In a recent article for Nurse.com written by Catherine Spader, RN, nurses are still the bulls in an otherwise bear market.
Read complete article: http://include.nurse.com/article/20090209/NATIONAL02/102090107/
While some nurses and those in the healthcare field may disagree, the overwhelming majority would agree that nursing is still a fairly recession proof job. And there are those that would say that despite what changes occur in the market, whether the job market drops even further before recovering, the nursing profession will not only continue to look for nurses, but will even be in a more desperate situation in a few years.
Thankfully organizations like The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation provides grants and scholarships for those who would like to continue their education to become a nurse. More information on the PHEF can be found at:
www.futuresinnursing.org.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Requirements to work as a Travel Nurse
By Hina Kamadia
Typically, to work as a travel nurse, you need at least one year of work experience as a nurse in an acute care hospital setting. However, the more experience you have in a variety of areas, the more options you have in choosing the hospital and the city you may want to live in.
For example, if you like pediatrics, and you would like to do an assignment in Jacksonville, FL, it is possible that there may not be a position open in Jacksonville for Pediatrics. However, if you have some experience in pediatrics intensive care unit or neo-natal intensive care unit or even nursery, there is a higher chance that you will be able to find a job in those areas. If you have worked in only one area, you can still surely find a job, but it may not be the area you prefer. However, the more experience you have and the more familiar you are with other units, the easier is it to get the job most suitable for you because you will have more job opportunities to choose from.
In addition, often times, hospitals require travel nurses to float to other units when in need. Although they will provide the orientation to those units, it makes it easier for you to adjust when you have experience in more than one area. The more accommodating you are and the more comfortable you are in various areas, the more in demand you are by the hospital as well. Often times, after the first assignment, the hospital may even offer you another 13 week assignment, if you choose to stay.
Apart from the basic requirements to be a travel nurse, it is also important that you have the ability to adjust in a different environment and enjoy change. It is important that you are flexible, friendly and enjoy making new friends and trying new things. If you do not like constant change from city to city, you can also do local traveling where you stay in the same city but go to different hospitals for assignments.
In addition to having a positive attitude and the openness to change, there are few other things you will need to make sure your travel experience is all you want it to be.
1. Apply for the state license as soon you know where you want to go. That should be your first priority.
2. Pack lightly- take only what you need.
3. Be organized with all your documents: license, certifications, health records, and vaccinations, contracts with agencies, travel expenses and receipts you may need for travel reimbursements.
4. Have all the driving directions: to the apartment, to the hospital, etc.
5. Knowing what you want, where you want to go and how to negotiate with your recruiter and your hospital.
6. You will need a way for someone to take care of your stuff back home.
7. If you are planning on doing a few assignments, it might be a good idea to have mail forwarding service. This way you can have a permanent address and they will forward your mail wherever you go and you will not have to change your address every time you move.
Typically, to work as a travel nurse, you need at least one year of work experience as a nurse in an acute care hospital setting. However, the more experience you have in a variety of areas, the more options you have in choosing the hospital and the city you may want to live in.
For example, if you like pediatrics, and you would like to do an assignment in Jacksonville, FL, it is possible that there may not be a position open in Jacksonville for Pediatrics. However, if you have some experience in pediatrics intensive care unit or neo-natal intensive care unit or even nursery, there is a higher chance that you will be able to find a job in those areas. If you have worked in only one area, you can still surely find a job, but it may not be the area you prefer. However, the more experience you have and the more familiar you are with other units, the easier is it to get the job most suitable for you because you will have more job opportunities to choose from.
In addition, often times, hospitals require travel nurses to float to other units when in need. Although they will provide the orientation to those units, it makes it easier for you to adjust when you have experience in more than one area. The more accommodating you are and the more comfortable you are in various areas, the more in demand you are by the hospital as well. Often times, after the first assignment, the hospital may even offer you another 13 week assignment, if you choose to stay.
