Have you always wanted to hike around the beautiful Pacific Northwest? Oregon and Washington are great licenses to have. Do you ever think about waking up in a mountain fog in the Smoky Mountains? Tennessee and North Carolina are both awesome choices. I bet you have never thought about visiting one of the top zoos in the world on an assignment, right? Well, Nebraska is a great place to work! And yes, of course, we are a bit biased. Our zoo is pretty amazing!

It’s worth mentioning that Alaska never requires a license. You can head up to the frontier, make a difference with your work, enjoy some of the best scenery in the world, and get paid to do it. Talk about wide open spaces!

Now don’t go dropping hundreds and hundreds of dollars on a bunch of licenses that you may or may not use. It’s probably going to take you a while to get to some of these states. Think about where you want to go and why you want to go there, such as places you have always wanted to see on vacation.

One of the things I love about what I do is getting excited with my travelers about a location, whether it’s talking about culinary adventures in places like Chicago and New Orleans or helping someone find the perfect camping spot in Arizona. Heck, we even see jobs in Martha’s Vineyard from time to time. Just imagine working right on the beach!

It is the perfect time to start applying for licenses. And remember, your recruiter is a great resource for licensing information and can give you a detailed and up-to-date overview of which states they see regular work in. Get ahead of the game and by the time the market starts picking up, you will be ready to say “YES” to an awesome opportunity!

Ryan Kingkade is an Account Manager for the Cardiopulmonary division at Aureus Medical Group.

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Now to the easy and what should be fun part – picking where you would like to travel. Well, maybe for some. For others, this alone can be a huge task. A lot of factors come into play when choosing the right location for you: pay package, facility type, weather conditions, bigger city vs. rural area, attractions to see on your days off, closer to family and friends, etc. A huge factor that may come into play and not everyone may think of is safety. Is the location you are traveling to really safe? How do you know?

Included below are a few resources to help guide you through that process.

1. Area Vibes: Calculates a livability score using a unique algorithm based on what you select is important to you
2. Neighborhood Scout: Provides crime statistics and other local data to help you decide if the area is right for you
3. Family Watchdog: Maps the addresses of registered sex offenders in the surrounding areas
4. Crime Mapping: Maps out crime data from more than 1,000 participating law enforcement agencies
5. Spot Crime: Maps out crimes and sends crime alerts via email, Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms (spotcrime.info)

As the industry moves further away from setting up housing for you, the responsibility is falling more on the traveler to pick the right location for housing. Use the tools included here and work with your recruiter/account manager when picking a location. They may be able to shed some light on the area, especially if they have worked with the facility before. They may have personal reviews given to them by previous or current travelers.

These tools should be able to ease your mind before making that final decision to sign the contract. Remember though, as a traveling professional this isn’t a forever decision. It’s only 13 weeks and after the first 13 weeks is over you can move on to a completely different part of the country. That truly is the beauty of travel, isn’t it?

These websites and Facebook groups have helped many travelers find affordable short term housing:

Websites

Furnished Finder

Airbnb

Travel Nurse Housing

HomeAway

VRBO

Facebook Groups

Travel Nurse Housing -Furnished Finder

Travel Nurse Housing Rentals by Landlords

Travel Nursing: Places/Rooms for Rent

Nikki Ghahramani is a Recruiter for the Cardiopulmonary division at Aureus Medical Group.

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We staff throughout the entire state and the diverse scenery, popular attractions, and well-known facilities make the location a hit among travelers.

Do you already have an active California respiratory license? Check out our selection of California respiratory assignments here. Click here to search all respiratory jobs.

For the most up-to-date assignment information, contact a recruiter at Aureus Medical.

You can also learn more about traveling and connect with other respiratory travelers through our Facebook group called Respiratory Therapy Connection.

Begin planning your 2020 adventure today!

Katie Lutmer is a Social Media Recruiter for the Cardiopulmonary division at Aureus Medical Group.

The post Respiratory Assignment Spotlight: California appeared first on Aureus Medical Group’s healthcare blog provides articles and information regarding careers in travel nursing, travel therapy, allied health and more..

If you’re looking for a January start date, Aureus Medical has got you covered. Start a new adventure with one of the assignments below or inquire with Aureus to go over additional options!

