Five Side Hustles for Travel Nurses
If you’re in need of some extra cash and in between travel placements, there are other ways you can use your nursing (or traveling) skills to earn a little bit of income. Side hustles aren’t a replacement for full-time work, but they can be fun and sometimes creative ways to make a little extra spending money, especially in a time when everyone is feeling financial burdens.
Here are five fun ways you can make a little more money without having to take on that extra shift at work.
Become a CPR teacher
If you’re a nurse, you most likely had to take a CPR class at some point. Now you can put those dreaded weekend class hours to good use. Check with your local YMCA, Red Cross or community health clinic and see if they are looking for CPR instructors. Coming from a nursing background will put you at a great advantage above other candidates.
The pay for these kinds of positions usually ranges from $10 to $20 an hour. It’s not much, but is a solid, low stress way of making a little bit of extra cash if you’re willing to put in the weekend time, especially if you are currently in between placements!
Blogging/Instagram
This is a pretty common side-hustle for nurses. Your expertise as healthcare professionals is of pretty high value for the average googler, wondering what their symptoms mean, how they should address aches, pains, bruises etc. If you have a natural knack for writing, blogging could be a really fun way to earn a little and help a lot.
The first step to blogging is figuring out what you’re going to write about. Writing about your experience being a nurse or about health and nutritional tips is an easy go-to, but if you have other interests, you might consider blogging about those instead. There are successful, money-making blogs about any number of things: cars, tech, yoga, food. As a travel nurse, it might also be a no-brainer to start a travel blog or travel Instagram.
You have to play the long game if you’re looking to make money by starting a blog or becoming an Instagram influencer. You won’t make a lot of money at first, but if you invest some time and do enough research, you might end up with a reliable stream of additional income. The key is to strategize how to grow your follower base. Then you can start enlisting affiliate links on your site and see some income flow in.
If you want to learn more, here’s a great guide to how to start a nursing blog.
Tutor
You’ve already gone through the trials and tribulations of nursing school. You know the ins and outs, every study routine that works and every one that doesn’t work. Not to mention you probably know the material like the back of your hand at this point. Freshman nursing students could benefit from your expertise!
There are some official tutoring services you could seek out, or you could go rogue and do your own thing. Put a feeler out on campus Facebook pages, bulletins or newsletters and see if any students are in need of a tutor. Your rate could range from $10 to $40 an hour depending on how generous you’re willing to be and how much college students are willing to dish out.
You also don’t have to only tutor nursing students. We’d wager a guess that your knowledge of biology and science might be up to snuff to help kids in grade school and even high school.
Health coaching
This is a fun and fulfilling one. As a nurse, you’re already inclined to want to help your patients live in the healthiest way possible so they can get better. So who better to start clients on a wellness journey? Being a health coach involves setting goals with your clients and walking through their week with them step by step. It can be really rewarding.
You do have to get certified to be a health coach, but the process isn’t too grating. You can learn more about getting an ACE Health Coach Certification here.
Once you have your certification, many insurance companies will hire health coaches for their clients, and there are a number of wellness agencies looking for folks to work as contractors, where you can make anywhere from $200 to $2,000 a month. You can also just start your own business and spread the word through friends and family. That way you can work with your own rates. Whether it’s $100 a month or $50 a session. You make the rules!
Start an Etsy shop
Lean into your creative side! Quarantine is making all of us cling to our hobbies or form new ones. Why not make some money doing something you love?
Starting an Etsy shop can be a fun way to harvest your entrepreneurial spirit. Coming to this from a nursing perspective can actually be very profitable for you. What’s a product that other shops might not anticipate nurses wanting or needing? One blogger sold homemade ID badge holders for nurses and made a buck. The mask-making market might be a little oversaturated at this point, but maybe you’ve found a good hairpin hack for keeping your mask on throughout the day. Think outside the box!
Etsy is also a great place to sell anything creative. If you love embroidering, painting, making candles in your time off, consider making a shop and selling some goods.
If you’re interested in becoming a travel nurse, Stability Healthcare is your go-to for finding some of the best travel nursing opportunities in America.
Search for career opportunities, set an interview, and book your next nursing assignment through our detailed online portal. Browse for travel nursing jobs here and find your ideal placement today…
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Seven Essential Oils for Stress Relief
As COVID-19 cases ramp up again, stress management is key, especially for a travel nurse. If you’re looking for new ways to manage anxiety, natural mind/body remedies can be helpful tools. To some, it might sound like some hippie witchy-woo-woo, but there is research that suggests aromatherapy and essential oils are useful in calming the mind and body. They certainly can’t hurt.
If you’re new to the essential oil game, here are seven oils that are known to help manage stress. You can rub these on your skin, diffuse them into your room, spray them on your clothes, or take a bath in them.
Jasmine Oil
A study in 2013 suggested that inhaling Jasmine oil can promote a sense of well-being and even romance. The scent derived from white flowers has always been popular for it’s sweet fragrance. It even shows up in a number of perfumes. Now some scientists believe it has a calming benefit to the central nervous system, and unlike similar oils, it calms without causing sleepiness. So you can diffuse it in the mornings before work!
Lavender Oil
Lavender is one of the most common essential oils, and a familiar scent to most. But it’s ability to clear and calm the mind has also been backed up by science. A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine asked participants to complete a memory-related task after exposing them to a stresser. Those who had inhaled a lavender aroma prior to the stressor performed better on the test than those who were given a placebo oil. It’s thought to calm anxiety through impacting the limbic system, the part of the brain that controls emotions.
Many use lavender oil as a spray. And in fact a study in the International Journal of Nursing Practice showed that using a 3% lavender oil spray reduced work-related stress for up to four days. You can also take a nice lavender bath by mixing the oil with an unscented bath gel.
