Tag: travel nurse

Tips For First Time Travel Healthcare Professionals

Fidelity On Call has been in the business of travel healthcare since 1994. We have learned a lot of tips and tricks of the trade and we believe knowledge is power. We want to share that information with healthcare professionals who are exploring the travel industry for the first time. SUCCESS is what Fidelity On Call strives for with every traveler.

✓ GET ORGANIZED– Health documentation and complete work history are very important no matter what travel company you choose to work with and no matter what hospital you go to. For example, vaccine documentation, if you took any breaks in your professional work history etc. Keep a binder with up-to-date work history, immunizations, certifications, etcetera! Trust us when we suggest the binder or electronic record storage app.

✓ Be Flexible to location, setting and facility. Sometimes a new traveler must have one successful contract under their belt before your desired facility/unit will allow you to be submitted. A good recruiter can help you get a contract – maybe not exactly what you want – that provides an opportunity that can then open the door to exactly what you want. It takes one successful contract to see many more doors open for you.

✓ Have a Positive Attitude! Stress is part of every job and going down the rabbit hole of negativity will 100% not help. Smile, breathe and remember you are there to be a seamless part of staffing, not part of the problem. You take care of the patients to the best of your ability and everything else really is not your problem.

✓ Always stay in contact with your Recruiter! Communication is critical in every relationship.

Travel Healthcare is such an exciting, nerve wracking, lots of questions industry. There are never too many questions you can ask to get as much information as possible before making the choice to jump in.  We have had a front row view of how this industry can be life changing for many healthcare professionals. These are just some simple tips and tricks to getting ahead of the game and to start you on the right path to success in travel healthcare

How Travelers Can Fight Inflation

We know everyone is feeling the effects of higher prices everywhere we turn – at the grocery store, at the pump, utility rates, housing rates etc. It is very frustrating for sure but there is GOOD news. There are many ways to save money.

Sometimes we forget that our budgets can still be very much in our control. When things are doing well, we tend to throw caution to the wind and forget the small changes we can make to save money. Therefore, we allow higher prices and convenience to dictate the way we spend our money.

We wanted to pull some quick tips together to share with you to help ease not only the financial burden but also the emotional toll inflation can take on you and your family.

1.       One of the easiest ways to control what you are spending is to TRACK it!

  •  MINT
  • Good Budget App
  • Expensify

These are three apps that you can download right to your phone that are highly recommended by financial experts! There are other apps as well.

 

2.       Fuel prices really hit the people who TRAVEL FOR A LIVING! We are thankful for the ability to reimburse our team for their mileage. We have had several travelers asking for higher stipends due to the increased fuel costs and, we would love to see the Federal Government raise the cents per mile to match what has happened with insanely high fuel prices but until that happens, we are unable to do more than we are. Until then, check out the following as options to save in fuel costs.

  • Gas Buddy App
  • Gas Guru
  • AAA Trip Tik Travel Planner

Again, there are other apps but these three are proven winners we have heard about from our team and also recommended by financial experts.

 

3.       Everyone has to eat! Grocery costs going up affect not just what you buy at the store but the costs for the mom-and-pop diners that are just trying to get by. Those dinner tickets at your local watering holes and eating establishments are going up and that leaves many people wondering if they can even afford to patronize those establishments. Here are some great ways to save money and continue to enjoy eating out.

  • Plan your meals! Make a grocery list and menu!
  • Choose the days you want to eat out and maybe opt for the special deal on those days.
  • If you eat lunch out every day, try packing your lunch a few days and eat out others.

These are just a few ways to get control over your expenses and fight inflation. We hope you will share these and any others you may know with others who are worried. We can all help each other!

The History of Travel Nursing

Travel nursing has certainly become “trendy” with a larger percentage of the nursing population in the past couple of years.  Many nurses have left their staff jobs to become a part of this industry. Some because of the increased pay that has happened since 2020. This put the spotlight on a career path that has been around for the last 40 years.
Continue reading The History of Travel Nursing

Travel Nurse vs Staff Nurse

Comparing a travel nurse to a staff nurse is really like comparing an apple to an orange. Both are fruit, both are good for your health, but each still has differences.

TRAVEL NURSES:

✔ Enjoy the change in environment (typical change in assignments every 13 weeks; you may be offered to extend, or you can move onto the next location)
✔ Experienced in their nursing skills (travel nurses are not new graduates)
✔Adaptable (outside of showing a travel nurse the charting system and the lay of the land, travel nurses receive little orientation)
✔Exceptional interpersonal skills
✔Above average attendance records
✔Financially savvy to save for their own PTO/Vacation time and live a more flexible lifestyle
✔Flexible (you can choose the shifts you wish to work and the time off you want to take off)
✔Enjoys the perks of travel pay (competitive wages, tax free allowances)

STAFF NURSES:

✔Prefer to see the same nurses, techs, and providers day in and day (the only change is the patient)
✔Enjoys team meetings, unit committees
✔Likes a short or familiar commute to work
✔Typically receive lower pay but earn paid time off
✔Seniority matters

It is important when determining what is right for you, to always ensure you are choosing the right travel nurse agency to support you and/or the hospital that aligns with your mission in healthcare. Both offer several opportunities! Just remember you are never locked into one or the other. You have a career that has flexibility and opportunities.

We Believe in You

When we say we’ve got your back… WE TRULY have got your back.

I think we can all agree, that shifting the blame happens in all lines of work.  A lot of people have a hard time taking responsibility for their own mistakes, errors, or shortcomings. It takes an emotionally intelligent person to be able to say, “Hey I was wrong. That was my error. Perhaps I am the problem in this situation.” When emotional intelligence is lacking, shifting the blame happens. This happens in travel nursing also. In these crazy times it does seem to occur a little more often than we have seen in the past, however we react the same as we always have.

For example, something is happening on the unit you are working on, and you are getting the blame.  When that complaint comes to the office, we have a process and we do not veer from that process.

Complaint>Investigation>Resolution

Please know that we pride ourselves in the time and effort spent in every employee we hire. Something you may not know is we do not hire everyone that applies. We are very selective in our hiring process to ensure we find the right quality candidates who will honor our mission.  We also want to be a good employer match for those we hire. We believe in you and that is why we make the offer of employment to you. With that said, sometimes there is a complaint or a concern.

If there is a clinical concern:

Any clinical concerns are immediately reported to our Nurse Manager. Whether there is a medication error, charting error etc. the nurse manager is going to ask questions and investigate the documentation that may be provided. The nurse manager will reach out to the team member and ask questions. After investigating all sides of the situation, a resolution is then determined.

If there is a professional/personal issue:

Any professional/personal issues will be reported to your recruiter. When this happens, the following is done:

The recruiter is going to ask questions from the client regarding the complaint. The recruiter is going to reach out to you to share the concern/complaint and hear what you have to say about it. That recruiter will reach out to others to ask questions, if need be, investigate and get all sides of the story. A resolution is then determined and made.

In short, we believe in you unless proven otherwise