Fitness Tips for Travel Nurses

Posted on March 29, 2021 by TNC

Travel nurses move from city to city for weeks at a time. You can’t really expect to eat whatever you want, not exercise and have your body be okay with it. I know it can be not easy to pick up on regular exercise right after moving to a new home, but you have to make your health a priority; otherwise, your happiness and eventually your work will be compromised.

The Struggle is Real

How many times have you heard something like this: “I ate so much on my vacation I think I gained like 5 lbs”? Or maybe something like, “I didn’t work out at all during my trip, so I’m going to have to start exercising again.” Statements like these are typical for those who travel every once in a while, but these don’t really work for those in the traveling nurse field.

There are Options! Fitness Tips for Travel Nurses

So for all you travel nurses, here are a couple of quick travel nursing fitness tips for maintaining healthy fitness levels while on the road:

The Home Gym Alternative

Okay, we get it. You don’t want to do the gym thing and exercising with a random group of strangers in a yoga or dance class is not your thing either. Creating a home gym and doing bodyweight exercises is a great alternative to staying active and moving well. Just pack a set of resistance bands, invest in a suspension training cord, and set up some workout space in your home.

Yelp! A Gym As Soon As You Can

In addition to looking up some of the best restaurants in your new neighborhood, take some time to look up nearby gyms that you can join as soon as you arrive. Trust me, if you can spend a couple of seconds on your iPhone looking up 4+ star restaurants on yelp! You can easily take a couple more seconds to search local gyms in the area.

Not a gym fan? Why not kickbox or dance it up?

These days, disliking the gym is not an adequate excuse for no exercise. There are plenty of different types of fitness classes and fun, challenging, and great activities for raising your fitness levels and know-how. Some of these include martial arts (kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing), dance (salsa, hip hop, modern, ballet), and yoga. If you’re adventurous enough to be a traveling nurse, then signing up for a beginner’s class in martial arts or dance should be a walk in the park.

Wellness and Balance Over Fitness

Oftentimes people get caught up in wanting to lose 5-10 lbs or reducing pant size and think that the obvious solution is to eat healthier and exercise more. To achieve a life of wellness, the solution isn’t just about greater fitness and a healthy diet. It requires a commitment to achieving balance and prioritizing health and fitness in your life. This means eating well and exercising in ways that make you feel happy and balanced.

Don’t overdo your diet or your exercise program because you’ll burn out fast, but don’t go too easy on yourself, or else it’ll take a long time to see progress. Work towards balance, and your pathway to wellness and fitness will be a little easier.

As a travel nurse, living a life of fitness and wellness is a difficult path. We hope you found these fitness tips for travel nurses helpful.

More often, you are expected to take care of the health of others. Who is going to take care of yours? We hope that this personal responsibility falls a little easier with the tips described above.

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to email at matthew@movemofitness.com.

Great Tips For Reducing Housing Costs on Your Next Assignment

Posted on March 11, 2021 by TNC

Hey Gypsies – we all know that several different factors can make a huge difference in a travel nursing assignment’s success. One of the major ones is how you approach housing and housing options. Travel Nurse Housing Costs can be a major financial factor. Most agencies will provide you with a few housing options, and you will need to figure out what’s best for your and your unique situation. Cost is always a factor in the travel nursing housing equation, so we’ve pulled together these 4 tips for reducing housing costs on your next travel nursing assignment.

Reducing your housing costs

Cook your meals at home.

It seems like a small choice to make, but this can have a huge impact over the course of your assignment. Eating out is both expensive and unhealthy in comparison to preparing your meals at home. When dining out, the average meal costs $12.75 in the U.S. That’s more than $1,000 a month!

Cooking food in your own kitchen can make you feel more at home while you’re living in a new place. When you’re choosing housing for your next assignment, make sure it comes with a full-sized kitchen, or at least a kitchenette, with the necessary kitchenware to be your own chef.

