Step #21 Your First Day as a Travel Nurse
Today is the day! Your first day as a travel nurse. You have settled into the new apartment and done the shopping. The first-day nerves have probably got a hold of you…don’t worry. Check out our first-day tips below, and you’ll be ready to set yourself up for success. A good thing to remember is every first day is the countdown to new adventures. Some contracts will be good and some not-so-good, and no matter how much you researched and questioned your recruiter about the position, you won’t know what any contract will hold until you get there. Test Run…
Diagnosis: Shift Work Disorder
Shift Work Disorder (SWD) Shift Work Disorder occurs when the body’s internal sleep-wake clock is out of sync with the work schedule. Because of this disruption of the body’s natural rhythm, people with Shift Work Disorder often struggle to stay awake during their waking hours or have trouble sleeping during their sleeping hours. Causes, incidence, and risk factors According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 15 million Americans work outside of the traditional 9 to 5 schedule. 1 in 4 of these workers may have Shift Work Disorder (SWD) Risk Factors for SWD may include: Work schedules that include…
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…
The Anatomy of a Road Trip for the Travel Nurse
Building the road trip can be an exciting part of travel nursing. The pieces and parts of the trip all combine to make up the anatomy of the road trip. But what goes into it isn’t always how it works out in the end. My most recent road-trip was a long one. Traveling from the Louisville KY area to Eureka California it was nearly 2500 miles. I had two routes that I could contemplate; the northern route via I 80 which would allow me to stop in and visit with my recruiter and the more southern route via I40 which…
5 Yoga Poses That Help with Indigestion While Travel Nursing
Long trips can really mess up our body’s natural rhythm. This is especially true when we travel into a different time zone. The bigger the change, the more under the weather feel. Not only will our day-night rhythm be out of sync, keeping us awake at night, a jet lag can cause headaches, nausea, and indigestion. Sometimes we can’t relieve ourselves for days. But not only occurs this phenomenon when traveling into a different time zone but also when simply traveling to a new place. Sleeping in a different bed, eating unfamiliar food – A change in the environment is…
4 Tips For Coping With Travel Nursing Stress
This post is provided by: ONESTAFF Medical ®. Travel nursing can be an amazingly rewarding profession, but no one ever said it wasn’t stressful. Let’s be honest, nursing, in general, can be very stressful, and when you throw in a relatively foreign environment and the logistics of travel nursing, the stress can really ramp up. No series of tactics will ever take all of the stress out of travel nursing, but there are strategies that can help you ease the burden and make nursing and the travel associated with it just a little easier. Employ these tips today to get back to what you…
Treatment Plan: Homesickness
Now that you’ve been diagnosed with Home-Sickness, it’s time to work on the treatment. I’ve come up with some methods for myself that help combat the feeling of homesickness or loneliness. Don’t despair; homesickness can strike anyone at anytime. I’ve experienced it on more than one occasion. 1. Stay Positive The first few months are the hardest when staying away from home. It is important to maintain a positive frame of mind and continue telling yourself that the feeling will pass. Many people miss their families and familiar surroundings tremendously during the first couple of months, and this is normal. 2. Phone…
Diagnosis: Burnout
Burnout: burn·out/ˈbərnˌout/ The reduction of a fuel or substance to nothing through use or combustion. Physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress. Causes, incidence, and risk factors of burnout There have been no studies on the rate of incidence of burnout, however, it is observed quite frequently among long-term staff nurses. Risk Factors for burnout may include: Working in the nursing field longer than 2 years. Frequent Mandatory Overtime. Conflicts with co-workers or Managers. Job Dissatisfaction. Limited time off work. Working in a high-stress environment (Nursing) Symptoms Slacking off. If you’re coming in late, leaving early, taking long lunch…
The Long Distance Relationship Survival Kit For Travel Nurses
This article is sponsored by Travel Nurse Across America® 10 Helpful Hints to Stay Connected Hey Gypsies! As a travel nurse, you’ve embarked on a very exciting career, and it probably keeps you on the move most of the time. That’s exactly what attracts professionals to travel nursing—the variety of assignments, new places, new people, new patients. However, it can be challenging to maintain those important relationships when there are so many miles between you. As adventurous as “new” can seem, we still require stability and the people who are familiar to us, trusted, and part of an important support…
This is. . . being a NURSE
Written by: Rachel Baldwyn Edited by: Candy Treft Let me start by saying that “I LOVE BEING A NURSE.” I graduated with my ADN almost 17 years ago. I have had the opportunity to hold hands with and give comfort to the dying and to cry with families left behind. I have been able to help bring people back from the brinks of death and give them the opportunity to go on to live longer lives. I have brought babies into the world and witnessed big burley men reduced to sobbing tears at the sight of their newborn baby and…