Everything You Need to Know About Telemetry Nurses
In every hospital unit, you’re bound to find specialized nurses that devote their training, skills, and time to provide the utmost level of medical care. Monitoring patients remotely after surgeries and other cardiac treatments are at the heart of telemetry nurses’ responsibilities – no pun intended. Whether you’re just starting your journey as a nurse or you’re looking to find a specialization, this is everything you need to know about telemetry nurses.
What is a Telemetry Nurse?
A telemetry nurse works with patients struggling with heart disease, heart failure, and other cardiac conditions. To understand a telemetry nurse, you have to understand the term telemetry, which comes from the words tele meaning “remote” and metron meaning “measure.”
Thus, a telemetry nurse monitors patients using remote electronic signals and specialized equipment. They monitor patients’ progress, provide medical care, and provide specific cardiac interventions in an emergency.
National average salary: $107,536 per year
Job outlook: 7% increase
Where Do Telemetry Nurses Work?
As their name states, telemetry nurses work in the telemetry unit of a hospital. These units provide care for patients leaving the intensive care unit (UCI) that still require consistent monitoring. In the telemetry unit, patients are more stable but even need close monitoring should their situation change.
Sometimes, telemetry nurses also find work in outpatient surgery centers and long-term care facilities. Other medicine areas may also employ a telemetry unit, so nurses may find themselves working with sleep clinics or neurological units.
What Kind of Patients Are On A Telemetry Unit?
The telemetry unit receives a wide range of patients. Most patients need telemetry monitoring, particularly those with a history of high blood pressure, stroke, or a heart attack. Patients in this unit have a high turnout rate because most patients are already stepping down from a more intense level of care.
What Does a Telemetry Nurse Do?
In short, telemetry nurses provide care for patients with cardiovascular issues and related consequences. They perform frequent patient assessments to watch for any changes. This includes measuring blood pressure, levels of consciousness, and breathing patterns.
Telemetry nurses also operate heart monitoring equipment, perform diagnostic tests, and follow protocols to treat chest pain. Most of the time, nurses also assist with procedures like cardioversions and other procedures performed in the telemetry unit. However, their biggest responsibility is recognizing and responding to cardiac emergencies quickly.
The telemetry nurse has a mixture of responsibilities that include registered nurse duties and technical skills to monitor patients’ health.
Most responsibilities include:
- Caring for cardiac patients
- Using electronic equipment like an echocardiogram (EKG) and breathing machines to monitor patients
- Looking for cardiac baseline changes, arrhythmias, and abnormalities
- Responding to irregularities
- Performing stress tests
- Administering IVs and medications
- Monitoring telemetry units of hospitals
- Assisting cardiologists throughout cardiac procedures
- Using diagnostic tests to evaluate patients’ cardiac health
How Do You Become a Telemetry Nurse?
As a baseline, telemetry nurses are registered nurses (RNs). To become an RN, you need to earn either a Professional Nursing Associate’s Degree or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree. You must then pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and meet your state’s requirements for RN licensure.
After obtaining your RN licensure, you can start transitioning into telemetry. Consider speaking with a supervisor about your interest in telemetry and ask how you can train in this specialty. Unlike other specialties, there’s no central organization that focuses on telemetry certification. The two most common credentialing programs include the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN) and the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN).
Other certifications:
- The Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification obtained through the American Heart Association
- The Processive Care Certified (PCCN) certification given by the Association of Critical-Care Nurses
What Skills Do You Need to Be a Telemetry Nurse?
Telemetry nursing is a highly technical environment that requires a more specialized skill set. This career path involves acute care for patients experiencing cardiac problems. The dual nature of telemetry nursing that combines technical and practical skills separates them from other specializations.
Most common skills for telemetry nurses include:
- Understanding of cardiac rhythm monitoring techniques, interpretation, and treatment
- Knowledge of basic and advanced life support procedures
- Knowledge of drug dosage and continuous monitoring
- Knowledge of standard interventions to stabilize patients should an emergency arise
- Understanding of monitoring machinery
Starting Your Telemetry Nursing Career
If the above responsibilities sound like the type of work that interests you, there’s a straightforward path towards becoming a telemetry nurse. With a specialty like this, you could become a coveted travel nurse. At Stability Healthcare, we place nurses in hospitals across the United States in specialties like telemetry. Browse open jobs today!