Especially with rapid response and crisis assignments, sometimes you need to find housing fast. But travel nurses always need to be aware of sketchy rental situations as, unfortunately, there are some housing scams out there. Stay diligent in vetting every agreement before you sign a lease.
Some common red flags to watch out for include:

Any price that seems too good to be true.
A property manager who communicates with you only via email.
A landlord who doesn’t ask for any background info.
A landlord or property manager who says they’re in another country and wants money wired to them.

The easiest way to avoid these scams is to rely on a trusted temporary housing provider or your agency to find and secure your housing. Work with housing experts who have access to an inventory of trusted, vetted properties. You won’t have to stress or do any of the work to find quality housing that you can trust.

Choose the housing stipend

Unless you’re completely new to travel nursing, you may want to consider taking the housing stipend over agency-provided housing strongly. Agencies may choose pricier accommodations for nurses to uphold a quality reputation. But with the flexibility of a housing stipend, you can choose your price point and pocket the difference. This also allows you to set the duration of your stay. Many agencies will match your move-in and move-out dates to the dates of your assignment. With a stipend, you can move-in early or extend your stay if you want to stay longer.

Beyond savings, picking your own housing lets you select which part of town you want to experience and which housing amenities matter most to your lifestyle. You may be able to lower your travel nurse Housing Costs by cutting out conveniences you don’t care about.

Save yourself from the hassle of coordinating a U-Haul rental and moving your needed belongings to each new city. The average travel nurse assignment is 13 weeks, but it can be as short as 4 or 5 weeks. The easiest solution is to rent furnishings and housewares — or find housing with these included.

The price of renting might initially dissuade you, but the potential long-term savings pay off. This option allows you to avoid the risk of damaging any of your valuable furniture or personal possessions. You won’t have to spend time and effort on renting a van and scheduling movers. You also don’t have to worry about your existing items fitting into every space you rent. Every apartment or house you rent has its own available space and room dimensions. Leave that coordination to the professionals and cut your travel nurse housing costs.

Common Mistakes Travel Nurses Make

Posted on February 24, 2021 by TNC

Travel nursing requires you to adapt frequently and quickly. Your contracts last 13 weeks, and you move on. Along the way, you can and will make mistakes. These mistakes could not potentially harm your patients, but they can sometimes affect your contract and how your co-workers treat you. We recently asked our Facebook network members what the most common mistakes travel nurses make. They voted on the following mistakes as the most common mistakes that Travel Nurses make.

Getting Lost

We have all gotten lost going somewhere new. Make sure you know your route ahead of time. Also, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get to your destination. That way, if you do run into issues or you do end up lost, you don’t risk missing the first day of your new assignment. Getting lost seems like it shouldn’t be an issue with GPS at our fingertips. However, sometimes GPS can mislead us or run into traffic situations that we must reroute our trip. This could, in turn, make for a longer than anticipated trip or getting lost.

Saying “Well, at this other hospital we did it this way, not your way”

Just because you did it a certain way at other hospitals doesn’t mean that is necessarily the norm for every facility. Many facilities have their own way of doing things that they feel are the safest and efficient way. Even if you feel the way you did it at another facility is more efficient or prefer that way, it is best to keep that. The staff nurses do it the way they have been trained to and aren’t really interested in hearing how it is done at other places.

Not communicating issues with your recruiter

If you are having problems with your assignment or the facility, it is essential to make these things known to your recruiter. They aren’t going to know that there are issues if you don’t tell them. They will probably assume things are going great for you. Keeping the lines of communication between you and your recruiter is very important. Communication with your recruiter is important even if there aren’t any problems. But it is essential if you are having problems. They need to know what issues you are having. Otherwise, they can’t help you fix them.

Talking about how bad the hospital is constantly

It seems obvious, but sometimes we get annoyed, and things slip out. Even if you don’t like the hospital or have been to much better facilities, saying so will not go well. The facility staff may not have any experience at any other facility; to them, the facility may be great. And even if they don’t believe this, hearing someone who is a contract employee coming in and talking bad about the facility isn’t going to make them happy.

There are probably other mistakes that travel nurses make. Have you made any of these mistakes or seen other mistakes travel nurses have made? Comment them below.