Glendale, Arizona – Respiratory Therapists

Aurora, Colorado – NICU/PICU Respiratory Therapist

Denver, Colorado – Respiratory Therapist

Panhandle, Florida – Respiratory Therapist

Chicago, Illinois – PICU Respiratory Therapist

Illinois – Respiratory Therapists

Grand Rapids, Michigan – Respiratory Therapist

Kansas City, Missouri – NICU/PICU Respiratory Therapist 

Saint Louis, Missouri – NICU/PICU Respiratory Therapist

Missouri – Respiratory Therapists, day/evening/night shifts

Nebraska – 2 Respiratory Therapists at one of the top facilities in the nation

Bismark, North Dakota – Respiratory Therapist

Minot, North Dakota – Respiratory Therapist

Mandan, North Dakota – Respiratory Therapist

Plymouth, New Hampshire – Respiratory Therapist 

Bend, Oregon – Respiratory Therapist

Medford, Oregon – Respiratory Therapist

Saint Albans, Vermont – Respiratory Therapist, will wait for state license

Lynchburg, Virginia – Respiratory Therapist

Virginia – Respiratory Therapists

Seattle, Washington – NICU/PICU Respiratory Therapists

Port Angeles, Washington – Respiratory Therapist

Washington DC – Peds Respiratory Therapist

Cody, Wyoming – Respiratory Therapist

Wisconsin – Respiratory Therapists

——————–

Virginia – Polysomnographers

Minot, North Dakota – Polysomnographer

———————

Nebraska – EEG Tech

Interested in a specific location? We can help. We have openings for various specialties all across the nation!

Contact us for more information & start a new adventure with Aureus!

Katie Lutmer is a Social Media Recruiter for the Cardiopulmonary division at Aureus Medical Group.

The post Kick-Start the New Year: Find Your January Travel Assignment Now! appeared first on Aureus Medical Group’s healthcare blog provides articles and information regarding careers in travel nursing, travel therapy, allied health and more..

That’s why it is important to track your stressors at a new job and develop healthy responses to the added stress. Coping with the stress of changing jobs is important because it will benefit your health and those who work with you.

The excitement about a new travel job can quickly transform into panic. To combat the anxiety associated with a new travel job, try to exercise regularly, avoid drama in the workplace, and communicate how you feel. Stay positive, set realistic expectations, and manage your time effectively at work. And above all else, get enough sleep.

What tips do you suggest to help others adjust to change?

Ben Forrest is a Team Lead for the Cardiopulmonary division at Aureus Medical Group.

The post Adjusting to Change appeared first on Aureus Medical Group’s healthcare blog provides articles and information regarding careers in travel nursing, travel therapy, allied health and more..

#1-Getting regular physical activity

Physical activity is very important; studies say that at least 30 minutes per day is suggested and as long as you hit this time frame, you can actually change the level of chemicals in your brain, like serotonin, endorphins and stress hormones. It is also proven to improve your sleep, reduce the risk of a heart attack, increase your mood, and give you more energy throughout your day. With all of these benefits, regular exercise is a no-brainer. Just remember that you don’t have to go to a gym to get this daily time in. You can go for a jog and experience more of your new environment or do an at-home workout that gets your heart rate up. Things as simple as going on a long walk with your dog can help keep you in a better mental and physical state.

#2-Spending time with family and friends

Family members often offer a form of emotional support that is hard to find elsewhere. It’s not always realistic to spend time with family in person while on assignment. If you can, carve out time to see them. If you can’t spend face-to-face time with the people close to you, then make sure to give them a call either on Skype, Facetime, or just on the phone. Friends are also just as important, whether it’s friends from home or people you met on assignment. Having a support system helps you avoid dealing with stress in unhealthy ways, such as binge eating or alcohol.

#3-Spending time with pets

If you are living someplace that allows animals and you are in the right position to own a pet, having a cat or dog can help make you feel more relaxed. Going back to the first point, they are a great reason to get out and exercise. Owning a dog gives you another reason to go out for walks and even runs. One study done by Karen Allen, Ph.D. of the University of New York at Buffalo states that people experienced less stress when their pets were with them than when a supportive friend or spouse was present. This being potentially because pets don’t judge – they just listen, which means spending time with your pet can be the perfect place to vent and reduce stress in your life. So use this as a reason to go get a furry friend!

