eJane

Welcome to eJane, the way to go for travel nurses.

eJane is a new place where travel nurses will find open engagements directly from healthcare providers and heathcare providers can post open positions and negotiate directly with travel nurses.

If you’re a travel nurse, join today, complete your quality profile and be ready to go. You will begin to see open engagements through your eJane message center and eJane searches within the next 30 days.

Healthcare providers appreciate the fact that it costs nothing to post an open engagement for travel nurses to view and apply for. That’s what makes eJane so unique - travel nurses and hospitals can meet and negotiate directly in a safe online environment.

eJane is here to help in any way we can. Visit our help section for answers to common questions.

Travel nurses: Register and start your free quality portfolio today

Healthcare providers: Post your open engagements for free immediately after you’ve joined

Thank you for helping make eJane the way to go for travel nurses and healthcare providers.

Sincerely,

The eJane team

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It’s a bit of a tease, we know. But trust us when we say eJane’s worth the wait. She’s quite the girl.

You travel nurses and healthcare providers will love her. Staffing agencies - we’ll see.

On Monday, August 18th, you’ll meet eJane. You might even want to get to know her a bit better.

It all happens right here at eJane.com.

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Is it totally unheard of for a travel nurse to negotiate DIRECTLY with a healthcare provider? I mean, without a staffing agency. I don’t think it’s totally out of the question, is it?

Are you looking for an answer to that question?

On Monday, August 18th, visit eJane.com and learn about the new way to go.

You’ll be glad you did - especially if you’re a travel nurse.

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As a travel nurse, you know that sleeping on the job is a huge no-no - a career-ending mistake if the circumstances are there. However, a new study has shown that napping should be encouraged for nurses who work the night shift. Benefits for both nurses AND patients have been shown to exist after nurses get some Zs.

Read more about the study here.

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As we make our way through our careers as travel nurses, we realize a number of important things:

• Life is short. Very short.
• We come in contact with many people - those we wish to never leave and those we wish we’d never met.
• We aren’t just what we eat (put in our mouths), we’re what we think (put in our heads) every day.
• Our environment can take a toll on us, and most of the time we don’t even know it.

If you’re looking for some things you can do to life a healthier, more productive life, here are ten things you can do today that will set you in the right direction:

1. Stop Smoking. The life of a travel nurse is stressful, true. But putting 4,000 chemicals in your body with every drag isn’t helping. Take deep breaths. They can be addictive too, but they won’t kill you.
2. Cut back on the number of pills you take. You give pills to patients for THEIR headaches, why not take a pill every time you have a headache? Because you could be damaging your kidneys if you pop a few pills every time a headache happens.
3. Watch less TV. MUCH less TV. Watching TV isn’t autopilot for the brain, it’s atrophy for the brain. If you have a TV in your bedroom, get rid of it. Your bedroom is for two things: Sleeping and sex. (Not necessarily in that order)
4. Cut back on your digital time. This means spending less time online. Some things you probably can’t cut back on, like email - but spending four hours night on Facebook to find old friends should probably be scaled back.
5. Cut out gossip at work. It’s easy to get caught up in a juicy story about a co-worker. But these kinds of conversations only weaken your resistance to getting caught up in other people’s business.
6. Sleep well, sleep long. Learn how to get the best sleep for your body. Travel nurses don’t always have time to get enough sleep, but when you DO sleep, there are techniques to help you get the best rest you can.
7. Exercise. Running up and down the halls to give meds, tend to patients and deal with emergencies does not count as exercise. When you’re working, exercise is called “work.” Make the time outside of work to walk, run, bike or lift weights. Your body will thank you by being even more prepared for the work day.
8. Ditch the toxic cleaners. Travel nurses I know tend to bring their own cleaning supplies with them to assignments. Most cleaners have toxic chemicals in them that are harmful to your health. Try switching to a non-toxic or ‘green’ cleaner to keep toxic chemicals out of your living space.
9. Eat healthier. While you’re ditching the toxins in your cleaners, try getting rid of the toxins in your food too. Organic vegetables and fruits taste great and don’t pollute your body with the bad stuff.
10. Breathe. We’ve all had the advice: “take a deep breath and relax” before. But it works. Give your body the oxygen it needs to be healthy.