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Top Benefits of Travel Nursing
Travel Nursing is a career that offers a unique set of perks. It’s one of the only jobs that gives you the opportunity to check off all of the places on your traveling bucket list. If that alone isn’t enough, keep reading to learn why you should be a travel nurse.
Live Anywhere You Want
As we mentioned before, travel nursing will have you checking places off of your bucket list left and right. With short placements, you’ll be able to experiences for just the right amount of time before you head to your next placement. If you near the end of your placement and realize you aren’t done exploring, it’s easy to extend.
Not only can you live in any city or town you want, but you can also live in any living arrangement you want. Live alone in an apartment, a house, a trailer, a treehouse, anywhere. Or even find a roommate or two! Travel nurses often times find a place together during their stays. You can learn more about finding a place to live on our blog.
Have Professional Flexibility + the Ability to Experience Different Work Environments
Being a traveler is great because it creates more opportunities to experience different areas of the hospital and work in different types of hospitals! As a traveler, you’ll be exposed to all types of practices and ways of doing things. Hospitals across the country vary in policy and rules but don’t worry they will fill you in and you won’t be left confused. With different hospitals requiring nurses to do things a certain way or have certain knowledge in a specific area – you’ll be growing your skills every day. If you ever return to a full-time stationary role, hospitals love seeing travel nursing roles on your resume for this exact reason.
In terms of flexibility, being a travel nurse is ideal because you can plan your placements whenever you want to. Once your placement ends at one hospital, you can wait however long you’d like until you pick up your next one. This makes it easier for scheduling off for big life moments and vacations.
Increase Your Earnings
Travel nurses typically see higher pay than the other nurses in the units, this is because a traveler is filling a role that NEEDS to be filled. On top of higher base pay, travelers will still receive the benefits that go along with being a full-time staffer.
Not only do travelers get paid for their work, but they also receive a housing stipend to go towards their living situation.
Job Security
When a hospital is looking for a travel nurse, it is because they need a spot to be filled. That’s right, travelers are always needed. This ensures that as long as your a rockstar in your role, you’re all set and don’t have to worry about facing layoffs or staff cuts. Who doesn’t love job stability 😉
Meet New People
One of the greatest gifts of travel nursing is the people that you meet along the way. Working in different hospitals and living in different places, the opportunities are endless for making new connections. Many travelers will grow out their communities and networks to sizes that they never thought possible leaving them with lifelong professional and personal relationships.
Some travelers will even form a pod and pick up assignments in the same cities so they can all live and experience new cities together.
Finding a Job is Easy
Finding a job is simple at Stability Healthcare. Stability offers an extensive list of travel nursing jobs. All it takes is one click on our website to get started!
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Tips For Your New Year’s Resolutions
Happy New Year! Now that we’re officially getting settled into 2021, we wanted to share some tips and ideas for journaling and setting goals. While this isn’t necessary and people can have mixed feelings on resolutions, the new year presents a great time to reflect and reset (especially after 2020). Check out our recruiter reflections on 2020 and scroll down to get started on your own!
2020
It’s helpful to start off with a self-reflection. Last year was a year like any other – ESPECIALLY for nurses and healthcare workers. One big feat we can all be proud of? Surviving a pandemic AND working through it on the frontlines.
Questions to ask yourself
How have I grown?
What have I learned about myself?
What is one thing I gained? One thing I let go of?
What is an obstacle I overcame?
What were my highs and lows of 2020?
Creative prompt
Draw, paint, write out, or print your top 3 moments of the year!
2021
Now let’s take our learnings and reflections and put 2020 in the past. 2021 will continue to prove challenging, but there is one thing is different – there is hope.
Questions to ask yourself
What brings me the most happiness?
What can I do this year to bring me closer to my ideal life? In what ways can I start living that life right now?
What goals can I set to help me have the kind of year I want?
How can I take those year-long goals and break them down into manageable pieces? What can I do this month? This week? Today?
