The shortage of nurses has greatly affected various hospitals and medical centers across the nation. Because of this, travel nursing is continuously becoming popular as a solution. Travel nursing puts nurses in touch with wherever they want to be. They can choose to help patients from the bustling cities to the rural towns. For nurses who are contemplating to travel, then maybe this is a favorable option. Or for nurses who are already burned up with the usual scenario in the hospital and wanted to earn more, travel nursing is a sure way.

Travel nursing basically involves taking short term positions anywhere where nurses are needed and usually, hospitals are willing to pay top dollar for the nurse’s service. The positions often last a month or a year and because of this, benefits like housing and other basic expenses are covered by the employer.

If you take pleasure in working in new environments and loves to travel for a cause, travel nursing career might just be the job for you. In this kind of job, once you do well, you may even turn a temporary position into a permanent one. But if you prefer being just a traveling nurse, then there are just huge opportunities that await you like having to experience international destination for traveling nurses.

As stated above, travel nursing is truly a great way to explore the world and still have the freedom and flexibility to work. Here is some of the top international destination for traveling nurses.

• Hawaii – Of course this destination is no surprise. Nurses are lining up for an opportunity to work and play an important nursing role in this paradise. Hawaii offers beauteous beaches and outdoor opportunities, so no wonder it is on top of the list.
• Alaska – Most travel nurse are intrigued by this place. Alaska is basically a huge wilderness with breathtaking sceneries. Huge travel nursing assignments are offered here. Whether you are willing to work in the winter darkness under the northern lights or the magnificent spring and summer where it’s daytime most of the time.
• Montana – This state is famous for its scenic surroundings. River trips, camping and fishing, historic places, snowy mountain ranges, and waterfalls are what you will enjoy in this place. Travel nurse assignments here are huge and if you are among who want to break free from the city grind, this place is the ideal one.
• Maine – The splendor of this place is simply irresistible. Travel nurses are offered with so many opportunities here. Aside from that, travel nurses are confronted with great adventure getaways like embarking on outdoor adventures such as skiing and snowmobiling or horseback riding or if they prefer the comfortable and fresh ambience of antiquing, strolling or horseback riding on miles of sandy beaches, Maine is truly a place to behold.
• California – The humid weather and the famous beaches of California is what makes the place among the top international destination for traveling nurses. California is home to various wildlife parks, safe havens for endangered animals, and secluded wilderness. This only means that the place is unspoiled thus, a fresh environment is guaranteed.
• Colorado – The world-class winter skiing and summer music festival offered by Colorado are just the two main reasons why traveling nurses prefer this place. Showcasing its spectacular seasons, the place is where travel nurses get to discover the state’s 18 million acre of state and national forest parks and monuments for biking, hiking, fishing, kayaking, mountain climbing, and many others.
• Arizona – If you just love the outdoors, then the Grand Canyon State of Arizona might just be the destination of your dreams. Most traveling nurses choose this place because of its charming landscapes and tall mountain ranges, swift rivers, and all natural sceneries.

Emergency nurses are starting to get hurt.

According to the Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services International Conference held in Berlin this year, 98 percent of emergency room nurses in the Unites States reported verbal harassment and 67 percent reported physical violence.

While in Canada, 84 percent of the nurses in the emergency department witnessed verbal harassment once in every shift. While there are 90 percent of them claimed to experience verbal abuse at least once a week. In Australia, there are 70 percent of nurses who experience violence at least five times a week.

Emergency room nurses are falling victims to increasing violence in the emergency department of hospitals.

The Emergency Nurses Association conducted a study and 86 percent of all the ER nurses involved in the survey had some form of violence committed against them while they are on duty.

Last 2005, the Massachusetts Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there are 4,000 hospital employees assaulted while working in the ER. In the same year, ER doctors in Michigan reported that 28 percent has experienced physical assault while 75 percent received verbal assaults.

Patients themselves could be the perpetrators of this violence occurring in emergency departments. Intoxication and long delay in the waiting room are common things that might fire up a patient.

Based on one of the largest studies made on the issue made on 2004 in Minnesota, patients committed almost all of the physical assaults and two-thirds of the verbal harassments.

