A fulfilling and exciting career choice is travel nursing. It provides the chance to travel to different locations, work in various healthcare settings, and improve the lives of patients. However, embarking on your first travel nursing assignment can be a little intimidating. This article will provide essential tips to succeed on your maiden voyage as a travel nurse.

10 Tips for a First Time Travel Nurse

1. Research Your Destination: Before your assignment, research the location, climate, cost of living, and local healthcare facilities. Familiarize yourself with the community, transportation options, nearby amenities, and recreational opportunities. Understanding your new environment will make your transition smoother.
2. Get Organized: Ensure you have all required licenses, certifications, and health records in order before you start your assignment. Bring copies of any necessary documentation to your first day, and also keep track of important dates, such as license renewals and assignment end dates, to avoid last-minute stress.
3. Choose a Location you’re familiar with: Picking up and moving to a new place can be nerve wracking especially when you do not know anyone there, so it’s always good to pick a familiar place for your travel assignment. Pick a place that has family members and friends or perhaps a travel spot you love visiting.

Travel Tips before you start your assignment.

4. Take a Test Drive before your first day: If you arrive in your new city early, wake up on time and get ready as if it were your first day. Plan your route to work and note how long it takes to get to work. Alternately, you could also travel the path from the parking lot to your particular floor at the end of your hospital orientation day.

5. Put your house in order: Before you set out on your new adventure, take care of your home logistics. What to do about power? water? and if you’ll be forwarding your mails or not. These are things that you could easily forget to do, so make sure to handle them before you leave. If you have pets, do not forget to plan for them as well.

6. Travel Light: Travel with only what is absolutely necessary, remember the length of your assignment and do not over pack. Make a list of what could be bought at your new location, so you do not pack those.

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10 Tips for Success: During your assignment

7. Connect with your co-workers: Getting to know your co-workers is one of the best ways to settle in a new workplace. Your smooth integration into the team can be facilitated by effective communication and a nice demeanor, which will ensure a productive assignment workplace. Take the initiative to ask them out to coffee, plan an outing, and generally have a good rapport with your coworkers, managers, and patients. You may not get along with everyone, but a few friends could make the difference in your first travel assignment.

8. Ask Questions: Ask questions about anything you don’t understand during your orientation. Ask for important numbers, including the unit phone number and the codes to the nutrition and medication rooms, write them down and keep them on the back of your badge. Find out how to get in touch with the doctors. Find out whatever system of communication is being used and get to know it.

9. Plan your next travel assignment: It’s always best to plan ahead. It may seem like it’s too early to start planning, but it isn’t. After the first 4 weeks at your place of assignment, start planning on whether you would like to renew your contract, or look into any other city or town you have in mind. Find out if you require any additional certifications or licenses and prepare towards it.

10. Make the best of where you are: The chance to travel and see new locations is one of the benefits of travel nursing. Utilize the time you have off to explore the region’s sights, sample new cuisine, and become immersed in the local way of life. Exploring your surrounding can improve your entire experience and make you feel more a part of the place, and who knows, you may like it so much that you’d want to visit again.

You have it now! The transition period while beginning a new assignment should get shorter as time goes on and you sign more contracts. Keep in mind these ten suggestions, and you’ll soon be settling in like a pro. Embrace the journey, stay adaptable, and remember, you’re making a difference in the lives of patients wherever you go. Safe travels and happy nursing!

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As a nurse, you may have spent years providing essential bedside care to patients. However, the nursing field offers a multitude of opportunities beyond the traditional hospital setting. If you’re looking to make a career change and explore new avenues for utilizing your nursing skills, there are several non-clinical nursing jobs that can provide you with a fresh and exciting challenge. In this article, we will delve into some of the best non-clinical nursing jobs available, their requirements, and the potential salary you can expect.

What is a non-clinical Nursing Position?

A non-clinical nursing position refers to a job or role within the nursing field that does not involve direct patient care or taking part in clinical procedures. Non-clinical nursing positions focus on utilizing nursing knowledge and skills in various non-patient care settings to contribute to the overall functioning of healthcare organizations and the advancement of healthcare delivery. These positions often involve administrative, educational, research, managerial, or consultative responsibilities.

What are the Pros of a non-clinical Nursing Position?

There are advantages that make non-clinical roles appealing to nurses seeking new challenges and opportunities within the nursing profession. Some of them include:

• Expanded employment Possibilities: Positions in non-clinical nursing offer a variety of employment options outside of typical bedside nursing. An array of careers is open to nurses, including those in management, instruction, research, policy, consulting, and informatics. As a result, there is room for professional development and a possibility to have a bigger impact on healthcare delivery.
• Work-Life Balance: When compared to occupations that directly involve patient care, non-clinical nursing positions frequently provide more flexible work hours and better work-life balance. Non-clinical nursing roles may give nurses more choice over their schedules, allowing them to prioritize personal and family responsibilities while still using their nursing expertise.
• Utilization of Nursing Expertise: Non-clinical nursing employment give nurses the opportunity to utilize their clinical knowledge in areas other than patient care. They can help to make healthcare systems, policies, instruction, research, and business operations better. By applying their own viewpoint and expertise, nurses can significantly improve patient outcomes and the standard of care.
• Higher Compensation: Higher pay can be a significant advantage of non-clinical nursing roles, providing professionals with increased financial stability and recognition for their expertise and contributions in areas such as administration, education, research, or consulting.

