateral” move that limits the coalition’s ability to negotiate under unified terms. “The unions of the Coalition are completely committed to Partnership and the great work we’ve done together, but any changes to the Partnership need to be discussed in national bargaining,” said Walter Allen, executive director of Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 30 in a press release. Healthcare workers at Kaiser Antelope Valley say, “Get your priorities straight, Kaiser! You made a 22% increase in profits from 2016-2017 — but you’re still trying to outsource jobs and lower wage scales.” #HealthcareJustice @BernardJTyson @RamonfBaez @DrRichardIsaacs pic.twitter.com/nAtauqza5D — SEIU-UHW (@seiu_uhw) May 10, 2018 In the meantime, California Kaiser workers will continue to picket healthcare facilities regarding claims of job outsourcing and layoffs until the end of the week. “I am confident our members will take unified action to say enough is enough,” said Ron Ruggiero, president of SEIU Local 105 in a release. “We deserve a great new contract and any partnership worth its name must be on equal terms. Our union, and our Coalition, are clear that this is what we are fighting for.” Union disputes delay contract negotiations The longstanding terms of the partnership, as well as the original dates for the National Bargaining, were thrown into disarray in March after more than half of the local nursing unions split from the CKPU one day before negotiations were scheduled to occur. Twenty one local unions with about 45,000 members split from CKPU, forming a new union called the Alliance of Health Care Unions (AHCU), according to a report from nwLaborPress. The remaining 13 unions in the CKPU still retain more than 80,000 members, most of which are based out of California. During a union meeting in 2017, SEIU United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), the largest union in CKPU, pushed for more influence over CKPU decisions making. Additionally, SEIU-UHW made aggressive moves against Kaiser without overall CKPU approval, negotiating in private meetings and threatening to push contract issues to voters with a ballot initiative. Members of the newly formed AHCU said they had good partnerships with Kaiser and wanted to continue those relationships while still maintaining a unified voice–outside of the influence of unions still a part of the CKPU. The new union’s executive director Peter diCicco, founder and executive director of the original CKPU from 1997 to 2006, said joining AHCU feels like coming home. “But we’ve got our work cut out for us,” diCicco said in a press release. “We’re working to establish a new structure that builds on what worked best with the prior coalition, while addressing internal coalition issues that became obvious in recent years and ultimately drove the creation of this new Alliance.” The AHCU has not announced their plans for negotiating with Kaiser, but the potential is there for a compromise that satisfies both parties. The California Nurses Association, a union with National Nurses United that’s separate from the CKPU, successfully negotiated a tentative contract with Kaiser in April with provisions targeting staffing enhancements, wage increases and employee benefits.
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.
Travel Nurse Jobs: Top 10 States in Spring 2018, Summer Market Predictions
There’s been a big shakeup in state rankings for where travelers are applying for jobs, according to Staff DNA job board data. Most of the movement is a result of the annual summer “migration”, where travelers who came south from their home states for warmer weather are heading back north, but there are a few surprises among the ranks. The main takeaway is the expected March spike in job applications wasn’t as high as we thought, although there was a gradual increase in the volume of applications in March and April. Part of the slower increase can potentially be attributed to the record-breaking flu season we experienced this year, which caused a large push