Visitors as well as physicians and other staff members are responsible for the other assaults and harassments. It is only possible to receive aggression from the patient’s family members. If the patient was involved in a traumatic incident, his family members’ anxiety levels could be very high and may overwhelm them.

The most common assaults against nurses could sometimes result into serious injury. Typical assaults would include spitting, hitting, kicking, hair pulling and attack using an object or weapon.

There would be incidents that would result into serious injury, an example would be an ER nurse who lost her baby when kicked by a patient in the stomach. Drug or alcohol, psychiatric conditions, neurological problems and a history of violence are factors for such violent acts.

Between 1980 and 1990, there were 26 physicians, 18 registered nurses, 27 pharmacists, 17 nurses’ aides, and 18 other health care workers were killed on the job (U.S. Department of Labor). While there were 221 hospitals in America and Canada that reported 42 homicides, 1,463 physical assaults, 67 sexual assaults, 165 robberies, and 47 armed robberies in 1995 according to the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety.

There are also behavioural clues is a patient or visitor is likely to be abusive. Postures tend to be tensed while speech is load and can be threatening or insistent. Aggressors would constantly drop threats or plans of violence.

There are also certain diagnoses associated with violent behaviour like substance abuse, acute psychoses, acute organic brain syndrome, personality disorders and partial complex seizures.

The time is also relevant.

Incidents which occur on a night shift are more likely to produce violent patients. In a study conducted by University of California at Irvine, 31.8 percent of violent incidents occurred between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. while only 13.3 percent of the patient volume was seen during these hours.

So what are the public doing about this?

Nursing organizations and unions are constantly working to draw the attention and educate the public on this issue. They are also lobbying for a legislation in increasing the penalties against perpetrators. Programs are being developed in healthcare institutions to address this issue. Security has been reinforced in hospitals to prevent the escalating violence in emergency departments.

Emergency nurses are the first one to give first aid to hurt and injured people. Now seems the time to help them stop getting hurt.

Being at the right place and time will almost always open new opportunities for you and your career. This is true in all walks of life, even in looking for great careers like the different careers in the health care field. Sometimes, it is more challenging to get one of the nursing careers in mental health than the ordinary ones.

You see, nursing, your chosen career is the largest profession in the health care section. It is, as well, the most diversified because a nurse is basically trained to do any of the jobs and responsibilities known to medical practitioners, only that they are not signatories of anything legal like sensitive medical procedures and the likes.

Finding a niche in mental health will require as much responsibilities as any other nursing careers but more challenging. Among these are:

Making assessments.

In charged nurses are required to gather important details about the patient. It includes the physical and mental conditions aside from personal information. Also do background checking with regards to lifestyle, Family, and other factors that may affect his/her being in the short or long term. All of these must be made public knowledge only to the doctor in charge and private belonging of the hospital

Diagnosing patients.

Nurses must do prior diagnosis to know beforehand where the sickness or the patient is stemming up. The doctor will be the one to solidify the findings, though. But still, you are the one doing the first steps in making a patient regain good health.

Plan ahead.

Nurses are supposed to be very capable individuals in or out of the occupation time and facilities. He/she must identify ways on how the patient can progress more rapidly and let them participate in the planning stage. Doing so will make things easier and more possible than not.

Implement solutions.

Nurses are also expected to make efforts by implementing medications or procedures. The best result will be when the patient is already responding and follows all instructions set by the nurse. It’s a very rewarding feeling that you are unlikely to have in other profession; that’s the reward of helping others get back to life and function normally again.

Evaluate results.

The nurse can also provide evaluations as results of the cause and effect treatment strategy. This also implies that the nurse will be making necessary changes if the results call for it.

Getting nursing careers in mental health is not at all easy, given the duties and responsibilities mentioned above. On top of the concerns listed, the notion of having to administer all these to not properly functioning individuals is more worrying.

But then, the key is to be very patient and to think of the mental patients as ordinary patients who are going through difficulties. With this, there will be less conflict on your willingness to help mental patients as it should be to ordinary ailing people.

Nursing mental patients will also provide a broader experience and more challenging career than the routine ones in state hospitals and emergency institutions. It will also open up to greater health care career as nursing careers in mental health are far better paid and more benefited.

