Are you thinking of becoming one of the thousands of RNs who are travel nurses? As elsewhere in nursing, the travel nursing industry currently has more job openings than it can fill.
Nurses choose travel nursing for a variety of reasons. The chance to experience a different location, as well as pay and benefits, are among the top reasons. Avoiding another cold winter, the opportunity to work at a renowned facility, and the opportunity to pursue other interests, such as skiing, are others. Some of the most popular destinations are Florida, Hawaii, Arizona, and California. But some "travelers" even take assignments in their own hometown. If you want to try travel nursing, but are not ready to make a big commitment, check if your employer will give you a leave of absence. They may rather have you try it out, and come back refreshed, than lose a valuable employee altogether.
There are dozens of travel companies to choose from. To get started, ask someone who has already taken an assignment for his or her advice. Also, check out some Web sites and call a few agencies. Most assignments are for 13 weeks, and the travel agencies and their hospital clients seek experienced nurses, with the credentials to fill the available positions. For example, ED positions might require ACLS and PALS. A trauma center would require the nurse to be trauma certified and a CEN would be helpful, too. These nurses are expected to step right in after a very brief orientation.
Because of the expense, hospitals would like to cut down on the number of travel nurses they use. However, the nursing shortage, difficulties staffing some units, and seasonal fluctuations in the population of some resort areas of the country make that easier said than done. Just when the weather turns cold in the north, hospitals in Arizona and Florida need the most nurses.
Your Guide to Job Opportunities in Travel Nursing
American Mobile Healthcare
Web site: http://www.americanmobile.com
American Traveler Staffing Professionals
Web site: http://www.americantraveler.net
CMSI - The Travel Nurse Company
Phone: (800) 423-1739
Web site: http://www.travelrn.com
Cross Country/TravCorps
Phone: (800) 530-6125, ext. 8702
Web site: http://www.crosscountrytravcorps.com
HealthStaffers, Inc.
Phone: (800) 621-1440
Medical Express
Phone: (800) 544-7255
Web site: http://www.medicalexpress.com
MedStaff
Phone: (800) 732-9992 Web site: http://www.medstaffinc.com
Your Guide to Job Opportunities in Travel Nursing
NursesRX
Phone: (800) 733-9354
Web site: http://www.nursesrx.com
http://NurseVillage.com
Web site: http://www.nursevillage.com
http://NurseZone.com
Web site: http://www.nursezone.com
O'Grady Peyton International
Phone: (877) 504-7794
Web site: http://www.ogradypeyton.com
Onward Healthcare
(800) 278-0332
Web site: http://www.onwardhealthcare.com
Preferred Healthcare Staffing
Phone: (800) 735-4774
Web site: http://www.preferredhealthcare.com
qShift Travel Nurses
Phone: (800) 733-6877
Web site: http://www.qshift.com
RNNetwork
Phone: (866) 743-7468
Supplemental Healthcare
Phone: (800) 543-9399
Web site: http://www.travelnurses.com
http://TravelNursing.com
Web site: http://www.travelnursing.com
"The needs appear to be pretty standard," says Dallas Douglass, RN, BS, regarding the job market for nurses in New England, New York, and New Jersey. Douglass is the Northeast chairperson for the National Association for Health Care Recruitment. "Even though nurses are hard to find, I'm hoping the standards haven't lowered too much," she says. "It seems as though the major teaching centers still want certification, degrees, etc." And Douglass is upbeat on the benefits of living in the northeastern part of the country. "This whole corridor (north of Boston to Washington, DC) is just great. Mountains, ocean, the arts of all kinds, sports: swimming, skiing-what more could you ask for? Not to mention some of the most renowned educational institutions. And all within less than a day's drive."
OUTSIDE NEW YORK CITY
There are opportunities for all levels of nurses at Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, New Jersey. "We have clinical specs on med-surg, PCU, CCU, and ED,"says Kathleen B. Campbell, MBA, RN, CPAN. And she adds that in 2005 the hospital will have opportunities for new grads to have a special intern-ship in the ED. Palisades does look for nurses with certification. ED positions require ACLS and PALS, and the positions in the special care nursery require experience and NRP certification. "We will be starting a parish program in 2005 and plan to recruit for a researcher also," says Campbell when asked about special opportunities.
Your Guide to Job Opportunities in the Northeast
Fletcher Allen Health Care
Human Resource
111 Colchester Avenue
Burlington, VT 05401
Contact: Hella Douglas or Karen Vincent
(800) 722-9922
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Web site: http://www.fletcherallen.org
Gentiva Health Services
Contact: Angela Rogers
(516) 746-8013, ext. 289
Email: [email protected]
Nassau University Medical Center
2201 Hempstead Tpke.
East Meadow, NY 11554
Contact: Amy McGuire, RN, MSN,
Nurse Recruiter
(516) 572-0017 or (516) 572-6301
Fax: (516) 572-0089
Email: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.ncmc.edu
Tufts-New England Medical Center
750 Washington St.
Boston, MA 02111
Contact: Jeanne Waller
(617) 636-9541
Fax: (617) 584-8953
Email: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.tufts-nemc.orghttp://www.tufts-nemc.org
University of Rochester Medical Center School of Nursing
601 Elmwood Ave.
Box SON
Rochester, NY 14642
(585) 275-2375
Web site: http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/son