Creative prompt
Draw, paint, or write out your top 3 goals for 2021. These can be anything from something tangible like taking a travel placement you’ve been dreaming about to being more positive at work.
Pick a word
If you’ve read through all of this and don’t feel like setting out goals and reflecting, this one is for you. Pick one word and then throughout your year when you are in moments of uncertainty remember that word. For us that word is optimism!
Is exploring new places or excelling in your career a 2021 goal? Check out all open travel nursing jobs at Stability Healthcare.
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Holiday Treats for the Unit
The holiday season is the perfect time to treat yourself and your coworkers. With things looking a little different in hospitals this holiday season, we wanted to put together some tips on how to bring treats into the break room and a few recipes to boost holiday spirit for yourself and for your fellow nurses.
Etiquette for Bringing Treats into the Break Room
- See if your hospital has any rules or regulations regarding bringing in shared food. This is applicable to any place of work, beyond travel nurses. If your boss says to not pass out treats, abide by those rules.
- Respect everyone’s religions and traditions. Try to not focus your treats on one particular holiday, like Christmas, for example. It’s fine to bring in cookies but refrain from baking them in the shape of a Christmas tree.
- Perhaps the most important question you can ask your coworkers before bringing in treats is if anyone has any allergies. A nut allergy is one of the most common, so a good rule of thumb is to generally avoid recipes that use nuts while bringing food into a common area. Use your best judgment, and if you have the ability to ask coworkers about any allergies, do so before bringing in any food to share. Label what you are bringing in, so coworkers know what they’re biting into.
- Don’t bring anything smelly. Although tuna finger sandwiches may sound like a good idea, particularly potent smelling fish is more likely to cause aromatic issues than anything.
- Consider how messy your treat is. Individually wrapped bags of chocolate may be a better idea than bringing in a cake that everyone has to slice. The easier to grab and consume, the better.
- Clean up afterward (and yes, you can accept help from your coworkers!). Nobody likes a messy breakroom. Make sure to clean up after your shift, and if applicable, store the treats in a safe area if people would like to eat them later on.
Easy Treat Example
Pretzels and rolos are a great, low-budget treat option that can be made in large batches. If you’d like to personalize them, throw them in a small treat bag with a tag with the person’s name on it. Or, a small bag with a tag that boasts a motivational phrase to cheer up your fellow travel nurses would work just as well.
- Purchase your choice of pretzels, like Snyder’s snap pretzels, and a bag of rolos.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place a row of pretzels. You don’t need much space in between them.
- Then, place one rolo in the center of each pretzel. Bake for roughly 2-3 minutes, or until you see the rolo start to slightly melt on top of the pretzel.
- Voila! Package as you please.
Extra Recipes
Basic Sugar Cookies (recipe from TheNew York Times)
Homemade Rice Krispy Treats (recipe from Shugary Sweets)
Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies (recipe from Allergylicious)
Vegan Peppermint Black Bean Brownies (recipe from Minimalist Baker)
2 Ingredient Dark Chocolate Truffles (recipe from Minimalist Baker)
Coconut Macaroons (recipe from the Huffington Post)
Holiday Popcorn Tins (from the Popcorn Factory)
Ready to get in on the holiday hospital treats? Find your next travel nursing placement at Stability Healthcare!
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Nurse of the Month: Marissa Cascio
We’re excited to announce our new Nurse of the Month series, where we highlight Stability’s rockstar nurses. Starting with OR nurse Marissa Cascio!
Marissa has always had an adventurous spirit. In her free time, she rock climbs, sails sailboats or scuba dives off the Southern California coast. As a travel nurse, when she drives from placement to placement, she brings a large hiking backpack with her full of supplies to stop anywhere in the country and camp, hike, see the sites.
Last Spring, a dangerous adventure presented itself in a way she didn’t see coming. The Los Angeles hospital where she worked as an OR nurse became flooded with COVID-19 patients. She said that over half the staff contracted the virus. But, just like she would for an off-roading trek through a canyon or desert, Marissa prepared herself. The hospital was drastically short on PPE, so each day she brought home her own mask and sterilized everything, and woke up with a fresh mask in the morning.
During the chaos, she had put in a request with her Stability recruiter to work somewhere she had been dreaming of living: Laguna Beach. This summer, a position opened up at Mission Hospital Providence, and within a few days, Marissa says she went in for an interview.
