What to Expect on Your First Day in a Travel Nurse Assignment
1.) Do a Test Run before you start your first day -Always try to familiarize yourself with the route to the hospital, the hospital campus, and even the parking lot.-Time yourself and figure the best route to get to work, figure out where you’re going to park. Leave at the time your shift would be starting and account for traffic.-Tour the hospital and bring goodies (goodwill gestures) for the nurses. Be friendly but not intrusive, and if nurses aren’t busy, ask questions about traffic and anything you’d like to know before your first day.-Stop by HR. Even if it’s closed,…
Baby, It’s Cold Out There
10 Places you can work and avoid the cold Winter can really take its toll on some people. The cold weather, slippery ice, treacherous snow, many aspects don’t appeal to some folks. And there are some real effects on overall mood and behavior. Shorter and colder days usually means people spend more time indoors and have a tendency to become less active. Our bodies also produce more melatonin when the sun sets, and that makes us sleepy. Lower energy levels can also be attributed to our primitive instinct to eat heavier, heartier meals—like in survival times. Now all of these…
What are per diems?
A lot of confusion surrounds the “per diem” payments that many travelers receive that covers lodging and meals. These payments are usually paid on a tax free basis assuming that the traveler has a qualifying tax home. Per Diems are also called allowances, stipends, subsidies and reimbursements, but more specifically, are paid for lodging and meals – not transportation. The per diem concept can be summed up with this illustration:Suppose you and 99 other people were sales reps for a medical manufacturing company. Your weekly activity consisted of traveling to potential buyers, spending nights in hotels and eating out. When…
Talking Travel Nurse Taxes: The Regional Traveler
Talking Travel Nurse Taxes – The Regional Traveler: What Happens When You Return Home Frequently During Assignments Written prior to tax reform 2017. Watch for future articles. Many travelers take assignments significant distances from their home but there are some that journey shorter distances, traveling within a few hours’ drive. These assignments allow the traveler to stay close to home, spend time with family, or attend to other priorities that preclude a long-distance assignment. Most staffing contracts design tax-free per diem payments for lodging and meals around a 7 day a week payment with the assumption that the regional traveler…
Embarking on a Health Journey: Connections Made on the Road
The following is the second in a series of posts documenting the path of two Graduate nurses embarking on an unconventional Health Journey… This second article discusses connections made on the road. I met Maggie and Chelsea at a Gypsy Nurse Meet & Greet in Knoxville back at the beginning of May 2013. Maggie and Chelsea were at that point, nearly Graduate Nurses, with only a few short days left of finals and Graduation. I’m still uncertain why they chose to attend the Travel Nurse Meet & Greet but I am thrilled to have met them and been invited along…
A Travel Nurse Relocating to Australia: Trials and Tribulations
As a Travel Nurse relocating to Australia is a scary prospect. I’d thought I’d had greater culture shock in Miami, but starting my Australian nursing position changed my mind. Traveling halfway around the world with the uncertainty associated with moving to a new country can be overwhelming. Although Australia is an English speaking country, their English may not be your English. Beyond deciphering the accent, one must understand the slang and acceptable verbiage. Culture shock is inevitable. When you think of your experiences as a travel nurse, culture shock might be a way of life for you. It might be dependent on…