If you’re looking for more tips on staying healthy while on the road as a travel nurse, try these 101 tips.

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Our memories are like muscles. If we don’t use them enough, they begin to atrophy. And, as if Travel nurses don’t have enough to remember as it is, they have the added burden of meeting more new colleagues than just about any other profession I can think of - like politics.

Travel nurses have to remember names, hospital specific protocol and procedures, how to use new equipment and technology, directions, medications and more.

This site will help you remember people’s names more effectively, improve your recall of information on the job, increase the speed with which you can learn new names, and help you in situations where you need to remember detailed, structured information.

By improving your memory power, you’ll stand out as an asset on your assignment and increase your chances of being asked to return.

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For travel nurses, and all nurses for that matter, there are a couple of dates coming up we wanted you to be aware of:

Nephrology Nurses Week: September 14 - 20. This is the week we celebrate specialists who are caring for those with kidney disease. This year’s theme is “We Carry the Torch.” Resources and ideas to mark the event can be found here.

National Neonatal Nurses Day: September 15. Visit http://www.nann.org/meetings/nnnd.html for ideas on how to increase awareness and resources for nurses looking into this specialty.

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In an effort to address the shortage of nurses in the United States and to increase the quality of care veterans receive, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has introduced the “Travel Nurse Corps”. This new program allows nurses in the VA to travel on assignment throughout the VA’s medical system.

“VA is committed to putting health care facilities closer to veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. “The Travel Nurse Corps will make it easier to bring our world-class health care professionals closer to veterans, too. And it will make it easier for us to shift personnel during times of crisis.”

Headquartered at the Phoenix VA Health Care System, the Travel Nurse Corps, is starting as a three-year pilot program that will initially place as many as 75 nurses at VA medical centers throughout the U.S. The goals of the program are:

• To improve recruitment,
• Decrease turnover of experienced nurses and
• Maintain high standards of patient care.

Participating nurses, as part of the program, may be temporarily assigned to medical centers in distant states and clinics to help fill nurse vacancies. The intent is to reduce wait times or the reliance upon contractors, and to maintain high-level services and procedures.

Additionally, the VA released plans for a Rural Health Care Advisory Committee what would enhance VA services to veterans living in rural areas. The Travel Nurse Corps will work with the national VA panel to support VA health care in rural areas.

“Those who join the VA Travel Nurse Corps will become key members of a talented group of professionals who are dedicated to providing the best care possible to our nation’s veterans,” said Cathy Rick, R.N., VA’s chief nursing officer. “The program helps VA medical facilities address supplemental staffing needs while also ensuring there is a continued commitment to quality and safety.”

Like travel nurses in the private sector, those who become VA travel nurses are compensated for their time on duty and reimbursed for their travel. They also receive the standard government per diem allowances, which include lodging, meals and incidentals.

“This program is competitive with the private sector. VA has state-of-the-art facilities, high-tech computer systems and professional colleagues second to none,” said Jacqueline Jackson, Travel Nurse Corps director at the Phoenix VA Health Care System.

The program is also designed to establish a potential pool for national emergencies and serve as a model for an expanded VA travel corps with nurses who have varying specialties. The program is designed to reduce the use of contracted nurses, thus preserving resources that can be used elsewhere to care for veterans.

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While it’s not always the norm, I know of a few travel nurses who go from assignment to assignment with a small trainer in tow. They use it as added space or when they go to national parks and other locations.

If you’re towing anything behind your car, even if you’re not a travel nurse, here are some good tips to keep you and your fellow drives safe:

Inspect your tires, check their pressure and ensure the lug nuts and bolts are tightened.

Check to make sure your hitch, coupler and draw bar are adjusted and secured as needed.

Do a walk-around of your vehicle and trailer to make sure all lights and signals are working and that the wiring is connected and secure.

Test your brakes within the first mile or two on any trip.

Check your visibility with all mirrors and adjust as needed.

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They’re for schools, too.

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) recommends a nurse-to-student ratio of 1:750. The ratio can drop down to 1:125 in schools with more intricate health needs.