Apart from the basic requirements to be a travel nurse, it is also important that you have the ability to adjust in a different environment and enjoy change. It is important that you are flexible, friendly and enjoy making new friends and trying new things. If you do not like constant change from city to city, you can also do local traveling where you stay in the same city but go to different hospitals for assignments.
In addition to having a positive attitude and the openness to change, there are few other things you will need to make sure your travel experience is all you want it to be.
1. Apply for the state license as soon you know where you want to go. That should be your first priority.
2. Pack lightly- take only what you need.
3. Be organized with all your documents: license, certifications, health records, and vaccinations, contracts with agencies, travel expenses and receipts you may need for travel reimbursements.
4. Have all the driving directions: to the apartment, to the hospital, etc.
5. Knowing what you want, where you want to go and how to negotiate with your recruiter and your hospital.
6. You will need a way for someone to take care of your stuff back home.
7. If you are planning on doing a few assignments, it might be a good idea to have mail forwarding service. This way you can have a permanent address and they will forward your mail wherever you go and you will not have to change your address every time you move.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Nurses: Take Time for Health and Fitness
As a nurse, you are continually concerned with the welfare of others. The demands on your time for work (your patients), family, education can stretch you in so many directions that it is very easy to neglect the one person that you need to take care of first in order to take care of others – you.
Health and fitness are central to the medical field. As a nurse who treats people on the mend, you emphasize the patient’s need to follow doctor’s orders: Take their medicine, eat right, and get an adequate amount of sleep and exercise. You explain the importance of a good diet and to avoid toxic food and beverages, getting ample sleep and work in a daily exercise regimen. But do we practice what we preach? It seems impossible. What can we do now that will at least get us headed in the right direction?
A proper diet is the first place to start and it does not take any time out of our day to be sure that we are eating healthy. The best motivator may be to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) in order to measure your body fat relative to your height and weight. http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ Once you have assessed where you are and where you need to be, the next step would be to create a suitable diet. Build the proper diet using the food pyramid. MyPyramid.gov will create the diet that is right for you. http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html
Next – sleep! This may be more challenging than coming up with the right diet, but sleep deprivation certainly hinders your mental health and is just as important to correct as your nutritional regime. What bad habits keep you from getting to bed when you should? Having something to eat or drink that you can forgo, knowing it will keep you up? Staying up to watch just a little more TV? Engaging in frivolous internet activity? You can start here by simply…going to bed.
Finally, the real challenge – exercise! How do we take time to work out? A much tougher question to answer by mere suggestion. Here is where we really need to find time in our day and then, what exactly do we do? There is truly only one way to implement exercise into your day and that is by dedicating the time needed. If it takes away family time, include family in your workout routine; everyone can go for a walk, go swimming, bike riding and lift weights. You may even find this to be quality family time and open up lines of communication to discuss family issues. The time in front of the TV can be the time we use for exercise. We can argue this time is used to “take our mind off things.” This will still be accomplished during your workout and will achieve the healthier objective of rejuvenating your brain. If you can not pull yourself away from the TV, then how about some calisthenics while watching?
Finalize your health and fitness regimen and keep to your established routine. You do not have to do everything at once but it is imperative to get started. As you get started, implement reminders that there is change in your life. Move your alarm clock to where you need to get “out of bed” to shut it off. This will get you out of bed in the morning (as opposed to giving your workout, to your snooze alarm) as well as being a “reminder.” Write a short shopping list of the nutritional foods you need to buy for your new diet – right now, right a couple of things down! Put that list in your car where you will see it as a reminder that you need to stop at the market on the way home.
In conclusion, living a healthier lifestyle will increase your energy level, sharpen your mental acuity and allow you to do exponentially more.
In conclusion, living a healthier lifestyle will increase your energy level, sharpen your mental acuity and allow you to do exponentially more.
Health and fitness are central to the medical field. As a nurse who treats people on the mend, you emphasize the patient’s need to follow doctor’s orders: Take their medicine, eat right, and get an adequate amount of sleep and exercise. You explain the importance of a good diet and to avoid toxic food and beverages, getting ample sleep and work in a daily exercise regimen. But do we practice what we preach? It seems impossible. What can we do now that will at least get us headed in the right direction?