for swamped healthcare facilities to offer contract extensions earlier. More extensions mean a delay in job applications, so we could see an increase in job applications by the end of this month, but we expect that number of submissions will plateau going into June as travelers lock down their mid-year, vacation contracts. “We’re not seeing additional needs at facilities, but instead it’s a transferring of needs,” said Oren Lavi, a director of client advisory at LiquidAgents Healthcare. “The net number of new nurses entering the market is not as high, but the job demand is still there as hospitals look to fill backfill positions and curb seasonal turnover.” Let’s take a closer look at changes to our state rankings. Ohio, Illinois, Arizona and Michigan crack the Top 10 Four states that typically hang around the middle of the pack in job applications quickly climbed the ranks this spring. The most dramatic jump was Ohio, which moved up seven spots, almost replacing New York in the top 5 most applied for states. Nevada makes the highest jump; Virginia falls from the top Nevada moved from No. 32 to No. 19 in the rankings, showing the most dramatic increase in job applications. Part of the state’s popularity could be attributed to recent job offerings out of Reno. Facilities in the city are offering noticeably high pay packages for both medical/surgical and telemetry contracts, according to StaffDNA listings. Meanwhile, Virginia has moved from its lofty spot at No. 7 down to No. 24, dropping 17 spots to the middle of the pack. It’s not unexpected to see this change as travelers move back north, but we expect some of that demand to return as Virginia is among the top five hottest travel destinations for summer 2018. Other popular summer vacation states like Hawaii and Colorado should also move up the ranks. May’s Top Markets Texas California Florida North Carolina New York Ohio Georgia Michigan Arizona Illinois South Carolina New Jersey Tennessee Missouri Philadelphia Alabama Colorado Mississippi Nevada Indiana Arkansas Kentucky Oregon Virginia Washington Hawaii Louisiana Oklahoma West Virginia Iowa Utah Connecticut District of Columbia Maryland Maine Montana New Hampshire New Mexico Wisconsin Delaware Kansas Minnesota South Dakota Massachusetts North Dakota Rhode Island Wyoming Idaho Nebraska Vermont Alaska Editor’s note: This list is created by analyzing the number of travel nurses applying for jobs in these individual states and Washington D.C. Is not necessarily an indicator of traveler interest in these states or of job volume. Application data comes from the StaffDNA jobs database.
Dallas Nursing and Healthcare Career Fair opens Thursday
Travel nurses and healthcare professionals in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth region have a chance to meet in person with industry insiders and hiring managers on Thursday at the Dallas Nursing and Healthcare Career Fair. The career fair, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. CST at the Crystal Banquet Hall in Plano, will feature local and national healthcare hiring managers, including companies like Dallas Regional Medical Center, NMA Academy, Guardian Home Healthcare, Steward Family Hospital, Staff DNA and several others. The event will also offer free resume reviews by Nickquolette Barrett with iRock Resumes. This event is pre-screened, so attendees must provide valid healthcare credentials to get in the door. Attendees can also pre-register by emailing resume@expoexpertsllc.com with the subject line “Attending EE”, but it’s not required for entry. Attending a screened job fair like this one will help healthcare job seekers save time by having direct interaction with hiring managers, Expo Experts marketing specialist Jamie Barker said. “There are instant, built-in interviews, which saves time and allows you to make an impression much faster and easier than the traditional filling out of an application and waiting for a phone call,” Barker said. For more information about the event, visit the Expo Experts website.