#4-Getting plenty of sleep

Following a regular sleep routine can help your body reduce stress. Without solid sleep, you go through the day with low energy and decreased mental clarity. The problem with not getting enough sleep isn’t from only sleeping poorly for one night; it can create a snowball effect. If you don’t sleep well for a few nights in a row and show up to work tired and groggy, you are more likely to make errors, react to situations more emotionally, and be more sensitive to negative stimuli. This will then stress you out even more, which will make it harder to fall asleep and continue to make the problems even worse. You can see how this can really catch up to you if you don’t consciously create a sleep schedule and follow it religiously. Here are a few recommendations that help people fall asleep easier.

• Making a to-do list for when you wake up. When you are going through your day, you continuously add tasks that you want to get completed. Sometimes all of these things stick in your head while trying to fall asleep. If you write a to-do list before you fall asleep, you don’t have to stress about remembering all the tasks that are taking up space in your mind.
• Stay clean and organized; clutter can lead to stress.
• Be consistent. If you are able to go to bed around the same time every day, your body will fall into a natural rhythm that will help you feel more rested and less stressed.

#5-Seeking help from a therapist

Family, pets, and exercise are all fantastic ways to manage your stress; however, they can’t fix everything. Sometimes talking with a professional is the best thing to do. The American Psychological Association suggests considering therapy when something causes distress and interferes with some part of life, particularly with work, school, or relationships, or if your mental state makes you want to avoid people all together. Seeing a therapist is a time where you go and spend an hour or so to work through a problem or feeling you might be having and then receiving a professional opinion to try and help. Most therapists offer a free session or consultation, so take advantage of it!

Tyler Clark is working as an intern for the Cardiopulmonary division of Aureus Medical Group. 

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Licenses/Certifications

Expiration dates can sneak up on you so keeping your licenses and certifications in a spreadsheet with expiration dates will help to ensure those dates never pass. This spreadsheet can also be used to track continuing education requirements for each license. Plan to renew licenses/certifications 30-60 days from their expiration to ensure plenty of time for processing. This also helps should you be required to obtain additional requirements.

Medical Records

Obtain all of your medical records from staffing agencies and clinics as you have pre-employment procedures completed. Having copies of these documents will help expedite the review of files and allow enough time to be set up for another procedure, should it be required.  Keep in mind that while you can keep drug screen records, most employers will require an updated drug screen. So, don’t plan on utilizing an old drug screen for a pre-employment requirement.

Other Documents

Having all of your other documents organized also helps to make your travel adventure more enjoyable. Car insurance, car registration, health insurance, vet records, and bank information are a few other examples of documents that should travel with you.  Sometimes even keeping these documents in an envelope will help to ensure they don’t get lost while in route.

Phone Apps

There are quite a few storage platforms available, so find one that works best for you. For example, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc. Other mobile apps like Cam Scanner will help to send documents to your Recruiter. Having these documents on your phone, or apps available to send documents to your company, will speed up the process for onboarding. 

Organization can be a challenge, but utilizing just a few techniques will keep you on track and prepared for credentialing requirements as they come up. Your Recruiter is another great resource, so use them!  Enjoy your travel adventure!

Lee Kortus is a Team Lead for the Cardiopulmonary division of Aureus Medical Group. 

The post Organization for Travelers appeared first on Aureus Medical Group’s healthcare blog provides articles and information regarding careers in travel nursing, travel therapy, allied health and more..

Here are some tips to help ensure that you are more marketable and desirable:

Be open to getting new state licenses.

Aureus will reimburse you for the cost to obtain a new state license (provided you take an assignment with us in that state). Having more licenses will afford you the ability to be more picky when it comes to your next assignment, as you will have more options! TIP: Ask your recruiter about what states he or she is seeing the most consistent number of job orders and consider getting a license for those states.

Be flexible in regards to shifts and time off.

Typically, when hospitals are requesting travelers it is because they are short staffed or extremely busy. They rely on their travel Respiratory Therapists to fill in scheduling gaps as needed and likely can’t satisfy all of your time off or shift requests.

Don’t limit yourself based on location.