Cons of a non-clinical Nursing Position

While non-clinical nursing positions offer several benefits, it’s important to consider some potential drawbacks as well. Here are a few cons to consider:

• Limited Clinical Skills Application: In non-clinical roles, nurses may have fewer opportunities to utilize and further develop their clinical skills. This can be a concern for those who value ongoing engagement in direct patient care and want to maintain their clinical competency.
• Reduced Direct Patient Interaction: Non-clinical nursing positions typically involve less direct interaction with patients compared to clinical roles. If you enjoy the personal connection and hands-on care provided in direct patient care settings, transitioning to a non-clinical role may result in less fulfillment in terms of patient interaction.
• Potential Skill Gap: Depending on the specific non-clinical role, nurses may need to acquire additional skills or knowledge outside of their clinical expertise. Transitioning to a non-clinical position may require a learning curve and the need to develop new competencies, such as data analysis, project management, or policy development.
• Lower Compensation: Non-clinical nursing positions may offer lower compensation compared to certain clinical roles, especially those with specialized certifications or advanced practice degrees. Nurses transitioning to non-clinical roles should carefully consider the potential impact on their salary and benefits package.

1. Aesthetic/Cosmetic Nurse:

National Average Salary: $89,970, with some earning as much as $138,500

If you have an interest in the realms of beauty and cosmetics, becoming an aesthetic or cosmetic nurse could be the perfect fit for you. This non-clinical nursing job may include services such as injections of dermal fillers and Botox neurotoxin, photofacials, dermatabrasion, micro-needling, tattoo removal, and non-surgical body contouring.

Where Does an Aesthetic Nurse Work

Aesthetic nurses work in private offices or day med spas, providing a range of services that go beyond traditional patient care.

Qualification:

• Earn a BSN
• Pass the NCLEX examination
• Have at least 2 years of working experience with a board-certified physician in plastic/aesthetic/cosmetic surgery, dermatology, or facial plastic surgery.

2. Legal Nurse Consultant:

National Average Salary:  According to Glassdoor, the median salary for a legal nurse consultant is $109,134 per year. 

For nurses with a keen interest in the legal field, a career as a legal nurse consultant can be both fulfilling and intellectually stimulating. Legal nurse consultants work alongside lawyers, attorneys, and licensed professionals to provide medical expertise in cases requiring first-hand medical experience. Their responsibilities include gathering medical records, examining complex data, preparing reports and summaries, and performing other medical-legal tasks.

Where Does a Legal Nurse Consultant Work:

 Legal Nurse Consultants work in law firms, healthcare organizations, private consulting firms, and insurance companies. Some Legal Nurse Consultants work for hospitals or large healthcare organizations.

Qualification:

• A BSN in nursing
• An active license to practice as a registered nurse.
• At least 5 years of clinical nursing experience.

Certification: American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants

3. Forensic Nurse:

National Average Salary: $92,730 according to Indeed Salaries, and this can vary based on location, education level, and level of experience.

If you have a passion for both healthcare and criminal justice, a career as a forensic nurse might be the ideal choice for you. This non-clinical nursing job provide medical expertise in cases involving abuse, crime, and death, working closely with law enforcement, lawyers, judges, hospitals, and medical facilities. Their main responsibility is to provide medical care to patients who have experienced abuse, domestic violence, human trafficking, and other crimes.

Where Does a Forensic Nurse Work:

Forensic nurses work in hospitals, medical facilities, law firms, and law enforcement agencies.

Qualification/Certification: A BSN is required along with other coursework to become a forensic nurse. Other relevant certifications can be found here.

4. Flight Nurse:

National Average Salary: $81,093.

A registered nurse with additional training in providing nursing care to patients while being transported on any type of aircraft is known as a flight nurse. In this non-bedside nursing position, nurses supervise patients throughout aircraft transportation, provide life-saving care as necessary while flying, and get the patient ready to be handed over to specialists when they arrive.

Where Does a Flight Nurse Work:

• Hospitals
• Fire departments
• Private medical transport companies
• Federal government

They can work both in civilian and military settings.

Qualifications: Typically, an employer determines the minimum experience requirements for flight nurses, but most require:

• A BSN
• At least five years of experience in a trauma or intensive care unit or an emergency department.

