There's No Place Like Nome!

We love when our HCP’s send us pictures and little notes about their fantastic nursing or allied travels! It is like receiving a letter or pics from family and home. Thank you, Leo, for sending us such great pictures from your travels to Nome, Alaska.

Home to the world famous Iditarod, Nome is unlike what most people expect when they think of Alaska. The quaint town sits on the southern peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. There are no majestic treacherous mountains but rather frozen plains with a front row seat to a vast beautiful ocean. Leo, one of our very own allied travelers says, “Nome is an amazing town! Everyone is so very friendly and always happy to see you coming. For a small town (I am from a big city) there is always something to do – watch a beautiful sunset, catch fish in the ice, hang out with friends and eat great food, or join the festivities of a world famous dog race. Never a dull moment! I have been on the go since I got here.”

Travel Nurse Opportunities

If you are familiar with the professional medical field, you probably know that travel nurse opportunities are unique and unlike those of any other profession. Travel nurses have the freedom to choose the city and medical center they work in, the shifts they work as well as receive free housing and higher pay than the average medical professional. The benefits of becoming a travel nurse are truly endless.

The biggest perk in become a travel nurse is the ability to choose exactly where you want to work and then have the ability to change that location on a regular basis. Imagine having the option to work in a city you've always wanted to visit, but never had the chance to. This exciting career path allows registered nurses to work in a certain city short-term, and then gives them the chance to move onto a completely different area. Travel nursing contracts last an average of four to thirteen weeks inside the U.S. and about one to two years outside the U.S. giving you plenty of time to fully submerse yourself in the area's unique culture. The best part is that the places you may travel to are not limited to your native country; this means you can travel and work all around the world! It is not uncommon for hospitals to offer an extension, so if you really love a place you may even be offered to stick around a little while longer.

As a travel nurse you also get the chance to check off life experiences on your personal bucket list such as seeing the Pacific Lights, swimming in the red sea, or visiting the Grand Canyon. Due to the frequent rate at which your location may change, you will have the opportunity to go new places and experience different cultures as often as every four weeks. With the freedom that travel nursing opportunities present, it's no surprise that the field continues to grow and become more and more popular among medical professionals.

Jobs for Nursing

Finding a career path with a lot of opportunities and different job positions can be hard to come by. Luckily, the amount of careers in the nursing field is endless. Jobs for nursing can range from home aids to labor and delivery specialists to emergency room nurses and more. After a few years of nursing experience, you may pick which specialty you would like to be certified in. A certification in a specialized area is one way to let an employer and others know (besides the fact that you are a total “go-getter”) that you have obtained a higher level of education and are an expert in the area you have chosen. It shows that you are serious about pursuing jobs for nurses.

Many nurses face the white, spotless walls and familiar “hospital smell” the day after their nursing school graduation. Some nurses enjoy this setting and decide to stay with this career path while others take alternative routes in other specialties. What’s unique about jobs for nursing is that you can combine your love for nursing with something else just as rewarding. A perfect example of this is pediatrics. If you enjoy working with children and are passionate about pursuing a career as a nurse, a job as a pediatric nurse could be the position you have been searching for.

When it comes to choosing a career in the ever-so-broad nursing field, jobs for nursing can depend entirely on your personality. An ICU nurse needs to be completely focused on the task at hand as well as have the ability to think and act quickly, just as a hospice nurse should have a caring and comforting personality. The nursing field is so broad that many people are able to find their niche doing something they love while helping and caring for others in need. RN's with a sense of adventure can even apply to a healthcare staffing agency and work in hospitals across the country. With so many different specialties, each nursing job is rewarding in its own unique way.

The Iditarod 2012 of Traveling Assignments!

Meet Leonardo Alonso, traveling MT extraordinaire! A graduate from the University of
Nevada, Leo loves to meet new people, experience new things, and travel. He knew early on that he wanted to be a traveling medical technologist, so when the time was right – he contacted us here at TRS for his very first traveling assignment! This assignment took Leo to Nome, Alaska, home to the finish line of the world famous Iditarod – a 1000+ mile sled-dog race that begins in Anchorage, Alaska. As luck would have it, Leo’s assignment put him in Nome during the Iditarod and he was able to attend the event and get some great pictures. Below are some questions we asked Leo about his experience:

How did you feel when you heard that you would be going to Nome, Alaska?

I was so excited. I started reading and watching everything I could about Nome. As I was doing my research, I discovered the Iditarod and that it would be going on while I was there. I immediately made plans to attend.

What was it like being in Nome during the Iditarod?

It was fun and a little crazy! All during the first week we would track the sledders online to determine where they were on the course and who was in first place. As the weeks progressed, the town became overrun by people and dogs. There was barking and howling everywhere. As sledders began to cross the finish line, the sirens would sound and people would rush down to the course to greet the sledder and his dogs coming in.

What was your favorite part of the race?

My favorite part – A friend from out of town and myself met up with a few locals and drove to where the leader of the race – Dallas Seavey – was on the course and followed him to the finish line.

Did you have a “favorite” you were hoping would win?

Yes, I was hoping that the second place winner – Aliy Zirkle – would win. She was in first place for most of the race, had entered the race every year for the last ten years and was a co-worker’s mom.

Did you get to meet the winners?

Oh yes! I went to the Sunday banquet, bought the t-shirt and had both the first place winner, Dallas Seavey and second place winner, Aliy Zirkle sign it!