One of the quickest ways to lower your marketability is to consider only one or two specific locations. This shrinks the number of job opportunities and often times eliminates all options…leaving you waiting around for a position to open.

Try your best to do these three things. Soon you will be weighing your job options and not waiting for job options!

The post Respiratory Therapists – Become More Marketable as a Traveler appeared first on Aureus Medical Group’s healthcare blog provides articles and information regarding careers in travel nursing, travel therapy, allied health and more..

State of Wisconsin Statistics

• Located in the Northern Central part of the United States, bordered by Minnesota to the West, Illinois to the South, and Lake Michigan to the East
• State population: 3 million
• Largest city: Milwaukee
• Land area: 34.8 million acres
• Water area: 1.13 Million Acres
• State parks: 60,570 acres
• Length: 320 miles
• Width: 295 miles
• Largest inland lake: Lake Winnebago – 30 miles long, 10 miles wide
• Deepest inland lake: Green Lake – 236 feet at the deepest point

There are always plenty of activities available for everyone that continues throughout the year. Choose from adventures like exploring lakes, parks, waterfalls, and attending professional sporting games.  Below are a few fun facts and activities that one might want to add to their bucket list while traveling in the state.

• It’s known as the Water Park Capital of the World. In Wisconsin Dells, where indoor water parks were pioneered, you will be able to visit the largest concentration of outdoor & indoor water parks on the planet.
• Visit Monroe, which is the Swiss Cheese Capital of the World.
• Milwaukee is host to one of the nation’s largest music festivals, Summerfest.
• Visit Sturgeon Bay, the Shipbuilding Capital of the Great Lakes.
• Explore Sheboygan which is known as the Bratwurst Capital of the World.
• Wisconsin snowmobile trails total 15,210 miles of signed & groomed snow highways.

If these few facts haven’t sold you on taking a trip up to the Cheese & Dairy State, talk with one of our experienced Wisconsin Account Managers!  We can help guide and suggest areas within the state along with activities that will help to make your visit a memorable one.  Best of luck with your travel adventures!  #happytravels

Lee Kortus serves as a Senior Team Lead with the Aureus Medical Group Cardiopulmonary & Other Allied Health division.

References:
https://www.50states.com/facts/wisconsin.htm
https://www.travelwisconsin.com/trip-ideas/fall-getaways
https://www.wisdells.com/wisconsin-dells-water-parks.htm

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Become Registered

As a traveling Respiratory Therapist, it is a very smart idea to become registered. While we do staff CRTs, we do not see this need like we do an RRT. Most hospitals are now requiring that travelers be registered. This allows you to be much more marketable. Hospitals are chomping at the bit for an RT who is not only registered, but dedicated and passionate about their career.

Get Additional State Licenses

If you are interested in traveling as an RT, I encourage you to obtain additional state licenses as soon as possible. Alaska is the only state that does not require a license. However, some states take longer than others for the process of obtaining a license. For example, California and Texas can take anywhere from 3-6 months, so begin these applications immediately!

We do not want to just place you in one travel position, we want you to gain as much experience as you can in multiple travel opportunities! Our account managers and recruiters want to invest in your future just as much as you do. We love to see our candidates succeed in doing what they love.

Be Flexible!

I cannot stress enough the importance of flexibility while being a traveler, as this will ensure that you have as many opportunities to choose from.  If you are reluctant to leave your area, or never work a night shift, than this will make it difficult to find you a position that you would thrive in. Opening up your geographical preferences, and keeping an open mind to the possibilities that may come with traveling farther away, could be greatly beneficial to you as a traveler. This will show not only us that you are an adaptable and open minded worker, but the hospital will take notice of this too.

Especially if you are a new graduate or new to traveling as a Respiratory Therapist, being flexible is incredibly important. Taking those “diamond in the rough” assignments will equip you with valuable skills. It will also help you grasp what the wonderful world of traveling entails. This will improve your chances of obtaining travel positions and learn from medical professionals in all areas of the country.

No matter your age or working experience, these three tips will help you invest in yourself and in your career. At Aureus , we want you to be successful in every position, as you are enjoying the places you’ll go!

Do you have any additional ways that you like to invest in your future as a Respiratory Therapist?

Sara Struble works as an Intern for the Cardiopulmonary division of Aureus Medical Group. 

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