Ylang Ylang Oil
Ylang Ylang, a scent derived from the tropical plant native to India, has been proven to reduce blood pressure and stress-hormone levels. It’s an oil better consumed later in the day rather than before work. One study found that while Ylang Ylang limited stress, it also impaired memory and lengthened processing speed.
Lemon Balm Oil
A 2011 study showed that taking lemon balm capsules may help people with mild to moderate anxiety disorders, as well as improve sleep. And when diffused into a room, lemon balm provides a fresh and uplifting scent.
Bergamot Oil
If you’re a fan of Earl Grey, you’ll like this one. Bergamot is derived from a citrus fruit and is the featured aroma in the famous tea. It also may relieve your stress. Several studies show that bergamot can help improve negative emotions. And one study in 2015 linked bergamot to lowering saliva cortisol levels, a hormone often called the body’s “stress hormone.”
If you plan to use bergamot on the skin or in a bath, make sure you combine it with a carrier oil (like avocado or jojoba), as too much bergamot can cause irritation to the skin.
Holy Basil Oil
If flowery scents aren’t your thing, give a few drops of Holy Basil a try. It’s not quite the same basil you’d use to make garlic bread, but it has a similar smell. It contains a compound called eugenol which gives it a minty scent combined with a spicy aroma. One study in 2014 showed that holy basil has the potential to treat mental and physical stress.
Remember, just like the Italian food you’d cook with it, a little bit of holy basil goes a long way. You only need a few drops to diffuse the homey smell into your apartment.
Yuzu Oil
Yuzu oil has been used in Japanese culture for centuries for its therapeutic properties. It is pressed from the fruit peel of the Citrus Junos Tree. Its scent is somewhere between a mandarin and a grapefruit. It’s also a great natural tool for stress relief.
According to a small study back in 2013, yuzu was found to decrease salivary chromogranin A, an indicator of stress. It’s also thought that the essential oil can suppress the sympathetic nervous system, which produces the body’s fight or flight instinct. So yuzu might not be best for a high stakes situation, but it’s great for relaxation.
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COVID Travel Safety Guide
As Coronavirus cases are ramping up in nearly every state in America, it’s becoming a bit more complicated to be a travel nurse. But if you’re planning to hop on a plane in the next few weeks to your next work destination, this guide has you covered. Here’s everything you should know about how travel is changing right now, and the best tips to staying safe, whether you’re commuting in a plane, train, bus or car.
Top Tips for Traveling Safe
Start planning your “Corona Travel Kit” weeks before you leave
Hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes, and other sanitary necessities are becoming hot commodities again. If you know you’re traveling, make sure you’re stocked up well ahead of time. And think hard about what you’ll need in various travel situations.
For instance, if you’re flying, you can only carry on a bottle of hand sanitizer that contains 12 ounces or less. So stock up on mini-bottles. And also consider alcohol and Clorox wipes (get both) as a better option for flying. After all, wipes can also sanitize where you’re sitting and putting your hands on. And you can use them to wipe down your phone and wallet. Disposable gloves can be useful too, but make sure not to touch your face with your gloves on.
If you’re driving, there are a couple of other items to consider bringing with you. Keep a package of trash bags handy as your Clorox wipes and disposable gloves begin to pile up. You could also consider buying an air purifier for your car if you’re driving with others.
Avoid shopping while traveling
Whether you’re flying or driving, the most likely way you’d come into contact with strangers is through shopping. Whether it’s buying a snack at a gas station, or a water bottle at the Starbucks near your terminal, this is putting you at extra-risk of interacting with strangers and touching items that others have likely also put their hands on. Just plan ahead and avoid this altogether if you can. Bring more snacks than you think you need, and plan for a packed lunch and possibly dinner, even if you’re flying. Bring an emptied reusable water bottle if you’re flying. And if you’re driving, bring multiple water bottles (though don’t drink so much that you have to stop to pee all the time).
Speaking of peeing, do it at your house before you go!
Cover that face!
It’s human nature to want to touch your face, and it’s a habit that is incredibly difficult to crack. So the easiest way to stop yourself from doing it in a high-risk situation like traveling is to cover as much of your face as possible. Wearing a mask is a given, but also wear your reading glasses or even your sunglasses if you can. It might not take the temptation away, but if you have to take the extra step of taking your glasses off before rubbing your eyes, you’ll have time to realize what you’re doing and quickly put some hand sanitizer on.
Check in to your flight online/ use a carry-on suitcase
Another way to avoid as much human contact as possible while flying is to check in ahead of time online, and try and limit yourself to a carry-on suitcase. That way you can head straight to security and skip a step of standing in line and talking to TSA.
Take a window seat
When you travel by air, you’re actually at quite a limited risk of contracting disease from inhaling particles because of the HEPA air filters found on most planes. But still, it’s hard to abide by the 6-feet-apart social distancing guidelines when you’re crammed in a plane. While you might usually prefer the aisle seat, consider taking the window seat instead. The aisle will put you in close contact with flight attendants and any passenger getting up to use the restroom.
Also, wear a mask for the duration of your flight. We know it sucks. But it will ensure your safety and the safety of those around you.
When driving, prepare for the worst
Limiting how many times you stop during a road trip also means prepping as much as you can to avoid emergency stops. AAA isn’t always going to save you, and it will put you in contact with strangers. Also, because of COVID-19, a lot of local repair shops have limited hours. Try and be as self sufficient as you can. Make sure you have a spare tire and jack, and practice changing a tire before you go. Get new wipers, your oil changed and your fluids topped off before you leave. Maybe even have someone who knows cars pretty well take a look at your engine.
As a last resort, look up all the auto-repair shops along your root and jot down their hours and numbers.