Would you do it again?

Absolutely! The Iditarod was my Mardi Gras this year! I had so much fun and I love the people here in Nome. They are friendly, courteous and always happy to see you.

Diana Answers Your Travel Questions

A facility recently called asking, “Why can’t you please send me some profiles right now? We have to have a nurse?”

A hospital we served had a need that was urgent. The Right Solutions had a nurse that fit the requirements the unit manager needed but we were unable to send the nurse’s profile immediately, as that was strictly prohibited in the contract we had signed under the vendor management contract. It would have been a violation of the contract for the Right Solutions to have honored the unit manager's request.

Unfortunately this is a difficult position for the agency and the facility. They had a need; we had the solutions, but, contractually, an algorithm had to be followed which was a delay for the unit manager to start sourcing candidates. The impact to her was that she had to work to fill in the staffing shortage.

Why Does a Healthcare Agency Use a Vendor Management Service (VMS)?

Some of America’s leading healthcare facilities chose a Vendor Management Service (VMS) to manage their contingent workers. Top management is sold a “one-stop” concept where the facility deals with only one supplier, rather than the several different agencies they had used previously. The facility is told that they never have to worry about finding top talent to fill their orders house-wide with a multitude of agencies to fill their need.

What are the Downsides to Using a Vendor Management Service (VMS)

Both the facility and the agency are regulated industries that are audited by external reviewers such as the Joint Commission, CLIA, the Hospital Associations, AIG, and a multitude of other auditors. The Vendor Management Service (VMS) does not have any of these constraints, as they are a software management company that has contracted with both the hospital and the agency without regard nor understanding of the standards, policies, and protocols that outside reviewers require from the facility and the agency.

Are the Vendor Management Service (VMS) Customers (Hospitals and Agencies) Satisfied with the Service They Receive?

Data in a 2010 Bersin & Associates report on client satisfaction with VMS system vendors shows that in a 900-plus client sample most respondents are slightly less than somewhat satisfied with their VMS systems. Even worse, with an average experience of only 2.4 years, the same report indicated 40 percent of clients are unsure if they want to renew their contracts.

What Would Improve Satisfaction Between the Hospital and Agency?

VMS vendors should understand the importance of focusing on the long-term value their solutions deliver. They need to make sure their processes, people, and systems align to help drive business impact and not obstruct the client relationships. They should provide client representatives (managed service providers) to facilitate relationships. A guiding principle for success would be to view the relationship with a vendor as a long-term partnership with defined owners, executive involvement on all sides, and a shared understanding of mutual benefits. Creating a shared vision of success requires a certain level of trust and openness. The VMS must be willing to view both the hospital and the agency as true partners, because without either party they do not have a business.

A 'Must Read' For Every Traveling Nurse

The Bottom Line: The Cost of Not Fulfilling Your Contract by Lisa Daggett is an important read for any professional working in travel nursing. You will be faced with the real possibility of breaking a contract at some point in your career as a traveling professional; knowing how to proceed may be beneficial for your reputation as well as your pocket book. See what the experts have to say – including our very own Diana Wright – on the Dos, Don’ts, and consequences of breaking a contract.

Click here to read the article.


Extra, Extra – Read All About It! Recruiting Incentives on the Rise!

In the article Recruiting Incentives, writer Shari Held takes a look at the rising need for traveling registered nurses and what agencies are doing to get travelers to sign with their company. Some firms have added new incentives – anything from iPads to $500 gift cards – while other agencies have maintained traditional incentives, such as sign-on bonuses and gifts for tenure. Our very own Diana Wright, along with other experts, weighs in on incentives and discusses what is being offered and why.

Click here to read the article.

Travel Nursing War Stories From The Open Road

Travel nursing is an essential career with a lot of ups and downs. But before you choose a travel nursing agency to help you begin your career, you should take some lessons from the people who have lived and worked as travel nurses. These medical professionals have taken to online message boards, offering words of encouragement and tips for up-and-coming nurses to follow as they enter the field.

HighwayHypodermics.com offers many perspectives for travel nurses who have seen and done it all. As does Delphi, Ultimate Nurse, All Nurese. Com, and Healthcare Travelers.com.

Rhonda From Kentucky: Rhonda suggests that nurses get everything in writing, from the offer and contract to their next assignment. She also suggests making a list of important questions for both your recruiter and the hospital interviewing you. Her last piece of advice is to make your choices for what you think will make you happy. Rhonda worked on South Padre Island, in what she called "a paradise" but had to "work difficult shifts." Because no job anywhere is perfect, sometimes trade off’s have to be made.

Lee From Idaho: Lee states that if you want time off, make sure it is noted in the contract. Lee got to work in his hometown hospital and loved the experience.

Mike From Wyoming: While Mike's hospital was understaffed and and he was on call a lot, he has no regrets. He says getting a travel nurse job was the best decision he ever made. "If you are on the fence about it, you only live once. Don't look back with regret and say I wish I would have. Just do it!"

Always remember that hospitals that need travelers are working with a short staff and many have management chaos. If they weren’t in chaos they would probably not need the specialized skills and experience that traveler’s bring to the hospitals. Having the right staff when a hospital needs them is a win-win for everyone! Especially the patients, which is what is important, as patient care is what healthcare professionals do best.