Now, after surviving the worst of Los Angeles’ COVID-19 surge, she says she essentially works on the beach.
“Every single patient has a beach view of the ocean,” Cascio said. “I just wanted to work somewhere that was actually… paradise.”
We caught up with Marissa and asked her some questions about travel nurse life:
Where are you from originally?
I’m from Pennsylvania. From a town called Greenville. It’s a really small town, a rural area. Like I lived on a dirt road.
Did you always want to go to the West Coast?
I always knew I wanted to travel. I never knew exactly where, but I always wanted to go to California.
Were you always aiming to be a travel nurse?
No actually, I wanted to go to medical school. And so at first, my bachelor’s was in nutrition and dietetics. And then I took all the prerequisites, all the courses, studied for the MCAT. And then last minute I changed my mind. I was dating someone who was already in medical school, and I was like, This is not what I want. So I finished out all my courses and then I went to the accelerated RN program. I got my bachelor’s in one year at Rochester University in New York. I didn’t know until afterward, but it’s the top 3% of nursing programs in the nation.
So eventually you became a travel nurse… what made you want to work with Stability?
I signed up with Stability because I have been traveling for so long. It has been five years now. And I kind of just heard word of mouth, what are good companies and what are bad companies and what are like companies that, you know, stand up for their staff, and their nurses. I was so unhappy with my other agencies, I decided to make this change and I’ve been happy ever since.
What’s the travel nursing community like in general?
There definitely is and it’s more just about the locations you’re in and that’s how you get to like meet people and travel around. I’ve definitely made a lot of friends.
Where do you want to travel next?
Oh gosh, the list never ends. I want to go everywhere. Maybe San Diego next and then I’ll go over to Arizona and Nevada and back to Oregon or something, I don’t even know.
Do you have any hobbies you do outside of work?
I scuba dive. I go fishing. I rock climb. I do triathlons. All kinds of stuff. Oh and I’m also an Instagram influencer. I actually just started doing it just like six months ago. And I went from 1000 followers all the way up, like 55,000 followers. So weird.
Do you have a favorite snack in the break room when you’re working long shifts?
String cheese. There’s nothing better than string cheese and playing with it to get your mind off of things.
Is there anything in your nursing life that you just like cannot live without?
Probably my dog. I have a little French Bulldog. His name is Gus. I sometimes call him Gustavo when he looks like an old man. He always travels with me.
Is there anything that you pack (not nursing related) for every move to a new placement?
I have a well, it’s a backpacking bag. And so it’s always ready to go with like five or six days worth of food, fire supplies. It has a pillow, a sleeping bag, everything ready to go backpacking — the shoes, like lines and ropes, and everything like that. So that way if I’m traveling from one place to the other place, and I see something I want to explore, I can just throw on my backpack and go.
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COVID Updates: Precautions Are More Important Than Ever
Although it’s been roughly nine months since countries across the world have been in various states of lockdown, COVID numbers continue to rise, and precautions are more important than ever. However, it’s still a great time to be a travel nurse. View updated stats relating to COVID and the latest suggested steps to COVID prevention below:
Pay Benefits of Being a Travel Nurse Right Now
- Despite the pandemic, right now is a good time to be a travel nurse. Hospital and the medical field needs plenty of help, a good role for a travel nurse to fill.
- As stated on Nurse.org, the pay for a travel nurse has skyrocketed since the beginning of the pandemic. Typically, travel nurses earn around $3000 per week, but as an incentive to work during the pandemic, that pay rate has increased in some places to over $10,000 per week.
- If you have additional questions on how to become a travel nurse, the Stability Healthcare blog has plenty of information to offer.
COVID Cases are the Highest They’ve Been
- On December 2nd alone, The New York Times reported 2,885 new coronavirus deaths and 199,988 cases across the United States. Currently, in the US, there have been over 14 million reported cases and over 257,000 deaths. Keep in mind these are only reported cases, not including those who may have been asymptomatic and went untested or those unable to get tested due to limited testing capability.