Change your mindset
If you’ve been in one place for several months, you might start getting lax about sanitizing your hands, not touching your face, or keeping 6 feet away from others. Even if you’ve been going into a hospital every day, it’s easy to be lulled into a sense of normalcy around this virus as we’re now into month four of the pandemic. So hours before you board a plane or get into a car to travel cross-state, put yourself into a little bit of a panic mode. You don’t want to have so much anxiety about traveling that you freak out and don’t think properly, but a little bit of fear can be powerful. Read a couple articles about the dangers of COVID-19 before you leave the house, to refamiliarize yourself with the risk you’re facing.
Make a checklist
And then once you’re sufficiently scared of this possibly-deadly virus, immediately make a checklist for everything you need to be mindful of before you get into an airport or a car.
For example:
- Am I touching my face?
- Am I applying hand sanitizer every 15 minutes or so, or before I touch my face? (You could even make a timer on your phone)
- Has my phone or wallet come in contact with any surface?
- When I’m taking my mask off for any reason, are my hands clean?
- What are the conditions in which it’s okay to take my mask off?
- How can I avoid contact with strangers as much as possible?
- If I’m driving, how many times should I expect to stop?
- Have I wiped down the gas pump before using it?
Plan for after you arrive
If you’re flying into your new destination, make sure you’re thinking about how you’ll get to where you’re staying once you get off the plane. Public transportation has been shut down in many states, and shuttles can be too-close-for-comfort. If you’re going to take an Uber, make sure to keep your mask on and the window down. Also look up where the pick-up location for ride-shares and taxis is before you land.
Also, if you’re staying in an AirBnb or some other temporary lodging, go to the state website and see if they’ve placed any kind of guidelines or restrictions on lodging. Some places like Maine, require you to present a negative COVID-19 test to the owners of your AirBnB or hotel.
Get Tested!
The best way to limit your travel and stress levels? Get tested for COVID-19 before you head out, and after you arrive. Make sure you get your test in time to have the results back before you leave, and try to quarantine as best you can while waiting for results.
Some states or workplaces ask that you get a test within 24 hours of arriving in your city. But if this isn’t your situation, try and wait four or five days after traveling to get tested. It’s more likely your test will be accurate if you wait a few days beyond when you think you might have been exposed. If you’re forced to take a test right when you get into the city, maybe take another one a week later, just to be safe.
Navigating travel restrictions
As states like Texas and Florida have begun seeing more cases than ever before, some other states are closing or restricting their borders to outside travelers coming from certain areas. If you’re traveling on assignment, these restrictions don’t necessarily all apply to you. Most states have made exceptions for essential workers, but it is still important to know all the rules before you travel. This will allow you to plan ahead and possibly arrive in a city a few weeks before your assignment starts if you are expected to quarantine. Restrictions can change week-by-week and even day-by-day, but here are some of the states that have travel restrictions as of Thursday, July 2.
Connecticut, New York and New Jersey
Governors of the tri-states all came together late in June and decided they would place restrictions on travelers coming from high COVID areas. Travelers coming from a state that has a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10% or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average are expected to quarantine for 14 days.
These states as of Thursday are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah. You can always check for updates here.
Each of the three states has slightly varied exemptions for essential workers and short-term travel, as well as enforcement.
In New York, essential workers, which includes almost any kind of health care worker, “should seek diagnostic testing for COVID-19 as soon as possible upon arrival (within 24 hours) to ensure they are not positive.” They’re also directed to avoid spending prolonged time in public places or congregate settings for at least 7 days. So don’t go to the outdoor patio bar until you’ve gotten your COVID test results back. If you are reported or caught violating any of these travel restrictions in New York, you’re subject to a $2,000 fine. Governor Andrew Cuomo hasn’t gone into great detail about what enforcement will look like, but you might want to have some kind of hospital or work identification with you at all times, especially in the airport. You can read the full travel advisory here.
Connecticut’s travel policy is a little more lax. It simply states that travelers who work in critical infrastructure as designated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are exempt from quarantine. You might want to call the helpline if you are working somewhere that is not an Emergency Room, because the CISA only designates “emergency medical services” as essential. Connecticut has no fine for violators of the quarantine. “It will be up to individuals to abide by the advisory.”
Finally, New Jersey says that anyone “traveling for business” is exempt from the quarantine rule. While vague, this should include travel nurses. And the quarantine is technically voluntary.
New Mexico
At the start of June, New Mexico reinstated its order that outside travelers from anywhere must self-quarantine for 14 days. Healthcare workers are excluded from this policy, but if you have friends or family traveling with you, check out all the rules related to travel quarantine here.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s list of states subject to travel restrictions is even longer than the tri-state list. You can check out the current 24 states here. If you’re traveling from one of these states, you are expected to quarantine for 14 days, OR you can get a COVID-19 test and only quarantine until you receive negative results.
If you need to go to work straight away, you can also get a COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to your arrival in Rhode Island, and the restrictions will be waived when your results come back negative.
Maine
Maine requires that all travelers coming from anywhere except New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont, quarantine for 14 days, or get a COVID-19 negative test result shortly before or after arriving. Maine is particularly strict with its policy, and requires non-residents to sign a Certificate of Compliance indicating either that they have received a negative COVID-19 test result or that they will quarantine in Maine for 14 days. If you’re staying in an Airbnb, hotel or any other kind of lodging, you’ll be expected to present this Certificate of Compliance to the owner of said establishment. Essential workers are exempt from this.
Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts
To check out the details of all these states’ travel restrictions, go to this Southwest page. Southwest, and most other airlines, keep track of all the changing travel restrictions on their home sites, so keep checking them regularly to see if any of these policies might affect you.
Itching to travel to your next destination?
Now that you’re informed about how to keep yourself safe while traveling, are you ready to pick a new nursing gig? Remember that with Stability Healthcare, you can easily find great travel nursing placements. Sign up today!
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Tackling Debt as a Travel Nurse
People have various reasons for becoming a travel nurse. For one, there’s the flexibility of time off between contracts. Then, there’s the opportunity to travel. But, with the average nursing student graduating with anywhere between $40,000 and $54,900 in debt, the pay difference compared to being a staff nurse, is reason enough to choose this lifestyle.