A proper diet is the first place to start and it does not take any time out of our day to be sure that we are eating healthy. The best motivator may be to calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI) in order to measure your body fat relative to your height and weight. http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ Once you have assessed where you are and where you need to be, the next step would be to create a suitable diet. Build the proper diet using the food pyramid. MyPyramid.gov will create the diet that is right for you. http://www.mypyramid.gov/index.html
Next – sleep! This may be more challenging than coming up with the right diet, but sleep deprivation certainly hinders your mental health and is just as important to correct as your nutritional regime. What bad habits keep you from getting to bed when you should? Having something to eat or drink that you can forgo, knowing it will keep you up? Staying up to watch just a little more TV? Engaging in frivolous internet activity? You can start here by simply…going to bed.
Finally, the real challenge – exercise! How do we take time to work out? A much tougher question to answer by mere suggestion. Here is where we really need to find time in our day and then, what exactly do we do? There is truly only one way to implement exercise into your day and that is by dedicating the time needed. If it takes away family time, include family in your workout routine; everyone can go for a walk, go swimming, bike riding and lift weights. You may even find this to be quality family time and open up lines of communication to discuss family issues. The time in front of the TV can be the time we use for exercise. We can argue this time is used to “take our mind off things.” This will still be accomplished during your workout and will achieve the healthier objective of rejuvenating your brain. If you can not pull yourself away from the TV, then how about some calisthenics while watching?
Finalize your health and fitness regimen and keep to your established routine. You do not have to do everything at once but it is imperative to get started. As you get started, implement reminders that there is change in your life. Move your alarm clock to where you need to get “out of bed” to shut it off. This will get you out of bed in the morning (as opposed to giving your workout, to your snooze alarm) as well as being a “reminder.” Write a short shopping list of the nutritional foods you need to buy for your new diet – right now, right a couple of things down! Put that list in your car where you will see it as a reminder that you need to stop at the market on the way home.
In conclusion, living a healthier lifestyle will increase your energy level, sharpen your mental acuity and allow you to do exponentially more.
In conclusion, living a healthier lifestyle will increase your energy level, sharpen your mental acuity and allow you to do exponentially more.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Mandatory Overtime Ban in PA for Nurses starts July 1, 2009
Read the following article pertaining to the ban on mandatory overtime for nurses and health care personnel below:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125531.php
I really do feel it's time that our government to step up and assist hospitals with their shortage, especially in the face of this new law. With no fear of retribution by the powers that be, those nurses who have finished their shift can reject overtime with no fear of retribution. And this could sound the alarm even louder that we need to address the nursing shortage NOW.
The problem is more complicated than providing students with a means to become a nurse. The main problem is that schools of nursing are pushing away students as their programs are understaffed and unable to teach the amount of students signing on to become nurses. Given that nurses make more than nurse educators, it's not going to be anytime soon that we see nurses exchanging their scrubs for text books. So the wheels grind ever slower toward the goal of a more healthy nursing industry.
I believe that the government must work in conjunction with hospitals to come up with a compensation package which makes up the loss in pay for any nurse who chooses to become a nurse educator. But it can't stop there. They also need to provide some sort of loan forgiveness program for those nurses so they do not merely make the same amount of money but realize a reduction in their personal debt to income ratio due to their student loans so they can get their Masters or PHD.
Currently now the only organization in Pennsylvania that provides a grant or scholarship for current nurses to become nurse educators is the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation. More information on this organization can be found at http://www.higheredfoundation.org/.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/125531.php
I really do feel it's time that our government to step up and assist hospitals with their shortage, especially in the face of this new law. With no fear of retribution by the powers that be, those nurses who have finished their shift can reject overtime with no fear of retribution. And this could sound the alarm even louder that we need to address the nursing shortage NOW.