- Rising COVID numbers vary by state. Although numbers are high across the USA, there are a few states where numbers are slowly decreasing, such as Maine, Vermont, and Hawaii. Texas has now surpassed California and leads with the highest number of reported COVID cases.
- COVID numbers outside of the United States vary between countries. According to CNN, the US leads the world in the highest number of cases and death, with India following behind with 9.5 million cases and 138,000+ deaths.
Worry Surrounding the Upcoming Holidays
- Multiple government officials and healthcare leaders, including Dr. Fauci, have expressed concern that COVID numbers will aggressively rise due to the holidays. Dr. Fauci has called on self mitigation to help prevent the spread of COVID, however, without any official mandates in place, increasing numbers are still expected.
CNBC stated that “while the CDC warned people against traveling for Thanksgiving, more than 9 million people traveled in airports running up to and after the holiday.”
- As seen during Thanksgiving, families and friends tend to gather during holidays, which poses an elevated risk for contracting and infecting others with COVID. Not only are people more likely to interact maskless with others they do not live or work with, but the longer the time people are together, the higher the probability of contracting COVID from an infected person is.
- If you do plan on gathering with family or friends for the holidays, the CDC encourages wearing masks, being six feet apart from others, and frequently washing hands. There is less risk of congregating outdoors while still wearing a mask while not eating or having a drink. Guests should remain on the quieter side, since taking and singing loudly have proven to pose a higher risk of passing COVID. View the full list of prevention methods here.
New Vaccine Developments and Who Will Get it First
- Multiple companies have announced developed vaccines that are reliable and effective, but none are yet officially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. According to the CDC, in late November there were five different COVID vaccines that were in large-scale clinicals trails: AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. It’s expected that some versions of the vaccine will be approved by mid-December, which will spur a roll-out amongst several states.
- As reported by NPR, the general consensus is that the vaccine “should go to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and assisted living.” Due to its expected limited availability, people within those groups might also be parsed through to determine who is in greatest need for a vaccine. NPR points out that the primary goal of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is to “reduce severe illness and death from the disease and to lessen disruptions to society and the economy from the pandemic.” The CDC released a loose plan for vaccine roll-outs which can be viewed here.
- When the vaccine will be made to the general public is hard to say. Those who don’t work in a healthcare position and who aren’t considered high risk might be waiting until spring or summer 2020
Other COVID-related News
- Surprising many, the CDC has revised its quarantine guidelines. Originally, people were encouraged to quarantine for 14 days following a known exposure. Now, the CDC says that a seven-day quarantine will suffice if said person gets a negative test result after being tested no earlier than the seventh day. Additionally, quarantine can end if the exposed person isolates for 10 days with no symptoms.
COVID statistics are continuously updated. Suggested sources are The New York Times, CNN, and any other reputable publications and sites. The CDC is the best source regarding information on how to keep yourself and others safe from COVID.
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Job Highlight: Med Surg
Med-Surg nurses are the largest nursing specialty – you can find them in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and anywhere surgery is taking place. They are essential to the preparation and recovery of surgical patients.
As a well-rounded nurse, their knowledge is broad, making med surge nurses excellent problem solvers and an important asset to any hospital team.
Here’s what to expect when signing up to be a Med-Surg travel nurse.
The Basics
A Med-Surg nurse is also known as a medical-surgical nurse. This specialty has become more popular over the last decade. Med-Surg nurses provide surgical care to patients who are both in and out of the operating room.
To become a Med-Surg nurse, nurses should become a medical-surgical RN, registered nurse first assistant (RNFA), or they should earn a master’s degree in surgical nursing. The RNFA credential is most common. Nurses should check with their state nursing board about its educational requirements.
Med-Surg nurses from a travel nursing agency are in the trenches of healthcare. They help with surgical procedures, admission and discharge paperwork, post-op follow-ups, pain management, wound care, patient education, and more.
They engage in sub-specialties like general surgery, orthopedic surgery, plastic surgery, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, and plastic surgery.
Key Traits
Med-Surg nurses are integral to offering the very best pre and post-operative care possible. They ensure a patient’s comfort and safety before, during, and after anesthesia. They may even stay by a patient’s side to monitor, advocate, collaborate and provide care throughout a procedure or surgery.