However, as a travel nurse, tackling your student loan debt, in addition to your traveling debt can seem quite the challenge. Don’t despair, the fact that you’re currently working as a travel nurse will help you tremendously to tackle your loans and become debt-free.
Understand Your Debt
To tackle your debt efficiently, you must understand how each one works. For example, most student loans have fluctuating interest rates and high fees. On the other hand, credit card debts tend to have high-interest rates too. But then, you have something like a mortgage, which hopefully has a fixed rate.
Most people assume tackling their most significant debt first should be their strategy. However, most financial experts agree that handling your debts with the highest interest rates, fluctuating rates, or high fees, should be your priority.
For example, the average student loan carries an interest rate of 4.53% to 7.08%. But, the average interest rate on credit cards is 15.09%. So, following the one-debt-at-a-time technique, you should focus on your credit card payments first, and then, start tackling your student loan.
Of course, each case will be different. If you’re struggling with multiple debts and loans, consider speaking to a financial expert that can help guide your decision on how to tackle debt.
Cut Down Expenses Back Home
Once you’re aware of the structure of your debt, it’s time to find ways to save more money. One way to do that? By cutting expenses back home. Check if your house qualifies as a tax home, and if there are some tax deductions, you can benefit from every year. Perhaps you can deduct meals, certain travel expenses, and even professional expenses.
If you own a home, consider if there’s a possibility to rent out a room while you’re gone. If you live by yourself, maybe listing your place on Airbnb while you’re on assignment can help you bring in additional income. Ask your cable and Internet provider to see if you can pause the service for the months you’ll be on assignment.
Otherwise, do your best to downside your permanent home and figure out ways to cut down on expenses such as gardening, utilities, and so on.
Set Up an Assignment Budget
Having a budget will help you get a better idea of where you’re spending money. Working long hours and fluctuating schedules can easily change your perspective on spending. Between transportation expenses, rent, travel arrangments, taxes, and so on, it can be easy to drop large sums of money without realizing it. Thus, ending up with more debt than ever before.
As you create your budget, set different categories for your recurring expenses, for example:
- Food and dining
- Personal products
- Transporation
- Rent
- Entertainment
- Miscellaneous
Give yourself some wiggle room in each one of these categories to have some potential money leftover.
Then, once you can see how much money is left over, you can create a separate budget to allocate a payment towards paying your debts. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate plan, list your debts by priorities, and highlight how much you will be able to pay each month.
Control Your Travel Expenses
Even though, as a travel nurse, you spend most of the days working, travel expenses can add up quickly. Make sure you’re using the budget to help you stay on track with your expenses. Analyze where you can cut down:
- Consider driving towards your assignment city versus flying
- Think about finding a roommate(s) to divide living expenses
- Choose smaller towns that have lower living-costs than larger cities
- Avoid eating out as much as possible
- Analyze the pros and cons of using public transportation versus renting a vehicle
Overall, being mindful of your expenses will help you work towards minimizing your debt in the long run. If you’re able to stick with your budget, managing your expenses shouldn’t be an issue.
Keep in mind that life happens, and as a travel nurse, shifts can often be everchanging, making your expenses the last thing on your mind. Consider syncing your bank account and credit cards to a budget app on your smartphone to stay organized. Make sure you have automatic payments set up for your credit cards to avoid late-fees. Set up reminders or auto-pays for your non-high-priority debts, so you can at least pay the minimum balance each month.
The Benefits of Being a Travel Nurse
Travel nurses earn slightly more than staff nurses, placing you at an advantage to tackle your debt. If you’re able to track your expenses, take advantage of tax deductions for travel nurses, and set up your budget, most likely, you’ll be able to pay off your debt.
It might be challenging in the beginning, and cut-cutting measurements might take time to become habits, but you can do this. Remember that all of these steps towards a debt-free life are somewhat temporary. Once you’re able to get rid of your most burdening debts, you’ll have to adjust your budget to make sure you remain debt-free going forward.
If you work with a travel nurse agency, remember to tap into their resources. Most travel agencies can help you with housing and travel expenses by pairing you with partners or other travel nurses. Don’t hesitate to reach out to an agent and discuss your debt situation. While they might not provide financial assistance, they might be able to offer solutions to help you control your expenses.
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Fueling Up or Winding Down: 4 Easy Breakfast Recipes
Breakfast is often referred to as the most important meal of the day—and for good reason. Not only will it replenish the nutrients in your body but it’ll also boost your energy levels.
Whether you’re coming home from your night shift or getting ready to head out for your day shift, it’s definitely not something that you want to skip! Here are a few healthy recipes that you might want to try.
1. Avocado Toast (With Optional Egg)
Avocado toast is both easy to make and delicious. Start by toasting two slices of bread—you want it to be golden and crispy.
From there, peel and mash one small avocado. Add in a teaspoon of lime juice and some salt and pepper to taste.
Spread the avocado evenly onto your toast. If you prefer, you can also top it with a boiled egg, poached egg, or scrambled egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Yogurt and Berry Smoothie
This recipe is great for those with busy schedules as it takes less than five minutes to make. The first step is to gather your ingredients—we recommend using 3/4 cup of blackberries and 3/4 cup of blueberries.
Add the berries to a blender. Next, add in one cup of soy milk, one whole banana, and one pack of plain Greek yogurt. Pulse for 30 seconds.
Mix well with a fork and pulse for another 30 seconds. Serve immediately or put it in the fridge until ready to serve.
3. Cheesy Spinach Microwave Quiche
Believe it or not but you can make a quiche in the microwave. Start by adding 1/2 cup of fresh spinach into a mug. Add in two tablespoons of water.
Cover the mug with a paper towel and microwave for one minute on high. Drain the water from the spinach.