The problem is more complicated than providing students with a means to become a nurse. The main problem is that schools of nursing are pushing away students as their programs are understaffed and unable to teach the amount of students signing on to become nurses. Given that nurses make more than nurse educators, it's not going to be anytime soon that we see nurses exchanging their scrubs for text books. So the wheels grind ever slower toward the goal of a more healthy nursing industry.
I believe that the government must work in conjunction with hospitals to come up with a compensation package which makes up the loss in pay for any nurse who chooses to become a nurse educator. But it can't stop there. They also need to provide some sort of loan forgiveness program for those nurses so they do not merely make the same amount of money but realize a reduction in their personal debt to income ratio due to their student loans so they can get their Masters or PHD.
Currently now the only organization in Pennsylvania that provides a grant or scholarship for current nurses to become nurse educators is the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation. More information on this organization can be found at http://www.higheredfoundation.org/.
Friday, February 6, 2009
PHEF Reaches Out to Inner City High Schools about Nursing
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation, a foundation to help improve the nursing crisis in Pennsylvania, has embarked on a school tour in Philadelphia to provide information on attaining scholarships and grants to become a nurse.
In conjunction with Independence Blue Cross and Radio One, this school tour is conducted by performing assemblies at various schools and educating students on all the nursing profession has to offer and how they can go about getting money to go to college to become a nurse. So far, PHEF has conducted 9 school tours since September and have another 6 tours scheduled through May.
Radio One radio personality Sixx King, along with Teisha Sor (Radio One marketing) and Chris Napoli (representing PHEF), are providing High School Juniors and Seniors the road map to nursing. "I think it's very important, especially in today's economic climate, to show high school students that there is a path to success", Napoli states. "And the participation and feedback we are getting from the students really does lift the spirit".
If you are a high school in the Philadelphia region and would like the PHEF/Radio One school tour for nursing, contact Chris Napoli @ chris@napolimediainc.com.
In conjunction with Independence Blue Cross and Radio One, this school tour is conducted by performing assemblies at various schools and educating students on all the nursing profession has to offer and how they can go about getting money to go to college to become a nurse. So far, PHEF has conducted 9 school tours since September and have another 6 tours scheduled through May.
Radio One radio personality Sixx King, along with Teisha Sor (Radio One marketing) and Chris Napoli (representing PHEF), are providing High School Juniors and Seniors the road map to nursing. "I think it's very important, especially in today's economic climate, to show high school students that there is a path to success", Napoli states. "And the participation and feedback we are getting from the students really does lift the spirit".
If you are a high school in the Philadelphia region and would like the PHEF/Radio One school tour for nursing, contact Chris Napoli @ chris@napolimediainc.com.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
8 Steps to Becoming LPN in Pennsylvania
Step1
Enroll in an accredited LPN training program and graduate. If you complete your training in the state of Pennsylvania, you will save money on your licensing application fee. You also save time since you do not have to submit an officially sealed transcript from the educational institution from which you graduated.
Step2
Contact the State Board of Nursing, Examination Division by calling 717-772-1746. Request the paperwork to apply for licensure as a Pennsylvania practical nurse.
Step3
Pay the LPN licensing application fee by sending it to the State Board of Nursing, Examination Division at Post Office Box 8411 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 17105. If you have graduated from an accredited LPN program within the state of Pennsylvania, the fee is $35. If your education took place out of state but within the United States, the fee is $100.
Step4
Log on to the Internet and visit the NCLEX exam website. It governs the national licensure of practical nurses. Request a schedule for the next opportunity to sit for the NCLEX-PN exam. If you do not have a computer with Internet access, you may call the National Council of State Boards of Nursing by dialing 866-496-2539. The fee for this exam is $200, payable by credit card or certified funds.
Step5
Submit to a background check. Pennsylvania law prohibits you from becoming a licensed practical nurse if you have been convicted of a drug related felony within the last 10 years.
Step6
Wait to receive your permission to participate in the LPN testing. You will receive a form entitled Authorization to Test (ATT) from the agency that actually administers the assessment and is dependent on your passing the background check and being deemed eligible—by virtue of your schooling—to participate in the NCLEX-PN testing.
