The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Nursing
Emotional intelligence, also known as EQ, is a mix of interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence. It’s more than just bedside manner. It is the ability to accurately determine the emotions of others (interpersonal, body language or people smarts), and the ability to manage and control your own emotions (intrapersonal, self or self-regulating smarts). It comes easier for some people than others, but it is something everyone can learn and benefit from bettering. As travel nurses, we’re lucky. We get to see new places, meet new people, and get paid to do it! However, just as in any profession, there is always a…
Travel Nursing Self-Care: Carve Out More “Me Time”
This Article is Sponsored by LRS Healthcare ® Nurse life, in general, can naturally wear a person down. You basically give all day in almost all ways—mentally, emotionally, and physically on top of socially and professionally. On the rewarding flip side, you’re literally a lifesaver some days and a galvanized link between patients and the care they need to achieve the best outcomes. Now add travel to the mix. New city, new people, new living space, new work environment—all of which come with a mixed bag of pros and cons, you know all too well. The life of a travel nurse…
Handling Sexual Harassment at Work as a Travel Nurse
One of the biggest topics in the media today isn’t related to politics, natural disasters, or mass shootings. It is something far more common and pervasive and is finally getting the attention and serious response that it deserves. It’s the topic of sexual harassment. For the past few months now, dozens of powerful men in the media, political sphere, and entertainment industry have been exposed for their past violent behaviors. This has led to many of these men being (rightfully) ousted from their industry thanks to the brave women and men who have shared their stories. As well as the…
Travel Nurses: What To Do About A Toxic Work Culture
This article is provided by: Health Providers Choice. If you’ve dealt with a toxic workplace, you know how quickly passion can turn into dread. Unfortunately, bullying doesn’t stay confined to the schoolyard. Today, even adults are known for this type of harassment. However, their tactics are often more refined. Bullying is usually the leading cause of a toxic work environment in health care facilities. For travel nurses, toxic environments can feel particularly stressful. The environment Sometimes bullying occurs overtly, like when someone shows hostility. Other cases of bullying happen when the victim isn’t present to fight against it. Some workers…
Step #24 Travel Nurse Contract – Four Weeks Left!
You are almost at the point of finishing your Travel Nurse Contract. It goes by FAST! You’ve made it through nine weeks and have just four weeks left of your travel nurse contract! In Step #23, we discussed some questions for you to ponder. Hopefully, you have taken the time to think about what you want next in your travel nurse journey so you can take the next steps. Next Steps: 4 Weeks Left of Your Travel Nurse Contract This is always an exciting time for me. Many travelers love the hunt, the excitement of exploring their options, and the…
Why Nurses Eat Their Young! – A Nurse Perspective
The following is a Guest Post via Erica MacDonald After reading The Gypsy Nurse’s Post Nurses ‘Eat Their Young?’, I wondered if anyone had a different opinion than me on the cause of this phenomenon. A nurse “eating their young” is an almost accepted form of bullying by many nurses (the ones that participate). Most don’t admit (even to themselves) that they are eating their young but cleverly try to disguise their bullying actions by positioning their attitude/behavior toward the new nurse as “helping” or “providing an educational opportunity.” People who have worked in other careers agree that they have…
6 Reason Why It’s Important to Take a Vacation as a Travel Nurse
While travel nursing has the perks of competitive pay, getting to visit new cities, and adventure, you’re still working. Each assignment you take offers new adventures, but it’s still important to take a work-free vacation as a travel nurse and enjoy yourself without worrying about your next shift. Taking even a short break in between assignments is a great way to arrive at your next assignment refreshed and ready to take on new challenges. 6 REASONS to Vacation as a TRAVEL NURSE 1. Moving Can Be Stressful Every seasoned travel nurse learns how to be a pro at moving every…
The Nursing Workforce: Is There Still a Nursing Shortage?
It’s glaringly apparent that there is still an on-going nursing shortage in select areas in the US. Every two years the NCSBN (National Council of State Boards of Nursing) works with The National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers to perform a study on the nursing workforce. It’s interesting to note that over 50% of the participants in this study are over the age of 50. This would indicate that a large amount of our nursing workforce is approaching or at retirement. Source: NCSBN What’s Being Done to Alleviate the Nursing Shortage? Interestingly, it was actually quite difficult to determine what…
A Travel Nurse Volunteer in Cambodia
The following was contributed by Kaitlin, a Travel Nurse volunteer in Cambodia. She recently completed a volunteer medical trip to Cambodia and shares some highlights of her experience below. If you have a volunteer trip that you would like to share, please send us an email! About Kaitlin “I’m from St. Petersburg, Florida and have been working as an ICU nurse for a number of years. I recently took up travel nursing this year to see more the country and schedule time off to volunteer abroad. I’m currently residing in Scottsdale, Arizona.”– Kaitlin Shanklin RN, BSN, CCRN We’ve all experienced burnout in the…
Career Changes In Nursing: Exploring the Options, Reasons and Methods
Disclaimer: This article has corporate sponsored links. The possibility of career changes in Nursing is one of the draws to the profession. A nursing career can be anything you want it to be. The possibilities are endless. You can work in a high-energy position like ER or Trauma with all the excitement that you can handle, as a case manager in a lower key office setting, or even start your own Nursing Business as an Entrepreneur. There are thousands of positions and specialties within nursing. It all comes down to finding your own personal niche. According to the BLS (Bureau…