Crack an egg into the mug. Add in 1/3 cup of milk as well as 1/3 cup of shredded cheese. Mix with a fork until everything is thoroughly combined.
Cover with a paper towel and microwave again for 2-3 minutes on high.
4. Banana Chia Seed Pudding
Puree two ripe bananas and 1 1/2 cup of milk in a blender. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add in 2-3 tablespoons of chia seeds.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. It can be refrigerated for up to a week if you store it in an airtight container.
Making Healthy Meals For Breastfast
And there we have it—four quick and tasty breakfast recipes. The best part is that you can make them easily anytime—whether it’s before or after your shift. After all, you can’t work on an empty stomach!
Are you a travel nurse? Thinking of broadening your knowledge and experience? Feel free to give our online platform a try—we offer exciting travel nursing opportunities that can expand your career prospects.
Interested? Check out our travel nursing jobs page for more!
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World Oceans Day: 8 Placements Near the Ocean
World Oceans Day is held every year on June 8th to raise awareness of the vital importance of our oceans and the role they play in sustaining a healthy planet. To celebrate, we’re sharing 8 of our favorite Stability placements on the ocean. Now that the sun is getting hotter and the days are getting longer, there’s no better time to take a job on the beach… or at least near a beach.
San Diego, CA
Miles of sandy beaches, surfable waves, sailboats, and a zoo. What’s not to love about San Diego? Right at the bottom of California, where it’s sunny and warm all year round, it’s hard to find a better beachtown.
You can see all of our high paying California placements here.
Riverhead, NY
When most people not from New York think of a beach getaway, they might not think of the north shore of Long Island. But why not? Long Island’s gold coast is beautiful and much less crowded than the Hamptons. Grab a craft beer and catch a bonfire on the beach this summer after work, and you won’t be sorry.
There are two placements in Riverhead, and you can see all of our high paying New York placements here.
Fort Bragg, CA
Describing Fort Bragg sounds like you’re making up a romantic little beach town for a novel. In Northern California off the Mendocino Coast, Fort Bragg is best known for Glass Beach, with its shore full of colorful glass stones. The beach is part of sprawling MacKerricher State Park, which supports varied birdlife and harbor seals. If you want a break from the ocean, you can hop onto The Skunk Train, a steam locomotive that weaves through the redwood forests of the Noyo River Canyon. This quiet old logging town is a perfect place to spend a sleepy summer in Northern California.
You can see all of our high paying California placements here.
Miami, FL
A summer in South Florida is certainly one you won’t forget. Even with the restriction of COVID-19, you’re bound to have a fun time on the beach this summer. Eat some delicious Cuban food, take in the palm tree scenery, and gaze at that beautiful blue ocean.
Check out all of our Florida placements here.
Arcata, CA
This small university town on the north end of Humboldt Bay will offer you some beautiful beach days on the Gold Coast, as well as a relaxed hippie vibe to settle into after a hard day’s work. Arcata is known for its progressive politics and its vegetarian restaurants, but it’s also just outside of Crescent City, where there’s miles of white sandy beaches and the weather is always a little chilly, perfect for those long walks on the beach.
You can see all of our high paying California placements here.
Brownsville, TX
The Western Gulf Coast of Texas is probably another beach that escapes most people’s minds when they think about where to vacation. But if you’re someone who loves wide open spaces and cheap rent, you might consider it. Brownsville might be the cheapest place in America you can live in and still be only a few miles from the ocean. And Boca Chica Park and South Padre Island boast truly beautiful beaches, with sea turtles and water parks and all.
You can look at all of our Texas placements here.
San Francisco, CA
If you want a scenic beach but you also crave city life, there’s no place better than San Francisco. As long as your calves are well equipped to walk up endless hills, you’ll experience so much culture and beauty in this city. And with Stability’s high paying placements there, you can actually afford the cost of living.
You can see all of our high paying California placements here.
Inglewood, CA
We’re saving the best for last, because there is no beach like Venice Beach. Bring your skateboard and your hacky sack, and get ready to embrace the boardwalk lifestyle. Inglewood might be a small town landlocked outside of Los Angeles, but it’s only a 20-minute drive to Venice Beach, and a 20-minute drive the other way to Manhattan Beach. You can have it all living here, including an almost $3,000 a week placement.
You can see all of our high paying California placements here.
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Becoming an ICU Nurse – Everything You Need to Know
If you have the drive to help people by changing or saving their lives, then becoming an ICU nurse could be a potential career choice for you. But ICU nurses are a special make of people — not everyone can handle the pressure of an intensive care unit and the chance to save a life.
But if you believe you have what it takes to fill the shoes of a real-life hero, here’s what you need to know about pursuing a career as an ICU nurse.
What is the Exact Role of an ICU Nurse?
These types of nurses are absolutely crucial to the successful operation and management of any hospital and most importantly, the intensive care unit.
The ICU’s primary focus is to take care of people who have suffered some form of trauma, a life-threatening accident, had major surgery, organ failure, heart attack, and stroke. The ICU also looks after cancer patients who have reached a very critical point in their care.
The role of an ICU nurse is to oversee the care of a patient in an ICU unit by continually reading and monitoring their vital signs. Often times, a patient’s life falls into their hands. If their vitals are deteriorating rapidly, it’s the ICU nurse’s job to notify the right person, in the best time-frame. In some cases, an ICU nurse will have to take an intervention into their own hands. They are also required to speak with family members and doctors on a regular basis.
Most patients who go into ICU are in critical condition. Some of the most common conditions an ICU nurse will face include:
- Post-operative patients who have received an organ transplant or open-heart surgery
- Trauma patients who are recovering from near-fatal incidences such as a car accident, shooting, or assault
- Infectious patients who are suffering from dangerous conditions such as sepsis
- Stroke patients who are in need of post-operative care and physical therapy
- Cancer patients admitted for recovery after intensive chemotherapy, transplant surgery, or infection
The role of an ICU nurse is an important and stressful job — no doubt about it. But it can also be very rewarding. Learning to handle the stress of a critical moment and find your focus is essential.
