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Travel Nursing: Assignments, Salary And Compensation
Travel nurses are medical professionals who work on an assignment basis outside the state for other nurses who are on leave. The specialty first arose to supplement the shortage of nurses commonly experienced around the globe. In fact, it is estimated that there is a shortage of about 4.3 million health professionals in the world, arising out of underinvestment not in the healthcare sector but in working environment, training and wages of medical professionals.
Assignments
Most travel nurses are assigned outside the state but inside the country. On occasion, some are required to travel internationally in which case the assignment lengthens in duration to between a year and two years compared to the usual three-four months.
Salary
Since travel nurses are assigned to different locales and settings, their salary depends on these variables. However, they earn more than registered nurses as the accommodation, travel expenditure and other essentials are provided by the contract company and the travel agency. They can take home around $90,000 and also enjoy benefits like incentive programs, insurance and tuition reimbursement for continuing education. Note that some nurses are independent contractors.
Compensation
For nurses who choose to secure housing that’s independent of the travel agency, they can avail a stipend which is tax-free if the nurse has a qualifying tax home. Else, they will be provided a furnished house which may or may not include utilities.
Scope Of A Career In Holistic Nursing
Alternative medicine is slowly being accepted as a legitimate form of providing healthcare. And, while it still has a long way to go to catch up with conventional medicine and practices, the number of people seeking treatment using alternative medicine is slowly growing. This has fueled a demand for holistic nurses.
Like all nursing specialties, getting a certificate in holistic nursing requires becoming a registered nurse although this may vary from country to country. The course comprises massage therapy, acupuncture, therapeutic touch and spirituality depending on the institute. Upon completion of the course, candidates will need to complete a year’s active practice in holistic nursing.
According to statistics, there continues to be a demand for holistic nurses in view of the number of people turning to alternative medicine for treatment. It isn’t surprising, therefore, that many are opting for a career in this specialty.
Registered nurses (RN) – holistic or otherwise – earn more than licensed vocational nurses (LVN) as the period of nursing study is longer. RNs also supervise LVNs, nursing assistants and orderlies and their jobs comprise more of a planning and patient management role. To increase the chances of getting employment and commanding higher salary, potential candidates are advised to complete their bachelor’s degree in nursing.
All You Need To Know About Registered Nursing
Becoming a registered nurse is a rewarding and fulfilling career with a lot of scope. The healthcare sector is always in need of properly qualified individuals in the nursing segment and to get into the practice, it’s necessary to be a registered nurse. This entails completing a degree in nursing and passing a certification exam.
Registered nurses usually go on to specialize in fields of their choice. A few examples are trauma nursing, oncology nursing and transplant nursing but even those who specialize in an area can be signed on to work with different departments in a setting in case there is a shortage of nurses.
Duties
A nurse’s primary role is to assist doctors in providing care to patients. But aside from this, he or she is tasked with many other jobs. They advice patients and their family with post-treatment procedures, perform diagnostic tests, monitor patients’ symptoms, administer treatment and medication and operate medical equipment.
A career in nursing requires a lot of hard work and candidates should be willing to work night shifts and during holidays. Some may need to travel to patients’ homes or clinics depending on what the hospital specifies. All said and done, choosing nursing as a career guarantees that there will always be employment.
Difference Between Registered Nurses And Licensed Vocational Nurses
Nurses provide a great service to the healthcare sector by helping patients cope with illness and treatment and assisting physicians and surgeons in their practice. It wouldn’t be false to say that the healthcare industry would be nowhere without these valuable but oft times overlooked care givers.
Like doctors, there are different kinds of nurses trained in their own specialties and registered nurses (RN) and licensed vocational nurses (LVN) are a couple.
Registered nurses
Registered nurses are those who have completed their degrees in nursing, whether of a three-year or five-year nursing program duration. Their role is largely relegated to planning, delivery and management of patient care and also supervision of orderlies and LVNs. They earn more too, by as much as 50 percent, according to some statistics.
Licensed vocational nurses
Licensed vocational nurses train for the nursing program for a duration of one and a half to five years. They’re generalists in that their role involves working in any area of healthcare. However, they may also work in specialized settings such as doctor’s offices.
LVNs are the nurses we, as the public, are used to seeing when we need to get treatment for some ailment. They’re the ones who administer IVs and medicines as well as maintain a patient’s records.
Duties Of A Medical Assistant
We’re well acquainted with doctors and nurses but what do medical assistants do? Are they nurses or are their roles confined to an administrative capacity? These often overlooked professionals play a key role in office management and also perform certain clinical duties similar to that of a licensed vocational nurse.
Medical assistants work in both clerical and clinical capacities. They don’t have such extensive medical training as nurses and may perform clinical duties only under the order of the physician they work for. When they do, the duties normally include performing basic lab work, recording viral signs, changing dressings and recording a patient’s medical history.
Clerical duties, meanwhile, are very similar to that of office assistants. Appointments are made and arranged by medical assistants, patients’ records are filed and updated and bills and other related documents are maintained.
One of the biggest differences between a medical assistant and a nurse is that MAs can only work in the offices of healthcare practitioners. This means that they cannot perform clinical duties outside of their office setting so their role is more limited.