These are multi-functional parts of the care team. They can be involved in all kinds of medical procedures, including regional anesthesia, general, pain management, and sedation. They start by reviewing a patient’s history. Then they work with the physician and perioperative team. They personalize each patient’s plan of care.
The modern Med-Surg nurse is empathetic, intuitive, and compassionate. Patients are often afraid and vulnerable before surgery. A Med-Surg nurse should reassure and comfort the patient while alleviating any of their anxieties. After surgery, a Med-Surg nurse must continue to focus only on the patient. While doing so, they need to always communicate and collaborate with the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and other perioperative personnel.
Finding the Perfect Position
As you consider travel nursing, Med-Surg nurses are always in high demand. These positions are often available and needed due to the broad knowledge base of Med-Surg nurses.
To land your next travel nursing job, contact Stability Healthcare today.
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Tips for Making Your Temporary Housing Feel More Like Home
As a travel nurse, you’re used to being on the road. While everyone goes about it a little differently when it comes to moving and packing, there is one thing that most travel nurses have in common: you have to pack light. You may have seen our tips for finding housing or how to pack, but with the cold months approaching we want to talk about feeling cozy and comfortable in your temporary housing.
Making your temporary housing feel cozy is so important, especially in the midst of a pandemic when we’re spending a lot of time at home. Home should be a place where you feel most comfortable. With these simple tips, you’ll be snuggling up in a homey environment in no time.
Plants
Who can deny that a plant suddenly transforms a space. They naturally filter air pollutants, they’re calming, stress-relieving, and overall provide a wonderful mood boost. Plants can absorb harmful gases through the pores in their leaves, filtering the air in your room. Keep an eye on our blog later this month for a guide to which plants are the best, but for now to keep it simple here are some of the easiest plants to keep alive while traveling from place to place: succulents, snake plant, and aloe vera.
Blankets
As children, everyone had their favorite blanky. It brought comfort, safety, and familiarity. It doesn’t hurt adults to have a favorite blanket that you keep with you to snuggle up with. A nice blanket, whether it be a fun fleece print that you love, something your grandma handknitted for you, or just something so soft you can’t resist, is a guaranteed way to cozy up a space and make it feel more like home.
Candles
Did you know candles can increase focus, improve your mood, and even help you remember positive memoreis? Finding a scent that is familiar and reminds you of home is the perfect way to transform any sort of temporary housing you may be staying in into your home. Plus, there’s no better way to set the mood for an evening of relaxation after a long shift.
Photos
We can’t forget photos! Nothing beats a photo of a pleasant memory to boost your mood. Print up a handful of your most favorite moments that have been captured and bring them with you on all of your placements. You can hang them on a wall, spread them out on a dresser, or even just have them sitting in a stack on your bed side table. These physical momentos will bring you joy when you need it most. 
Art
While some people may find it a bit extreme to travel with art, it can actually be the key to transforming a space. Find one or two pieces of art that you love – a print by your favorite illustrator, an old movie poster you found at a flea market, something that used to hang in your childhood home. When you go from place to place, find a new spot for your art and it will feel right at home and provide a sense of consistency and familiarity.
Ready to embark on your next adventure? Vist Stability Healthcare to book a travel nursing placement today!
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Best Travel Nursing Destinations for Winter
One of the benefits of being a travel nurse is the option to work virtually anywhere in the world. Assignment choices vary depending on experience, specialty, and desired location, but being able to change up your travel nursing destination means that you can move with the seasons. Here are some of the best travel nursing destinations for winter – whether you love or hate it.
If You Want To Warm Up…
Tampa, Florida: Tampa is an ideal travel nursing destination to escape the harsh winter climates because winter all but does not exist in this Central Florida locale. Even if you don’t necessarily want to take a dip in the Gulf of Mexico, you can walk alongside the ocean, enjoy the expanses of greenspaces or enjoy outdoor markets with average winter daytime temperatures in the 60s and 70s. The USF healthcare system as well as Tampa’s extensive population of retirees means travel nurses have plenty of options for work here as well.