New York Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy is proposing a bill that would amend the Public Health Service Act by mandating a lower ratio and provide grants for states to accomplish this.

In 2006, Texas ranked 17th in the United States with an an approximate ration of 1:870 students. That’s considerably better than Utah, with one nurse for every 5,539 students.

Learn how the Houston Independent School Board is hiring new nurses to lower ratios within their schools and how the federal government is looking into passing laws regarding ratios with students.

Demand for school nurses healthy
Some schools are cutting back, but HISD is looking

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If you live in Illinois, the answer could soon be “nobody.”

To date, over 1,000 small medical clinics have opened their doors in retail settings around the country. Places like Wal-Mart and CVS come to mind as leaders in this area. These types of places don’t need you to make an appointment and are usually staffed by nurse practitioners who treat everything from slivers to lacerations. It’s not necessarily urgent care from a medical standpoint, but it’s another place for the patient to get care - other than a trip to their doctors. They’re also convenient for people who want medical care that is affordable, and convenient.

But, in the state of Illinois, this could all come to an end. The Illinois State Medical Society wants these types of clinics closed in their state. In fact, the society is proposing a bill that would regulate clinics in retail settings out of business.

The proposed bill:

• Would prohibit healthcare facilities from opening and operating in any store that also sells alcohol and/or tobacco products. That pretty much takes care of all the retail locations, but the society didn’t stop there…
• Would mandate that there be a designated receptionist and waiting area. This means infrastructure costs that would make a retail clinic unprofitable.
• Would prohibit the promotion of fee comparisons. So you’d never know how much you’re saving.

Put it all together and you’ve got a law that would protect Illinois’ status quo. In essence, nobody would be able to compete with doctors’ office and consumers would be denied honest price comparisons.

The bill is so bad, that the FTC did something it doesn’t usually do - it criticized the medical society for proposing anti-competition laws that would harm consumers. The society is currently re-drafting the bill hoping that it gets passed in some form, and its lobbying group says the bill is designed to ensure patients get proper care.

Then why are they trying to get rid of these clinics?

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Not every travel nurse in this country travels alone. And not every travel nurse travel with a spouse, family or significant other. Some travel nurses go from assignment to assignment with their four-legged companions.

With an estimated 163 million domestic cats and dogs in the U.S. a lot of emotion rise to the surface when travel nurses have to leave their beloved pets with a family member or friend. So we take our pets with us. More and more, pets are becoming an integral part of the family unit and for travel nurses, this is also the case.

And with the amount of driving a travel nurse can do over the course of a year, how we keep pets, and ourselves, safe in the car is becoming a very important issue. When we secure pets in our car, it’s not just for their safety. It’s for the our safety, the safety of other passengers and the safety of first responders who might have to get you out of your car in an emergency.

Also, an unbuckled pet could become a deadly projectile if you make a sudden stop or have a collision resulting in injured pets and passengers.

So what are some ways to keep you and your pet safe as you travel from assignment to assignment?

For cats and smaller dogs, a pet carrier or even a small crate works best. Carrying your chihuahua in your purse - not a god plan unless your dog can dial your cell phone for help. Carriers help keep your pets safe and give them a sense of security. Some suggest that you buy a new crate specifically for traveling in case your pet associates their current crate with a trip the V-E-T. If your pet will need to visit a vet during your assignment, just stick with the crate you have.

Other than carriers, you can buy special harnesses, pet car seats and even vehicle barrier for station wagons/SUV type vehicles.

If you need more info about how to travel with pets to and from your travel nurse assignments, visit www.barkbuckleup.com.

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The nursing profession is definitely one that places great emphasis on education. Many in the profession are constantly continuing their education gaining credit and even changing specialties every few years to gain experience in different areas.

Some RNs even make the jump into a master’s degree in nursing. The program is typically 18- 24 months in length and lets nurses specialize in a specific area of advanced training or research. Some nurses take on even more schooling and go fo joint degrees in hospital and business administration or public health.

The vast majority of people who are working their way toward an MSN already hold a Bachelor of Nursing degree. For those without a BSN, some schools offer accelerated degrees to allow nurses to get a BSN and MSN in one program.

