NewsBreak Original

I moved to California in July of 2017 with my ex-fiancé and our very verklempt cat. We moved for my fiancés job and I wasn't able to nail one down before we left. Once we were somewhat settled, I spent hours every day applying to jobs, scouring LinkedIn and Indeed, crafting and re-crafting cover letters, taking phone interviews, and driving to in-person ones.

I've been writing/editing on a freelance basis for over 4 years now. At first, I was looking for a way to make extra money, and I took any sort of job that came my way. I edited essays for high schoolers, wrote for a holistic health doctor, wrote resumes, cover letters, and a few white papers. I edited marketing copy for websites and brochures, and helped someone finish a memoir. But one of my favorite things to help people with are resumes. Resumes are, in a lot of ways, similar to poetry. They should be succinct yet comprehensive. Every word and line matters. It's easy for us all to leave things on our resumes that aren't altogether important. Audience matters always, but especially for resumes, which recruiters only look at for an average of seven seconds. Brevity has never been more apropos.

Travel nursing isn’t new. It’s actually been around for a while. And even so, there are still some basic curiosities about being a travel RN. And even to this day, there are many tall tales and misunderstandings about travel nurse pay rates, how a traveler is treated at different facilities, and of course, the lifestyle that comes with being a nomadic RN.

Like you, I made the leap into travel nursing. And also, like you, that meant I had to find the right travel company and then, of course, mesh with the right recruiter. And boy oh boy, are there are a ton of recruiters who wanted lil' ole' me to take a contract with them.

To manage the emotional stress of their career, nurses need to understand the different types of stress they may experience. Imagine that you are a nurse who has been working in the same hospital for several years. You love your job and feel passionate about helping others, but lately, you feel more stressed than usual.

Why would anybody in their right mind want to become a nurse now?. That was the question my wife asked me after hearing the verdict in this case. Why would I want to continue being a nurse from this point forward? That was what I said back to her.

Nowadays, travel RNs are making top dollar for their skills. Crisis work, and travel gigs in general, are the hot topic everyone is chatting about. As a travel RN myself, I know that it's always something we discuss at the dinner table. Even when we're on the road.

We all know that nurses are the backbone of a hospital. Heck, nurses are the backbone of the entire healthcare industry. They are the ones who are by the patients' side 24/7 and who make tough decisions when it comes to patient care. They work diligently to stay current on the latest medical advancements.

Nursing is changing, and some say for the worst, especially if you're a "younger" RN. Mainly because Millennials and Gen Z nurses are taking it hardest. While I don't necessarily agree with that sentiment as a blanket statement, some stats may actually point to that being true, especially for millennial RNs or Gen Z nurses looking to start or continue travel nursing.

We were so excited to get our raises. After being a staff RN for years and working in a high-volume emergency department, we knew they had to be good. The emails came and told us to check our "boxes." Yes, we each had a small box in the nurse's lounge where management could leave notes and certain types of correspondence. So, of course, I checked my box.

Deciding to become a nurse and doing it isn't for everyone. But for those who do indeed take the plunge and earn their RN, we soon realize that there are a set of unique challenges within the profession. Look, this is not to say that you shouldn't become an RN or that you should leave the profession. Quite the contrary.

Many nurses have fled the profession as a result of the COVID pandemic. Over two years into the crisis, many staff nurses are now looking to travel nursing as a means to relieve stress and earn a higher wage rate for their efforts.

As a travel nurse, loyalty matters. Being loyal to the travel company you're representing, to the facility you're at, and also to the staff and coworkers by your side. Loyalty goes a long way in this profession. Heck, it frankly goes a long way in any discipline or job.

Last year, 2021, was quite a unique year for travel nursing. In fact, if we call it like it is, it was an unprecedented year for the planet. But as we charge into a new year and fabulous opportunities, the time has never been better to polish up on a few things. Things that really matter for the current or soon-to-be travel RN.

I had an eight-hour drive to my last assignment. It's not often that I take my own vehicle, but this time was different. So I packed up my stuff that'll carry me through 13-weeks and hit the road. But the biggest question wasn't about my socks or the number of scrubs.

You finally pulled the trigger and decided to join the nomadic nursing life. If you're anything like me or any travel nurse for that matter, you probably spent lots of time researching and in nurse groups to seek out the right assignment for you. You probably talked to fellow nurses at work, scoped out several travel firms, and maybe even have a recruiter referred to you. And after having recruiters referred, I bet you even reached out to a few and now found just the perfect one.

Perhaps you’re a registered nurse, or maybe you’ve been thinking about a career move. Either way, if you’re here and reading this right about now, then it’s likely you’re a bit curious about what this travel nursing thing is.

I've been an RN for twenty-six years as I write this, and I can say and share from experience that there has been a "shortage" of nurses for every one of those years. But just because I'm an insider doesn't mean it's true. Right? I mean, for as many of those years, the general public has been made aware by the media that there is indeed a shortage of qualified RNs.

When I was offered a travel assignment in Europe, many of my colleagues were flabbergasted. Truth be told, I was as well, to an extent. However, when a fellow travel RN asked how one goes about nabbing a gig like that, I have to say there wasn't a step-by-step plan. It was more a sequence of events and, more so, people who I've met and connected with over the years.

They are authors, speakers, entrepreneurs. Some are a part of prestigious, well-known organizations. Others have built their own businesses from scratch. They come from all walks of life, but they share one remarkable talent: innovative thinking. They've all asked themselves the same questions you've asked yourself at some point or another.