Like all medical-related roles, becoming a medical assistant requires studying clinical subjects. Certification courses provide this along with administrative subjects like accounting, typing and insurance processing.
Getting Into Oncology Nursing
Oncology nursing is a specialty that deals with providing care to cancer patients. The work involves monitoring a patient’s physical conditions, administering medication and treatment and planning strategies to manage patient symptoms.
Oncology nursing is tough work and nurses not only have to deal with seeing patients suffer but oftentimes witness death and grief. What they do as healthcare providers is critical, though, which is why they’re in much demand.
Education
A four-year bachelor’s degree in nursing is mandatory in order to become a registered nurse. Following this, candidates will need to go on to complete their masters in nursing after which they will have to obtain a certificate in oncology nursing from an accredited institute. 500 hours of clinical practice in oncology (supervised) is also mandatory which can be completed either during the course of obtaining the master’s degree or after. Once this is done, candidates can register as an advanced practice nurse.
Scope
Most cancer patients are above the age of 50-55 years. This means as the baby boomer generation grows older there is a need for young nurses experienced in oncology nursing. So if you ever decide to specialize in this field, know that you will always find employment, particularly in hospital settings.
Five Of The Highest Paying Nursing Specialties
Nursing may not pay as much as doctoring but it can still command a handsome salary if you choose your specialty carefully. Today, nurse anesthetists are believed to be highest paid in the nursing segment with nurse researchers coming in a close second.
Registered nurse anesthetist: Registered nurse anesthetists assist in administering anesthesia to patients about to go under the knife. They work closely with dentists and anesthesiologists and working in a reputed setting can earn them a little over $100,000 a year.
Nurse research: Nurse researchers conduct research, design studies and analyze data to improve the nursing field. Some work as analysts for private corporations where they will publish studies detailing a practice or a pharmaceutical product.
Psychiatric nursing: Like the name implies, psychiatric nurses work with patients suffering from mental illness and distress. They receive more training than the average nurse as they learn to deal with different behaviors and build working alliances.
Nurse midwifery: Nurse midwives provide care to women in labor, give advice and assist in prenatal care and gynecological exams. Unlike other specialties, nurse midwives work under unpredictable hours whether in a hospital, health department or clinic setting.
Pediatric endocrinology nursing: Pediatric endocrinology nurses deal with health disorders and sexual development issues in young children.
Why no Hospital can Run without a Nurse
Without nurses, the health care industry would not run efficiently. The role played by nurses cannot be overlooked under any circumstances. They are mandated with the duty of keeping a tab on patients and they take note of changes long before they are spotted by the doctors. It is for this reason that no hospital can run efficiently without nurses. Doctors are responsible for coming up with diagnosis and treatment options for patients. If they are worn out and tired, they cannot do this effectively.
This is where nurses step in. They take the burden away by ensuring that patients get the attention they need. Because they are trained to identify setbacks in patients, they are able to note any changes and report these to the doctors in charge. Some of the things they note in advance include cardiac arrest and respiratory failure among others.
It is the nurses who advise patients and give them the knowledge that is needed to live healthy and attain a better life. More importantly, they can identify areas in the health care system that need improvements and make rewarding suggestions. It is for all these reasons and more that it is deemed extremely important for all hospitals to have qualified and trained nurses.
What It Takes to Become a Nurse
A career in nursing offers massive opportunities to people who want to grow both spiritually and professionally. A nurse with an undergraduate degree can be licensed to serve as a practical or registered nurse. Once you have obtained a license, you can decide to further your education to be eligible for advanced nursing roles. However, before you become a qualified nurse there are several essential procedures that you have to follow. For instance, you have to enroll in a recognized institution for a diploma or degree in nursing. To enroll for a course in nursing you need to prove your proficiency in subjects such as biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.
Before you enroll for a nursing course it is important that you volunteer at a medical facility to gain the necessary experience. This is vital because it will give you an idea of what to expect when you become a qualified nurse. Some nursing schools make this requirement mandatory to any students planning to enroll for nursing. You should also take time to choose a recognized school for your training. Even though there are myriad colleges and universities offering nursing courses, not all of them have the capacity to offer reliable training. Remember your success in nursing will highly depend on the kind of training you get.
The Importance of Nurses
Without nurses, the health care industry would be crippled and incapable of meeting the needs of citizens. This is because they play an important role in delivering quality health care, looking after the medical and often, emotional need of patients. Nurses not only promote health but also educate the public and patients on injury and illness prevention. They provide care, support and assist in rehabilitation. In essence, there is no other profession in the health care industry that has such a far reaching and broad role. Their role transcends beyond caring for individuals since they are always on the forefront advocating for changes in the health sector.
Families are able to learn how to maintain healthy lifestyles and this is because the nurses help them understand the mental, physical, emotional and cultural experiences encountered during illness. Through their help, it is possible for families and patients to handle illness deal with its outcome and if absolutely necessary, live with the illness. In this manner, other areas of their lives go on normally.
More importantly, nurses also provide ongoing assessment of patient’s health and work around the clock using their vigilance and observation skills in order to ensure doctors deliver accurate diagnosis and suggest better treatments. So many lives have been saved by nurses because they are extremely attentive and as such, note warning signs before disaster strikes.