Critical Traits of an ICU Nurse
So, in order to become an ICU nurse what kind of person do you need to be? Some of the over-arching qualities include:
- An ability to handle the pressure of life-and-death situations
- Being a good communicator
- Being a true team player
- Being able to multi-task
- Having commitment and dedication to working long shifts
- Attention-to-detail
- A knack for critical thinking
- Above-par time management skills
Aside from these personal traits, it’s also important that an ICU nurse is in good physical health. This job requires you to be on your feet for many hours a day, so physical stamina is part-and-parcel of the position.
Dealing with Difficult Situations
The atmosphere of an ICU unit can be super-charged one minute, and relatively somber the next. Being able to separate yourself emotionally from this vast range in work atmosphere is crucial.
Ultimately, an ICU nurse has to remember how important their job is and not let their own personal feelings come in the way of a life-and-death decision. But this is not to say you cannot feel or express empathy. In fact, this is another important part of the job. ICU nurses often deal with traumatic, end-of-life situations. You should be able to offer both psychological support and empathy to family members.
The same goes for applying or withholding medical care when a patient has a living will in place. If their wish is to not be kept on life support, it is your job to obey their wishes. This may feel like a completely unnatural part of the job. It goes against everything nurses are taught about saving lives. But if this is a legal wish, it must be honored.
Salary, Education and Nursing Skills
According to national data, the median annual salary for an ICU nurse is approximately $75,119 as of April 2020. However, this amount does range between $67,691 and $81,623. ICU nurses are also privy to a host of benefits including health insurance, paid leave, and 401k plans.
In order to prepare for a long-lasting and truly fulfilling career as an ICU nurse, you will have to meet a number of different qualifications, first. Ideally, you will need to study a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN). This should be with an accredited university, including specialized training in life-threatening conditions.
However, a BSN is not always necessary. You can also study an associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) and will have to pass the NCLEX-RN national exam that qualifies you as a registered nurse. You will also need to gain experience working in a critical care setting, then take an exam to become a critical care registered nurse (CCRN).
Some of the highly specialized, additional skills an ICU nurse should hold include:
- Advanced cardiac life support
- Life support
- Trauma care
- Telemetry
- Critical care
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
- Patient and family education
- Discharge planning
Essentially, a bachelor’s degree lays the important groundwork for a career in nursing. Much of this additional skill is learned through additional courses and most importantly, real-life work experience.
Build a Fulfilling Career in Nursing
If you’re interested in a career as an ICU nurse, Stability Healthcare is here to help you take your nursing career to the next level.
If you’re already a trained and experienced ICU nurse, we also offer exciting travel nursing opportunities to help broaden your experience and knowledge. If you’re interested in a new career challenge, explore our travel nursing jobs for more…
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Tools to Help You Manage Difficult Patients
Dealing with difficult patients is every nurse’s daily cup of coffee. After all, nurses tend to interact with patients when they’re at their best and worst versions of themselves. One report even goes as far as pointing out that at least 15 percent of patient encounters are what we would consider “difficult.” Yet, as nurses, caring for challenging patients is part of the job. A difficult patient can be:
- The dependent clinger that makes unreasonable demands
- The entitled demander who’s often a bully and has a long list of needs
- The manipulative will do anything to make things go their way
- The self-destructive who engages in dangerous behaviors
No matter what type of difficult patient you’re dealing with, following these helpful tools will help you stay calm and take care of yourself as well.
Give Yourself a Break
When the situation has escalated, and you start to feel tense, it can be impossible to deal with a problematic patient without taking a break. Most people will advise you not to take it seriously, but deep down, you know that’s easier said than done. After all, nurses are known for their ability to remain calm in stressful situations or to work with troublesome patients.
Communications skills are key here. Make sure you remain calm and continue to speak in a soft voice to your patient. However, allow yourself a break and set time to reset. To let it go, you need to step away from the situation. Go for a brief walk, talk to a colleague about it, fit in a quick meditation session, or maybe enjoy a sweet treat to bring the stress down. Giving yourself a break will help you come back recharged, refreshed, and ready to give it another try.
Consider the Root Cause
Patients can get irritated by infinite things while at the hospital. If you’re struggling with an angry or irritated patient, think about the root cause. Is it fear? Are they stressed? Could it be a side effect of medications? All of these are potential root causes that can improve the nurse-patient relationship. Try to think about the possible causes of their outburst. Once you understand this, it will be easier to assess the situation and know the next steps into achieving harmony. Talk to the doctors and other nurses, consider speaking to their family, whatever it takes to help you understand the patient better will help you find the best way to manage them.
Check Your Body Language
Nurses like to believe their patients can’t tell when they don’t like them. In reality, your body language speaks volumes. So does the tone of your voice. After the first rocky encounter with a patient, you might look tense, and your voice might sound more irritated, patients can quickly pick up on these pointers. At this point, both of you have your defenses up and are ready to fire at each other.
Before walking into the room or even speaking to your patient, do a body and mental check-in. Take a deep breath and remember that having an attitude towards your patient won’t do much good in the long run.
Lean on Empathy
When people say not to take it personally, they mean it. Remember that your role is about the patient and their journey. Lean on empathy and try to look at the situation from the patient’s perspective. Being at a hospital, for whatever reason, is a scary situation for anyone. Not being their best self is quite common. Lean on empathy and try to communicate your efforts for understanding how they’re feeling with your patient.
Even when you can’t 100% be in their shoes, expressing that you’re thinking about things from their perspective will make patients feel understood and cared for. It might also help them lose their guards since they’ll realize that you’re there to care for them.
