Parenthood is a rewarding journey, but it comes with its unique set of challenges, especially when it comes to balancing work and family life, and for the moms and dads who are full time nurses, it’s even harder.

For any parent, juggling work and raising children is difficult. This is particularly true for nurses, who frequently put in lengthy shifts that include evenings, weekends, and holidays. Fortunately, the field of nursing offers a range of career options that can be more accommodating for parents, and with a little bit of advance planning (and some assistance from iCan Staffing Agency), you can find a job that provides you the time you need to spend with your family.

In this article, we’ll explore 6 nursing careers for parents, detailing what each career entails, and how it can fit into the schedule of a parent.

Top 6 Nursing Careers for Parents

#1. Home Health Nurse:

Home health nurses provide one-on-one care to patients, which can lead to more predictable and manageable workloads. This can be especially beneficial for parents who need to plan their work around their children’s routines.

Additionally, these jobs may not be as physically taxing, allowing you to care for your children without feeling as burned out. Home health nurses can frequently sit while collecting patient vitals or giving medication, as opposed to standing all day.

#2. Doctor’s Office Nurse:

In medical offices, nurses assist doctors with physical examinations, record-keeping, ordering lab tests, phone triage, and handling of standard procedures including injections, vaccinations, and vital sign taking. Nurses sometimes have to handle large objects and spend a lot of time on their feet, making the job physically taxing.

A nurse in a doctor’s office often works from 9 to 5 like any other employee if it is a private practice, offering predictability and allowing for better work-life balance.

#3. Per Diem Nurse:

Per diem nursing, is a staffing arrangement where nurses work on an on-call basis, filling in for full-time staff or supplementing existing teams during periods of high demand. Unlike traditional full-time or part-time positions, these nurses have the flexibility to choose when they work, allowing them to tailor their schedules to their preferences and other commitments.

This level of autonomy makes per diem an attractive option for moms and dads seeking a balance between their professional and personal lives.

#4. School Nurse:

School nurses work in educational settings, providing healthcare services to students. This career path is especially a good fit for you if you have kids and want to stick to the same schedule as them as it is predictable and always on a fixed schedule.

It also helps that schools across the country are mostly actively looking for nurses to hire. That includes not only primary and high schools, but colleges, universities, and other educational settings, too.

#5. Travel Nurse:

Travel nursing may also be among the greatest nursing careers for parents, depending on your circumstances. Traveling nurses have the potential to make a significant income in a short length of time. You’ll have the opportunity to take a few weeks or months off following each assignment to spend time with your family.

If you can balance childcare time with your partner, parents, or other loved ones, travel nursing can be a terrific one. Additionally, as you may have heard, there are numerous opportunities available due to the growing demand for travel nurses.

#6. Emergency Room Nurse:

For some parents, working throughout the day may not be the best option. Some people might choose to work night shifts so they can rest during the day while their children are in class. Additionally, working the night shift allows you to spend evenings with your family.

Emergency departments frequently need nurses to work night shifts since they are so busy all the time. (That typically indicates that they also have quick openings!) Furthermore, a lot of emergency medicine positions permit nurses to work day shifts if they so want, allowing you more flexibility as a parent.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the base salary for nurses as $81,220 in May 2022.

Parenthood and a fulfilling nursing career can indeed go hand in hand. These six nursing careers offer a range of options for parents, from flexible schedules to specialized roles that can align with family life. With the right choice, parents can continue to excel in their nursing careers while nurturing their families.

Are you looking for your next flexible assignment?

We can assist you if you’re seeking for a career that provides you the freedom to be a parent! We provide assignments for almost all specialties, environments, and locations across the country. Look at the openings on our job search website and find out more about what we offer here.

The post 6 Nursing Careers for Parents appeared first on Find Your Next Healthcare Job with ICAN Staffing Agency.

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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Embarking on a career as a travel nurse can be an exhilarating journey filled with new experiences and opportunities. However, the demands of constantly changing environments and high patient loads can lead to burnout if not managed effectively. In this article, we’ll explore the world of travel nursing, its perks and challenges, and most importantly, how to steer clear of burnout to ensure a fulfilling and sustainable career.

Who is a Travel Nurse?