To get into an MSN program at an accredited nursing school, you’ll typically need your RN license, have a minimum GPA/GRE scores and a specified amount of clinical work experience. Always check with the requirements of any school you want to apply to.

RN-to-MSN Programs - These programs are for RNs who already possess an associate degree in nursing, but want to get their MSN right after earning a BSN. Program courses are designed to meet the needs of each student so that they get as much advanced placement credit as possible for their BSN and to avoid overlap between BSN and MSN courses.

Direct Entry MSN Programs - Also known as ‘graduate entry’ programs, these are tailored to non-nurses who hold a bachelor’s degree n a field other than nursing. Direct entry MSN programs give credit for already-completed liberal arts requirements and allow students to complete an accelerated schedule of core nursing courses before moving into graduate nursing courses. This allows students to combine training for an RN licensure with advanced master’s degree training. These programs take about three years to complete and the entire first year is dedicated to entry-level nursing coursework with the remaining two years reserved for study at the master’s level.

So you ‘ve got your master’s degree, now what? If you already hold an MSN, but want to expand your expertise to include new fields, you can enroll in what is known as a post-master’s certificate program to take and exam. These exams are administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, or ANCC (part of the American Nurses Association). The ANCC provides examinations in general, advanced practice and clinical specialties that cover nearly 30 areas. You typically must qualify to sit for these ANCC exams.

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Wanting to get your BSN and not having any college education is one thing - totally possible with the right commitment and goal setting.

You’re in luck. There’s such a thing as a Second-Degree BSN program that’s offered by many school around the country.

Second-Degree BSN Programs.

These programs are designed specifically for non-nurses who already have a degree in something other than nursing. You’ll receive full credit for the liberal arts coursework you’ve already completed which will allow you to finish the nursing portion of your courses and get your BSN in two years or less. Look into continuing education programs at your local school or find one online that fits your schedule.

Accelerate Degree BSN Programs.

There’s a variation of the Second-Degree BSN Program called the Accelerated BSN. These accelerated programs let you finish your undergrad nursing course requirements faster than if you were enrolled in a standard Second-Degree BSN program; typically in 12 months with a few programs running 16 - 20 months. Keep in mind that a 3.0 Grade Point Average is a typical entrance requirement for both Second-Degree and Accelerated BSN programs.

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If you’re looking for a program that give you the best employment opportunities in today’s healthcare market AND is preferred by leaders in the nursing industry, theink very seriously about a Bacehlor of Science in Nursing (BSN).

Open up your newspaper and look at the nursing positions. You’ll see pretty quickly that a BSN is a requirement for a majority of the positions. The BSN designation is a popular entry point for nursing professionals.

Most BSN programs use the first two years of classes to help you fill your general education (GenEd) requirements and then the last two years are spent on core nursing courses and preparing you for your new career as a nurse (or travel nurse).

Of course, if you’re already in the nursing field, you may have to go into a transition program at a college or university. An LPN-to-BSN program offers an LPN or LVN a chance to get a BSN degree in as little as four academic semesters.

What will you do once you have your BSN?

You could find yourself performing basic duties that include treating patients, patient education and as well as providing advice and emotional support to patients and their families. More specifically, you’ll be recording medical histories and symptoms, assisting in performing diagnostic tests and analyzing their results. You’ll also be operating medical machinery, administering treatment and medications, and helping with patient follow-up and rehabilitation.

What is the job outlook for a registered nurse?

Job opportunities for RNs are expected to be excellent across all specialties. Some groups are anticipating that RNs will make up the second-largest number of new jobs among all occupations. And, with the current nursing shortage, employment in care facilities and in-home nursing care are anticipated to have the largest need for nurses.

How much money can I make as an RN with my BSN?

You earning potential is based on several factors. Location, etc all make a difference. But, the average yearly salary for an RN is $55,000 with an overall range from $50,000 to $70,000. Many RNs are being offered signing bonuses, flexible work schedules, child care stipends, tuition reimbursement, and bonuses. Heath insurance and retirement/401K benefits can vary greatly from workplace to workplace.

So all this is nice, but what if you already have a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field?

Read here to find out.

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