Use the Behavior Agreement
Here’s the most crucial tool of all — the behavior agreement. Listen, while nurses are empathetic and caring, that’s no excuse for tolerating abuse. Set up clear boundaries with abusive patients that don’t understand these boundaries. Never let a patient yell, curse, diminish, or discredit you in any way. Ensuring they’re fully aware of these boundaries the moment they exhibit abusive behavior is paramount to stop them on their tracks.
Ask your supervisors about your abusive behavior protocols; many hospitals will allow you to be discharged from treating those patients. If that’s available to you, let the patient know that you won’t be treating them any longer due to their abusive behavior and that their abusiveness won’t be tolerated in the clinic. It’s surprising how many patients will change their demeanor after hearing such agreement and terms.
Know When to Ask for Additional Help
Sometimes, some patients will need additional help, and so will you. Recognize when you need to speak to another nurse for support. If you believe your patient might benefit from talking to a counselor or mental health specialist, don’t be afraid of raising the question. In the end, it’s all about the patient and their wellbeing.
Throughout your career as a nurse, you’ll always encounter difficult patients. Keep these helpful tools to stay centered and calm so that you can offer your patients the best care possible.
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10 Instagram Accounts Every Travel Nurse Should Follow in the Pandemic
It pretty much feels like the end of the world these days, especially if you’re a nurse in an emergency room. One of the few ways to momentarily escape the glum is to laugh. Gotta laugh to keep from crying, right? Filling your Instagram feed with meme accounts might seem silly, but sometimes it does the trick in adding some positivity to your day. It’s hard to watch one of Leslie Jordan’s videos and not crack a smile, no matter how down you’re feeling about the world.
Here are 10 Instagram accounts you should follow as a travel nurse. Some are nursing related, some are just plain old fun.
NURSE HUMOR ACCOUNTS
@nurseabnormailites
Danielle LeVeck is a nurse practitioner in a cardiac surgery ICU, but she doubles as a meme queen. She’s posting a lot through the quarantine and her memes are oh so relatable. Like this one:
Not to mention, she has an adorable corgi named Sir Charles. How could you turn down corgi content? In this economy??
@nursesofinstagram
With over 306k followers, Nurses of Instagram is filled with hilarious and useful nursing content. They’ll make you laugh with posts about Tiger King:
Or tear up as New York hospitals blast “Empire State of Mind” after a COVID-19 patient gets discharged:
There are tons of heartwarming stories about nurses on the front lines: two nurses getting married, staff going to great lengths to help an old man tell his wife in quarantine that he loves her, emotional support dogs comforting medical staff and of course….. Tik Tok dances.
@nursehumorprn
This account will appeal to those who appreciate some dark humor and aren’t offended by foul language. It’s pure meme and there are surely a few posts you’ll be sharing on your story because, well, how could you not?
@snarkynurses
The best thing about accounts like this one is they’re run by ICU nurses, ones that are probably going insane during COVID-19. If they can laugh, so can you! This account is filled with memes that might hit too close to home about the everyday annoyances of being a nurse. You’ll feel right at home.
PERSONALITIES
Especially in these hard times, we need a reminder of why we love doing this job. Following travel nurses who have really been soaking up all that their placements have to offer can be a good reminder that there will be life after Coronavirus. Follow these travel nurse influencers and start keeping tabs of their adventures, so when this is all over, you can go on your own ones.
@biancasoffer
Bianca Scoffer knows her way around a camera. Her shots from her placements in Hawaii will have you drooling for bikinis and ocean breeze. It’s easy to see why she has over 123k followers. She’s been all over Hawaii, from Oahu to Maui. If you scroll down far enough you can see her adventures in the Northeast too, but nothing beats those ocean views.
@sarah_gaines
Following Sarah Gaines is as educational as it is aesthetic. She intersperses gorgeous ocean shots of her placements in California and Bali with tips about how to maximize your pay and experiences as a travel nurse. Find out the five secrets to making 6 figures as a travel nurse while fantasizing about the poolside cocktail she’s sipping.
@passportsandpreemies
Kylee Nelson, a NICU RN, really puts the travel in travel nursing. Her pictures will make you want to go on your own Eat, Pray, Love adventure. She’s currently based in Seattle but she’s been everywhere from Myanmar to Romania to the deserts of Jordan. Following Nelson will have you dying to explore cities that you had never heard of before. If you’re planning a post COVID-19 trip in any hemisphere, Nelson is bound to give you some inspiration.
Stability Healthcare has placements in Hawaii, Seattle and more. Search for where you want to go and check out our rates here.
GENERAL ENTERTAINMENT
If the floor feels like it’s falling through, sometimes there’s nothing more grounding than just listening to someone you find truly hilarious. They could be reading their grocery list, or trying to figure out how to turn the TV on, but just hearing their perspective on the day can keep you from feeling like you’re living in the Upside Down. That’s the beauty of Instagram, it can bring these people into our lives daily and turn them into our friends. That might sound cheesy and sad, but for any nurse in a new placement during Coronavirus, famous Instagram friends can be welcome. Here are three people to follow to cure your loneliness and anxiety, at least momentarily.
@iamtabithabrown
No one has a smoother voice than Tabitha Brown. Her videos showing you how to cook vegan everything will set your heart rate back to its normal speed, even if you couldn’t imagine giving up pork in a million years. Brown is an actress and comedian, but she doubles as a vegan chef, mom and earring aficionado. She and Donna, her hair, go on lots of quarantine adventures and all of them are worth a viewing, and in between the vegan cooking and hair washing is some truly profound advice. Here are some of Brown’s best moments.