So why would you settle for anything less? Get into the career that will surely suffice your every yearning, step up in medical practice now!

Most Nursing Assistants work very hard to ensure the safety of patients as well as provide them with quality care. However, consumer complaints happen often, resulting in the profession not getting a fair look. Too often the focus is on the negative that takes place during interactions with Nursing Assistants than reporting good staff to the proper people.

One of the biggest complaints about Nursing Assistants by consumers is that they are too rushed. They often have to hurry through bathing and dressing because they have too many demands on their time in a given shift. This often results in patients getting cared for, but quickly and robotically. The personal touch is often smothered in an effort to get it all done.

For patients, simple requests are on of the few perks they have in a medical facility. It also allows they to still exercise some control over their decisions. This is very important to someone who no longer is able to be at home or do basic tasks for themselves without assistance. These requests can be as simple as helping them from the bed to a chair or bringing them a pen and paper to write a letter. It is easy for Nursing Assistants to get side tracked or forget. However, since these simply requests are important to the patient, it is very important that Nursing Assistants follow through with them. Carrying a pen and notepad to jot down requests is a great way to remember them.

Patients don’t like to be kept waiting. It is very hard to adjust to. They may forget they are not the only patient. Nursing Assistants do the best they can to stay on schedule. However, working short staffed and medical emergencies can quickly put them behind schedule. Nursing Assistants have to prioritize, so sometimes helping someone who has fallen is more important than giving the patient a shower on time. Since confidentiality is so important, the Nursing Assistant can’t tell the patient why they are running late.

Never discuss a patient with another staff member or family member in a manner that makes the patient feel as if they are not in the room. Speak with them in mind. It is important to carefully choose your words, even when you think they are asleep or in a coma. Many patients have filed complaints regarding conversations they overheard while Nursing Assistants thought they were sleeping or unresponsive.

One huge area of controversy is that many consumers are uneasy with who quickly a Nursing Assistant can obtain a license. They do not feel there is adequate training time to do an effective job. Federal guidelines require all Nursing Assistant programs to have a minimum of 75 hours of training. The actual amount will depend on the program coordinator and the state requirements for a particular program. However, it is often debated that to be certified as a manicurist, it takes over 1000 hours of training, but so little to become a Nursing Assistant.

Medical facilities and program developers defend the hours required to earn a certificate as a Nursing Assistant. They feel the training builds on an individuals basic concepts of feeding, bathing, and dressing individuals. It is routine tasks we have all done at some point in our lives. They also stress that the clinical hours are hands on training in a medical facility with close observation. This type of training is more effective than just classroom curriculums of other programs. In addition, Nursing Assistants are closely supervised by Nursing staff on a regular basis.

Nursing Assistants work hard to do an effective job of meeting the needs of consumers. Complaints will continue to be file as long as Nursing Assistants maintain such high workloads. With the demand of this field continuing to grow, it is not likely that the workloads will get anything but larger over time.

Emergency room nurses are nurses specialized in emergency and disaster situations. They are responsible for giving first or preliminary medication or treatment for patients on critical stage of their illness and injury. Emergency room nurses are noted for their speed, efficiency, ability to multitask and provide medical care. But how can one become an emergency room nurse?

Of course, formal education and training is required to become an emergency nurse. Emergency room nurses should have the skill to manage basic life support since they are the ones responsible for the patient while the doctor or the physician is unavailable. One interested in becoming an emergency room nurse should be a graduate from an accredited nursing school. The licenses should be legal and in good standing. Emergency room nurses should be willing to engage in nursing Practice Act.

It is important to have at least an experience in emergency medicine. He or she should also have the ability to lead in midst of crisis. An 80 percent should be at least achieved on competency tests. A current certification from Advanced Cardiac Life Support or ACLS should also be possessed by the soon-to-be emergency nurse. Emergency rooms are definitely fast paced environments. There would be physical demands that an emergency nurse should know how to cope with this. Some of these physical demands are:

1. Lifting 50 lbs.

2. Standing and walking for long periods.

3. Bending, leaning and stooping without any hindrance.

4. Good skill in stress coping

5. Fine motor skills

6. Paying attention to details.

7. Working accurately around frequent interruption

There would some emergency departments that would require the nurses to possess an RN degree. RN program is two year associate degree program. Advanced training such as the BSN or Master of Science in Nursing may be required for supervisory or administrative function related to the emergency department.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected an increase of more than 27 percent in the next decade for emergency room nurses. The American Association of Colleges and Nursing noted that in 2006 there was an average understaffing of emergency room nurses by of 8.5 percent.