Step7
Take the exam, pass it and receive your official LPN certificate in the mail within about 30 days. The certificate will contain your registration number that you must put in a safe place; this number is required every time you renew you Pennsylvania LPN registration. If you believe that your notification is slow in coming, you can also check the website of the Pennsylvania State Department to see if a license has been issued in your name (see Resources).
Step8
Repeat the exam--if you failed the first time around--but remember that you must wait 91 days before you can once again be tested. Do not panic; you can retake the exam as often as you need until you pass.
Enroll in an accredited LPN training program and graduate. If you complete your training in the state of Pennsylvania, you will save money on your licensing application fee. You also save time since you do not have to submit an officially sealed transcript from the educational institution from which you graduated.
Step2
Contact the State Board of Nursing, Examination Division by calling 717-772-1746. Request the paperwork to apply for licensure as a Pennsylvania practical nurse.
Step3
Pay the LPN licensing application fee by sending it to the State Board of Nursing, Examination Division at Post Office Box 8411 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 17105. If you have graduated from an accredited LPN program within the state of Pennsylvania, the fee is $35. If your education took place out of state but within the United States, the fee is $100.
Step4
Log on to the Internet and visit the NCLEX exam website. It governs the national licensure of practical nurses. Request a schedule for the next opportunity to sit for the NCLEX-PN exam. If you do not have a computer with Internet access, you may call the National Council of State Boards of Nursing by dialing 866-496-2539. The fee for this exam is $200, payable by credit card or certified funds.
Step5
Submit to a background check. Pennsylvania law prohibits you from becoming a licensed practical nurse if you have been convicted of a drug related felony within the last 10 years.
Step6
Wait to receive your permission to participate in the LPN testing. You will receive a form entitled Authorization to Test (ATT) from the agency that actually administers the assessment and is dependent on your passing the background check and being deemed eligible—by virtue of your schooling—to participate in the NCLEX-PN testing.
Step7
Take the exam, pass it and receive your official LPN certificate in the mail within about 30 days. The certificate will contain your registration number that you must put in a safe place; this number is required every time you renew you Pennsylvania LPN registration. If you believe that your notification is slow in coming, you can also check the website of the Pennsylvania State Department to see if a license has been issued in your name (see Resources).
Step8
Repeat the exam--if you failed the first time around--but remember that you must wait 91 days before you can once again be tested. Do not panic; you can retake the exam as often as you need until you pass.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Independence Blue Cross Nurse Scholars Program
Purpose
Independence Blue Cross (IBC) and the Foundation recognize that the shortage of nurses is not limited to direct patient care professionals. The need to increase the number of graduate students who will be qualified to become nurse educators, in order to train the next generation of nurses, is also an important piece of the puzzle in reversing the nursing shortage.
Overview
The IBC Nurse Scholars Program provides financial assistance to graduate nursing students who are pursuing an education that will qualify them to become a nurse educator. The program will underwrite scholarship funding for schools to qualified students attending an accredited graduate nursing program in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties
The Nurse Scholars Program will give nursing students the opportunity to receive grants and scholarships toward their graduate degree directly from the qualified nursing schools they attend. For complete eligibility requirements, contact your school’s nursing department. If you have additional questions, call the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation at 800-377-4502.
Independence Blue Cross (IBC) and the Foundation recognize that the shortage of nurses is not limited to direct patient care professionals. The need to increase the number of graduate students who will be qualified to become nurse educators, in order to train the next generation of nurses, is also an important piece of the puzzle in reversing the nursing shortage.
Overview
The IBC Nurse Scholars Program provides financial assistance to graduate nursing students who are pursuing an education that will qualify them to become a nurse educator. The program will underwrite scholarship funding for schools to qualified students attending an accredited graduate nursing program in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties
The Nurse Scholars Program will give nursing students the opportunity to receive grants and scholarships toward their graduate degree directly from the qualified nursing schools they attend. For complete eligibility requirements, contact your school’s nursing department. If you have additional questions, call the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation at 800-377-4502.
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