San Francisco, California: This is another city that is seasonably mild throughout the winter months. While the fog may cool things down at night and in the morning, you can expect to enjoy outdoor recreation in San Francisco year-round. It is the heart of northern California, which also means that travel nursing assignments are diverse as the opportunities for fun in this locale.
Phoenix, Arizona: Job opportunities across a wide spectrum of healthcare systems and stunning desert scenery make Phoenix one of the top travel nursing destinations. This might not be your ideal option during the summer months, but if a winter escape is what you are after, then this metropolis in the desert should be high on your list. The surrounding mountain ranges mean you can spend time camping, hiking, or fishing while the rest of the country breaks out the snow gear.
If You Love Cold Weather…
Denver, Colorado: You get all the appeal of a bigger city with the wintry weather that guarantees great skiing, snowboarding or nights spent watching snowfall next to a roaring fireplace. Moreover, the extensive healthcare system in Denver means plenty of opportunities for work for travel nurses.
New York City, New York: If you’re on the hunt for travel nursing destinations that will allow you to make the most of the winter weather, then NYC is your spot. Sledding in Central Park, ice skating at Rockefeller Center, and of course the myriad holiday decorations bring the city to live. The job opportunities here are plentiful as well as some of the top hospital systems in the world are found around the city.
Bar Harbour, Maine: This is touted as one of the best-kept secrets for an exciting winter adventure. If you want to ingratiate yourself into the season, the beauty and authenticity of Bar Harbour can’t be beat. Acadia National Park offers opportunities for snowshoeing and the shops, while less crowded, all decorate for the holidays with festive fanfare. As travel nursing destinations go, there are plentiful options for job opportunities.
Ready to head to your winter wonderland? Stability Healthcare offers travel nursing placements all across the country. Find your next placement today.
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A Fall Day Off in NYC
Are you currently working in or around NYC? Do you want some inspiration for your next placement? If the answer is yes to either of those questions, then this article is for you! Here are our top November activities in and around NYC:
Wander Around a Museum
Just in time for fall, most museums are reopening with additional COVID guidelines and limited capacity. Don’t miss some of our favorite exhibits, “The Nature of Color” at the American Museum of Natural History and “Studio 54: Night Magic” at the Brooklyn Museum. Tip: make you book a reservation ahead of time!
Visit Storm King Art Center
Hop on the Metro-North or drive a car about an hour north of NYC to visit Storm King Art Center – an outdoor sculpture museum sprawled across several acres of land. Take a look at one of their current featured exhibits, “Outlooks” by Martha Tuttle, which “comprises a series of human-made stone stacks or cairns, built of boulders gathered at Storm King, and molded glass and carved marble stones, which the artist created by hand during the winter and spring of 2020.”
Explore Central Park
The iconic Central Park is at it’s prime in the fall. With the leaves changing, the park is a glorious fall escape from city life. Pack a picnic and make it a day-long excursion or spend multiple trips exploring the 840 acres that make up the park.
Take A Drive
Once you get out of the city, New York is filled with scenic tree-filled routes. Make your best fall playlist, hop in the car, and go explore upstate New York. While apple picking season has mostly come to an end, there are still lots of farms and shops you can stop at along the way.
Scope Out Vintage Finds
With the cold just around the corner, you’ll want to cozy up your space. Spend the day browsing vintage shops to find little pieces that make your place feel warm and comforting. Take a look at Mother of Junk in Williamsburg and Dobbin St. Vintage Co-op in Greenpoint. Keep an eye on our blog later this month for some tips on how to cozy up your space!
See a Drive-In Movie
While not many good things came from COVID, one positive is the increase in outdoor movies. Cuddling up with your favorite blanket and a surplus of snacks to watch a movie under the stars has never sounded so good. Check out Skyline Drive-In in Greenpoint or the Belair in Astoria. If neither of those work, there are locations across all of 5 boroughs.
Discover the Botanical Gardens
Head to the Bronx’s for The New York Botanical Gardens. You’ll see a collection of roses, daylilies, hydrangeas, water lilies, and lotuses, and more. If you can’t make it, you can explore their online exhibits like “Black Botany: The Nature of Black Experience, which seeks to acknowledge the complex relationship between enslaved Black people, nature, and the colonial environment and reconsider the conscious omission of Black knowledge of the natural world.”