National Nurses Week 2018: Top 10 Worst Nurses Week Gifts
For healthcare facilities, National Nurses Week is the time to go above and beyond in honoring their nursing staff; the workers on the front lines of providing quality patient care. Some hospitals will provide catered lunches, wonderful gifts or fun activities for their staff to celebrate the hard work they do. And then there are these people. We asked nurses on Reddit about the worst gifts they’ve received for National Nurses Week, and the results range from bad to atrocious. Here are 10 of the worst answers we received. Disclaimer: Some comments displayed have been edited for strong language. 1. A half-eaten cookie cake (that was partially eaten by the day shift) What’s worse than coming in to work to find a half-eaten pastry waiting for you as thanks for your efforts? Finding out your coworkers on an earlier shift were the ones responsible, as user Pm_me_your_baby_pig_pics shared. Comment from discussion People, it’s time to vent. What’s your WORST Nurses Week gift ever?. 2. Partially melted, then re-frozen Hershey’s chocolates User BrooklynRN got to enjoy some nice ruined chocolates. Luckily they still had a “Happy Nurses Week” wrapper. Comment from discussion People, it’s time to vent. What’s your WORST Nurses Week gift ever?. Comment from discussion People, it’s time to vent. What’s your WORST Nurses Week gift ever?. 3. A fortune cookie Comment from discussion People, it’s time to vent. What’s your WORST Nurses Week gift ever?. 4. An arts and crafts project with no supplies “We have to make a poster for ourselves. I don’t think any supplies were provided.” –Reddit user bopeep82 5. A last-minute gift swap to something even worse Reddit user BruteeRex told a sad tale of when their hospital decided to switch the nice gift of free scrubs and a jacket with a motivational self-help book–which was written by the hospital. Comment from discussion People, it’s time to vent. What’s your WORST Nurses Week gift ever?. 6. A sad meal, followed by leftover ice cream Comment from discussion People, it’s time to vent. What’s your WORST Nurses Week gift ever?. 7. A confiscated treat Sometimes you have to put in some work to get the gift you deserve, as evidenced by Reddit user ghouliejulie’s story. “We got tiramisu from Maggianos. then it was taken away by the charge, because it “might have alcohol in it.” I went looking for it, and ate it anyway. … I’m also getting pretty tired of bagels.” 8. A tube of expired chapstick Comment from discussion People, it’s time to vent. What’s your WORST Nurses Week gift ever?. 9. A gift bag filled with top-notch items. Candy-based puns are always the best way to say thank you, as seen by Reddit user auraseer. Comment from discussion People, it’s time to vent. What’s your WORST Nurses Week gift ever?. 10. Last, and certainly the least–a memo posted in an elevator. “Working in LTC, a memo saying Happy Nurses week in the elevator. If we want they will display our pictures for everyone to see. Other than that the year-long gift of [expletive] staffing.”–Reddit user mamabear_j Got any other terrible National Nurses Week gifts you’d like to share? Tell us in the comments below!
National Nurses Week: 2018 Freebies and Discounts
National Nursing Week is here, and it’s time to bask in the appreciation of restaurants, businesses and corporations nationwide by cashing in on great discounts and free stuff. We’ve put together a huge list of free items and discounts travelers and staff nurses can enjoy, but we’re sure to be missing some from this list, so check back regularly as it gets updated. Got a great deal or free giveaway your fellow nurses need to know about? Share it with us in the comments, use our Share Your Story form, or send us an email at news@hcttoday.com. Free Stuff DrFirst You can snag a free pair of Dansko shoes if you win DrFirst’s Nurses Week giveaway contest. Entries will be accepted until 12 a.m. EST on May 12. Cinnabon A classic deal that returns every year, nurses get one free Cinnabon Classic Roll, MiniBon Roll or four-count BonBites when they show their badge at participating locations. The free bun deal lasts through May 12. Dunkin’ Donuts End the day with some java (or kick the night shift off right) by picking up a free16-ounce Dunkin’ Dark Roast iced coffee all this week between 4-10 p.m. Remember to bring a valid health care ID and check if your location is participating. Jimboy’s Tacos Nurses with a valid employee ID can enjoy a BOGO deal on the chain’s original ground beef tacos Sunday through May 12. Check to see if it’s at a participating location, and remember that there’s a limit of three free tacos per nurse, so no taco hogging. PDQ On May 8, Nurses take 50 percent off their entire meal with a valid ID at PDQ. The discount is limited to one per customer. Hey, Teachers and Nurses! We’re showing some well-deserved appreciation to you on Tuesday, May 8th at all locations. Enjoy 