5. Nurse Informatics:

National Average Salary: Payscale.com reports the average salary for an Informatics Nurse is $83,593 in 2023

With the increasing reliance on technology in healthcare, nurse informatics has emerged as a critical field that combines nursing expertise with information systems. Nurse informatics professionals collect data from patient care, medical records, hospital feedback, and clinical systems, and convert it into meaningful information for technology and nursing practice. This non-clinical nursing role is vital for optimizing patient care and outcomes.

Where Does a Nurse Informatics Work:

• Federal healthcare agencies
• Computer systems design companies
• Healthcare employment agencies
• Scientific consulting services

Qualifications: Although a job in nursing informatics is a non-clinical nursing job,

• A minimum Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree is needed to fill this position.
• An optional advanced nursing degree is recommended.
• Nurses interested in this position may seek to become credentialed as a board-certified Informatics Nurse by testing through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

6. Infection Control Nurse:

National Average Salary: Zip recruiter reports a salary of $87,739

Infection control nurses play a crucial role in preventing the spread of bacteria and viruses in healthcare settings. They implement best practices and preventative measures to minimize infections, diseases, and cross-contamination. In addition to training staff and healthcare professionals, infection control nurses analyze and research data to educate others effectively.

These nurses must have exceptional analytical, management, and interpersonal skills to identify potential risks, analyze data, and educate healthcare professionals. They also possess the knowledge and expertise necessary to treat individuals with infectious diseases.

Where Does an Infection Control Nurse Work

They work with various experts, including scientists, public health experts, government agencies, and so on.

Qualification:

For consideration as an Infection Control Nurse, employers usually require a minimum of a few years of experience in a clinical setting role and a BSN. However, some employers may require an MSN. 

You may also be required to complete a certain amount of infection control training and pass a Certification Infection Control (CIC) exam from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

Conclusion: Expanding Your Horizons as a Nurse

While bedside care is an essential component of nursing, it is not the only path available to nurses seeking career growth and new challenges. The nursing field offers a wide array of non-bedside jobs that allow nurses to utilize their skills, expertise, and passion in different settings. Whether it’s in the realms of aesthetics, law, forensics, wellness coaching, informatics, infection control, research, nurses have the opportunity to make a significant impact on healthcare in diverse ways.

By exploring these non-bedside nursing jobs, nurses can find new avenues to apply their knowledge, contribute to the healthcare industry, and achieve personal and professional fulfillment. The possibilities are vast, and with the right qualifications and dedication, nurses can embark on rewarding careers that go beyond the traditional bedside environment.

So, if you’re a nurse looking for a change or wanting to expand your horizons, consider the non-bedside nursing jobs mentioned in this article. Embrace the opportunity to make a difference in diverse fields while continuing to utilize your nursing skills and expertise. With the right mindset and determination, you can embark on a fulfilling and successful career outside of the traditional bedside setting.

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Being pregnant, while being an exciting experience for most also comes with its unique and sometimes unplanned experiences, and can be even more challenging when combined with travel nursing. Despite all that, with careful planning and preparation, it is possible to navigate travel nursing while being pregnant.

Below are few steps and tips to help you successfully navigate travel nursing while being pregnant:

• Contact your healthcare provider: This should be your first step before embarking on any travel nursing assignment. Your healthcare provider will give you relevant clearance and provide recommendations for managing your pregnancy while on the road.

• Research your destinations: Consider the locations of your postings, the length of the assignment, and the potential risks or challenges of the location.  Make sure they are safe for pregnant women, with easy access to quality medical care and facilities, easy to navigate, and also areas with a low or no incidence of infectious diseases or environmental hazards.

• Review your contract: Discuss your pregnancy with your recruiter, as they can be of great help in finding you assignments suitable for your needs and securing housing that accommodates your pregnancy, and also make sure your contract includes maternity leave benefits. Discuss these concerns with your agency or employer before accepting an assignment.

• Pack appropriately: You will need to take extra precautions to ensure your health and safety. Pack clothing that is comfortable and also gives room for your changing body, including shoes that offer good support.

• Take proper care of yourself: You may want to consider shorter assignments, or assignments closer to your home to have support during your pregnancy. Get plenty of rest, exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. Avoid strenuous work such as lifting heavy objects.

• Consult your healthcare provider when necessary: It is a good idea to stay in touch with your healthcare provider while you’re on assignment. Follow their recommendations for managing your pregnancy and schedule regular prenatal appointments.

• Plan for unexpected changes: Unplanned changes can occur during pregnancies, such as early labor or complications. Have a plan in place for when an emergency occurs.

Overall, with careful planning and preparation, you can have a successful and fulfilling experience as a travel nurse. Remember to prioritize your health and the health of your baby, choose safe destinations, speak with your healthcare provider, pack accordingly, and keep a support system. By taking these steps, you can definitely enjoy what you love doing even while being pregnant.

The post How to manage pregnancy while working as a travel nurse appeared first on Find Your Next Healthcare Job with ICAN Staffing Agency.