A travel nurse is a registered nurse who takes temporary assignments in various healthcare facilities, including hospitals, clinics, and even home care settings. These professionals are skilled and adaptable, moving from one location to another to provide crucial healthcare services where they’re needed most.

Where Can Travel Nurses Work?

Travel nurses can work across a wide range of healthcare settings, from bustling urban hospitals to serene rural clinics.

The diversity of assignments allows them to experience different hospital cultures, healthcare systems, and patient populations, making their careers both rewarding and educational.

Occupational Burnout

According to the World Health Organization,

Burn-out is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions:

• feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion.
• increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and
• reduced professional efficacy.

“Burnout” is not a recognized medical term. Some specialists believe that depression and other disorders may be to blame for burnout. Researchers have noted that a person’s personality and family circumstances can affect whether they experience job burnout.

Regardless of the source, job burnout can have an impact on your physical and mental well-being. Think about how to recognize job burnout and what you can do to prevent it.

Burnout in Travel Nursing

Travel nurses, due to their unique working conditions, can also experience burnout. Some symptoms of burnout specific to travel nurses include:

1. You’re always tired: Burnout is likely to be present if you feel exhausted all the time and lack the energy to work. No amount of rest or leisure time can make up for that physical or mental depletion, and the fatigue always appears to have an impact on your level of production.
2. You suffer from Insomnia: Being overburdened with work-related thoughts can cause stress, worry, and eventually insomnia.
3. You can’t concentrate: You can find it difficult to complete tasks because you’ve lost energy or emotional investment, and you might start to forget things and have trouble recalling them.
4. You are eating too much or too little: According to Mayo Clinic, you may turn to food for comfort — consciously or unconsciously — when facing a difficult problem, feeling stressed or even feeling bored.
5. You are not as productive as you once were: You might no longer be concerned about the quality of your work, and simple tasks become too difficult to handle.

Possible causes of Burnout

A number of issues can cause job burnout, such as:

High Workload: Travel nurses might face heavy workloads, needing to quickly adapt to new hospital routines and patient populations.

Lack of Work-Life Balance: Constantly being on the move can blur the lines between work and personal life, making it challenging to unwind and recharge, leading to burnout.

Emotional Toll: Working with new patients and facing challenging cases can take an emotional toll, leading to fatigue and burnout.

Frequent Relocations: Constantly moving from one assignment to another can lead to feelings of instability and uprooting, contributing to burnout.

Lack of Support System: Being away from familiar colleagues, friends, and family can result in feelings of isolation and a lack of emotional support.

How to Prevent Burnout

While working as a travel nurse can be exciting and rewarding, it can also be taxing and cause burnout if not handled properly. Here are some strategies to prevent burnout in travel nurses:

1.  Create a work-life balance: Make an effort to balance your personal life with your career as a travel nurse. Give self-care pursuits like exercise, hobbies, time with loved ones, and joy-inducing activities a priority. Make sure to draw lines between work and leisure time and take regular breaks in between assignments to rest.
2.  Develop good time management techniques to prevent feeling overburdened. Set realistic goals, divide things into smaller, manageable chunks, and order them by importance.
3.  Take part in professional development: Constantly make an investment in your personal and professional development. Attend seminars, workshops, and conferences to advance your education. Engaging in ongoing learning can keep you motivated and provide new perspectives in your career.
4. Make self-care a priority by attending to your physical and mental well-being. Get enough rest, eat healthful meals, and work out frequently. Make time for leisurely pursuits like taking a warm bath, reading a book, or receiving a massage that encourage relaxation and self-care. To keep an eye on your health, don’t forget to schedule routine physicals.
5. Keep in touch with your agency: Inform your travel nursing agency honestly and openly about your workload, preferences, and worries. Talk about any difficulties you are having, then collaborate to discover answers.

Self-care and preventing burnout are continual activities, so keep that in mind. It’s crucial to regularly assess your health and make modifications as necessary. You may maintain a positive work-life balance and have a long-lasting, fulfilling career as a travel nurse by putting these principles into practice.

The post How to Prevent Burnout as a Travel Nurse appeared first on Find Your Next Healthcare Job with ICAN Staffing Agency.

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.

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