There can be three types of emergency nurses. In the United States, there is a Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) who is a licensed registered nurse. A CEN has already demonstrated know-how in emergency nursing. The Certification is valid for four years and it can be renewed by passing another examination or completing 100 continuing education units in the specialty.

Meanwhile, an Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) who are mainly located in United Kingdom. And ENP can independently assess, diagnose, investigate and treat wide range of common accidents and injuries. ENPs have undergone a training in advanced nursing which is completely medical in nature. Their training would include taking full medical history and examination, x-ray interpretation, prescribing, suturing and plastering.

Emergency Care Practitioner, also in United Kingdom, is a specialist nurse or specialist paramedic who works in the pre-hospital setting dealing with emergency problems. The primary responsibility of an Emergency Care Practitioner is to assess, diagnose and treat patient in the home in an emergency setting.

Emergency nurses are very much in sought-after. Healthcare professionals are being needed in numerous hospitals especially emergency departments are experiencing staff shortages. A lot can be asked from us if we are decided to become emergency nurses. It can be emergency nursing or other job, what’s important is continuous learning with whatever field we have chosen.

Forensic Nursing is one of the newest specialty areas recognized by the American Nurses Association. It involves working with law enforcement officials to aid in the investigation of crimes such as abuse, accidental death and assault.

They also collect evidence from the survivors of the violent crime as well as the suspect so a case can be can be made and justice can be served.

Since crimes happen almost everyday even when the suspect is already in prison, forensic nursing requires a lot of manpower. Just to give you an idea, there is a Correctional Nursing Specialist, Forensic Clinical Nurse Specialist, Forensic Gerontology Specialist, Forensic Nurse Investigator, Forensic Psychiatric Nurse, Legal Nurse Consultant, Nurse Coroner/Death Investigator and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner.

The largest subspecialty of forensic nursing is sexual assault, closely followed by death investigation, forensic psychiatric nursing and medical-legal consulting.

When sexual assault or rape occurs, it is the job of the forensic nurse to collect evidence and take pictures so whoever is responsible can be caught. This is done by cross referencing the DNA sample into the criminal database system assuming that the one who did it has a criminal record. If the victim knows who did it, a DNA sample can be collected from the suspect and if it is match, then an arrest is made.

In terms of death investigation, the forensic nurse assists the pathologist in determining the cause of death of a victim. In some areas, this person is already the coroner.

Forensic psychiatric nursing is all about giving a convict or a suspect a psychiatric evaluation. This will determine if he or she is fit for trial. Inmates who have been released who have been pardoned and released from prison may also have to do the same test so they can find work.

In order for you to become a forensic nurse, you have to enroll in a program offered by a university which focuses on the criminal justice system, forensic mental health, interpersonal violence, perpetrator theory and victimology.

You will also need practice experience under the auspices of a trained forensic doctor or nurse. Since there are improvements in forensic science, you must also enroll in continuing education courses. If you want to move forward in your career, take a formal graduate study program so you have a master’s degree.

Once you have your degree, you can already apply for work without having the need to get a certificate which is required in other nursing professions.

Can you shift to forensic nursing after working for some time as a registered nurse? The answer is yes. You should just pass the exam that is given by the International Association of Forensic Nurses.

Aside from helping law enforcement officials solve a crime or help a victim, forensic nursing is also useful in other fields. These include tissue and organ donation, pediatrics and in a correctional institution.

In tissue and organ donation, the forensic nurse will talk to the family of the potential donor. When they agree, he or she will fill up the legal paperwork so everything is properly documented.

In pediatrics, forensic nurses are present to assist and give comfort who have been victims of abuse and neglect.

Forensic nurses who work in correctional facilities are there to perform health screenings, educate inmates on various health related topics, manage acute illness and injuries, dispense medication and provide acute and chronic assessments.

There is a lot you can do as a forensic nurse. You just have to see what opportunities suit you most then go for it.