50% off your entire order with a valid ID all day long. pic.twitter.com/4vFMPpIvUn — PDQ Restaurant (@PDQFreshFood) April 30, 2018 Johnson & Johnson The company has partnered with Nurse.com to offer a free CE course, titled “Substance Abuse and Women”, which you can register for and download here. CNA Plus Academy Need to brush up on what you know or get prepped for your exam? CNA Plus Academy is offering free practice tests this week. American Nurses Association Free Webinar All nurses who pre-register and watch this year’s free webinar, titled “Emerging Technology and Its Impact on Nursing Practice”, will earn one CE credit. Allnurses Giveaways Love making and sharing memes? Want to win $250 Amazon gift cards for doing just that? Well you’re in luck–allnurses is holding a National Nurses Week Celebration where you can do just that. Click here to learn more. They’re also giving away 50 pairs of scrubs and 50 stethoscopes for visitors who fill out an entry form. Click here to learn more about that contest. Einstein Bro’s Bagels Nurses wearing scrubs or an ID badge can grab a free Espresso Buzz Bagel and Shmear from any participating Einstein locations on May 11. Discounts SocksLane More compression socks are always a good thing, and SocksLane is offering 25 percent off on all orders through May 30 with the promo code 25NURSESWEEK. Sleep Number Maybe you want to add some next-level comfort to your travel RV, or you need an exceedingly comfortable bed when returning home for a break between travel assignments. Regardless, Sleep Number is offering 35 percent off any purchases with a valid license. GIANT Microbe Who doesn’t love these adorable, stuffed infectious diseases? You can save 20 percent on any order with the offer code NURSE20FP
Healthcare Roundup: Top Headlines April 30-May 4
Doctors remove 132-pound tumor from woman’s ovary The headline really says it all, but what you may not know is this is operation took five hours and 25 hospital staff members to finally remove. Wow. Read the full details here. If your life is in danger, that expensive Apple Watch might be a good investment after all The smartwatch took the credit for saving lives last month after sending alerts to users to immediately seek medical attention after detecting signs of a kidney failure and an erupted ulcer. Read the full U.S. News report here. Mental health treatment is one of the biggest issues facing U.S. healthcare, but in these states it might be a bit easier to address U.S News released their list of the top 10 states with the best mental health, based on CDC data collected in 2016. See the rankings here. Planned Parenthood is fighting back against Trump administration changes to Title X The organization is suing against these changes, arguing that they will put the health of millions of low-income patients at risk. Read the full NPR report here.
May the Fourth (Deals) Be With You
The most hallowed of days for Star Wars fans, May 4, is upon us. It’s a great day for fans across the world to geek out and celebrate their favorite mystical sci-fi mega-franchise by watching the movies, cosplaying their favorite characters, and generally freaking out on social media. #MayTheFourth Tweets It’s also a day when pretty much every company that sells any Star Wars-branded products offer huge discounts, so now may be a good time to head to Tosche Station and pick up a set of newly discounted power converters. For our travelers, we’ve narrowed down few great deals on Star Wars merch to bring along for your next shift (or just to enjoy off the clock in a galaxy far away). 1. Millenium Falcon Pool Float, $29.93 – Box Lunch We know lots of travelers are planning to soak up the sun over the summer, so what better way to enjoy the water than on your own personal Millenium Falcon. Just remember to hold on tight before jumping to lightspeed. Box Lunch has this float and plenty of Star Wars-themed bags, watches, apparel and other items to browse at 30 percent off all day today. Plus, every $10 you spend on the site means the company provides a meal secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks, according to their site. 2. Cross Townsend Star Wars Pens, 20% Off until May 5 Your pen collection from working at various hospitals around the country is probably pretty extensive, but nothing beats a great gel or fountain pen when frantically taking notes, especially if it’s powered by the Dark Side. Remember to enter the code MAYSTAR18 at checkout to get the discount, and order before 11:59 p.m. EST on May 5. 3. Loungefly, 20% off all Star Wars bags on May 4 Okay, so a bag shaped like a Porg may not be totally practical to store your gear in, but there are plenty of other fantastic bags to choose from on Loungefly. The offer code to enter at checkout for this one is LFFORCE. If you still desperately need to spend money on Star Wars stuff, you can find even more May 4 deals listed here on Disney’s official Star Wars website.