@iammaxgreenfield
Sometimes we forget that the characters we love in shows and sitcoms are played by real people with totally separate lives. But Instagram has done a good job of reminding us of this during the quarantine. And while some celebs have fared better than others, one of the most hilarious and fun “normal” actors to follow has been New Girl’s Max Greenfield. While he might have played an eligible bachelor in most of New Girl, as the douche-y but lovable Schmidt, Greenfield has been married since 2008 and has an adorably sassy 11-year-old daughter named Lilly. He and Lilly have taken to Instagram to document her remote learning, as California schools will continue online until the end of the school year. Watching the two of them bicker, be bored and attempt to learn things together is a great way to lighten your day. Here are some of their funniest antics.
@thelesliejordan
“Awww sh*t, how y’all doing?” A gem of a human being, and everyone’s guncle (gay uncle), actor Lesie Jordan (Will & Grace, The Help) has finally been given the respect he deserves during this pandemic. His twice-daily videos have no doubt saved thousands from mental breakdowns. Whether he’s talking about yoga, “Mama”, or famous actors he’s worked with in his decades-long career, Jordan’s “pillow talk” will brighten every day of your week.
Here are some of his greatest hits:
And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram at @stabilityhealthcare.
Want to explore more about travel nursing opportunities?
Stability Healthcare is an industry leader in travel nursing. Check out our Travel nursing jobs page for dozens of listings for high-paying gigs all across the United States. If you still have questions, contact our representatives. They are always available to help you start a fascinating career in the travel nursing field.
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The Best Healing Hand Lotions for Nurses
The long hours wearing gloves, over-washing, and over-disinfecting your hands are part of every nurse’s daily routine. More than a hygiene habit, for nurses, having clean hands is the easiest way to prevent disease or contamination. However, these daily habits quickly leave nurses with dry or cracked hands that can be uncomfortable and sometimes even painful.
If you’re a nurse struggling with dry hands, consider tapping into the healing power of our favorite hand lotions and creams for nurses.
1. CeraVe Renewing SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin
Featuring three different essential ceramides to help restore and maintain the skin’s natural protective barrier by hydrating your skin all day and prevent moisture loss. Plus, this hand lotion has a patented delivery technology that delivers moisture slowly over time. The salicylic acid helps exfoliate and soften the skin to smooth out any rough spots. Finally, lactic acid comes in for gentle exfoliation, while hyaluronic acid deepens the moisture, and niacinamide calms the skin and prevents irritation.
2. Gloves in a Bottle Shielding Lotion
A favorite for those dealing with eczema and psoriasis, dry diabetic feet, and dry and irritated hands. Formulated to protect from surgical scrubs and sanitizers, workplace irritants, and over-washing. This shielding lotion creates a protective barrier that prohibits moisture-robbin irritations from penetrating in the skin while delivering slow moisture throughout the day, eventually leaving your hand’s skin soft and supple.
3. Aveeno Intense Relief Hand Cream
The perfect hand lotion for nurses, designed to last through hand washing. Formulated with their signature soothing oatmeal extract to help heal dry skin and form a protective barrier against environmental elements. It also features Dimethicone, a powerful skin protectant in a 1.3% potency ratio. Plus, it’s nongreasy, steroid-free, and fragrance-free, making it gentle for sensitive skin. Not to mention, it’s extremely fast absorbent, so you don’t
4. O’Keeffe’s Working Hands
Anyone that works with their hands is absolutely in love with this lotion. Nurses can easily damage their skin’s natural barrier when over-washing or over-disinfecting. This hand lotion creates a protective barrier that locks in moisture and keeps the skin hydrated. It’s perfect for anyone struggling with parched and cracked hands.
5. Eucerin Original Healing Lotion
If you’re looking for a rich and time-tested formula, then this Eucerin Original Healing Lotion is your best option. Formulated to provide long-lasting, intensive moisture to help health dry, compromised skin. The lotion is also non-comedogenic and fragrance-free, so you don’t have to worry about this.
6. Burt’s Bees Ultimate Hand Cream
A gentle formula that provides intense all-day moisture to soothe dehydrated skin. With baobab oil, pumpkin seed oil, and green tea extract, this hand cream has clinically shown to improve dry skin’s texture and protect it from harsh environments. Made from 98.9% natural ingredients, it’s also hypoallergenic and fragrance-free.
7. L’Occitane Moisturizing Shea Butter Hand Cream
There are many reasons why this hand cream is a worldwide favorite. A shea butter hand cream by L’Occitane is sold every two seconds. Enriched with 20% pure organic shea butter, this creamy hand balm is designed to penetrate through the layers of the skin quickly and nourish and moisture from within. Its exquisite blend of coconut oil, almond extracts, and honey softens the skin while improving its appearance, giving you supple and smooth skin.
8. Neutrogena Norwegian Formula
A highly concentrated formula inspired by a Norwegian remedy fisherman used to care for their skin. Clinically proven to heal dry hands rapidly. After each use, you’ll notice an improved look and feel of your hand’s skin. Even after one use, your hands will feel softer and smoother than ever. Featuring a glycerin-rich formula that provides moisture and locks it to prevent skin from dehydrating.
9. Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm
Not all hand lotions that treat dry skin have to be fragrance-free. The fabulous blend of fragrant botanicals to calm the mind and soothe skin at the same time. Skin feels supple and nourished instantly. With mandarin rind, rosemary leaf, and cedar atlas, to deliver rich hydration to wearied hands and cuticles. The citrusy, woody, and the herbaceous fragrance is almost as an aromatherapy infusion every time you use this balm.
10. Ultimate Strength Hand Salve
Care for severely dry hands with a heavy-duty moisturizing hand salve that delivers intense moisture all day long. Formulated for active and working hands in mind, the balm features avocado oil, sesame seed oil, and eucalyptus oil to leave your hands feeling soft and conditioned. The ultimate hand care salve that creates a protective barrier to effectively improve the appearance of dry hands exposed to harsh elements and manual labor.
While washing and disinfecting your hands is part of any nurses’ daily routine, you don’t have to neglect your hands. These famous healing hand lotions will care and nourish your hand’s skin to make sure they stay soft, healthy, and comfortable.
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