Items to Collect That Don’t Take Up Space

Posted on January 12, 2021 by TNC

As travel nurses, you are going to new locations every 13 weeks. Sometimes even sooner. While taking pictures and making memories are great, sometimes you want something to remember each place. The key to these collectibles is to keep them small because you are traveling and only have so much space. Here are some great items to collect from each location that doesn’t take up a lot of space.

Items to collect that don’t take up space

Postcards

Postcards are the first item on our list, they are easy to find in most locations, and they are easy to store. Postcards are great because you can write on them, for example, what was your favorite thing about that assignment or city. They are also great because they take up so little space; you could buy a photo album and place them in it or store them in a box.

Magnets

Magnets make great collectibles because they don’t take up much room except on the refrigerator! They are usually easy to find if you visit truck stops or gas stations along highways

Key chains

Again, key chains make great collectibles because they are often small. While you may not use them for day-to-day use, you can keep them hung on key hooks or just put them away to look at and reminisce on your travels.

Shot Glasses

Shot glasses are great because they are small and don’t take up much room. Because of this, they can be displayed out as décor pieces. They are often not very costly, either.

Coffee Mugs

Coffee mugs can be tricky because they can take up some room. However, if you always keep a few with you and rotate the ones you take with you on an assignment, you won’t have to worry about that. Starbucks even has mugs with each state on them and pictures of landmarks and such from each state. If there is a state park or visitor center near you, they often carry these as well.

Pins

Pins are great because you can put them on a bag, hat, or really anything that you want to. You could also take the backs off and place them on a corkboard as a display piece. The options you get with pins are almost endless. Pins are a fun thing to collect!

Shirts/ Hooded Sweatshirts

Shirts and sweatshirts are great because not only are they collectibles, but you can wear them. Again, you can rotate the ones you bring with you on assignment. They are often found at gas stations along highways.

Key chains

Charms for bracelets

Another great option is a charm for a bracelet. While it may eventually fill up, you could get another bracelet. Bracelets and jewelry take up very little space. Pandora is just one option for charms and charm bracelets. This option also lets you be creative because you can pick a charm that reminds you of something you love about a city or state you have had an assignment in.

Remembering your adventures is an important aspect of travel nursing. These are just a few things that travel nurses have collected along their travels. There are many more, but these options are easy to take with you on the road and really don’t take up a lot of space. Some of these things are probably no-brainers, but some you probably never even thought about.

What travel nurse items do you collect? Post in the comments!

Tips To Help Travel Nurses Survive Night Shift

Posted on December 3, 2020 by TNC

For many travel nurses, working the night shift is a way of life. Some natural “night owl” travel RNs make this transition very easy and actually thrive in a 7p-7a type of environment. For most travel nurses, however, this schedule can be extremely challenging, even on a temporary basis. On your feet, all night, working a crazy-busy shift, fighting natural and work-induced exhaustion…does this sound familiar? For those travel nurses that are working nights, here are some tips to help make the most of this demanding schedule.

1.) Eat smart:

When you’re physically and mentally tired, our bodies often crave “comfort food” to satisfy the unusual demands of a nighttime schedule. The problem with this is that there is a difference between a craving for junk food and the real need for healthy energy f oods to keep you properly nourished. It’s very important to try to avoid the easy-to-grab snacks out of the break room vending machine. Refined sugars, empty calories, high levels of sodium, and bad fats actually wreak havoc on your system and your sleep patterns, not to mention your overall health.

Eating smaller, more frequent healthy snacks will keep you awake and energized throughout your shift. Fresh fruits and vegetables, high-quality proteins, and frequent hydration with water or nutritious drinks are the keys. Foods like bananas, low-salt nuts, low fat (and low sugar) yogurt, low-fat cheese and are great for keeping your engine running throughout the busy evening. And for a sweet treat, try dried fruits instead of candy bars.

2.) Use Caffeine with Caution:

It may seem like a great idea to grab that cup of coffee and give yourself a little extra jolt to get through the back half of your shift, but it may come back and haunt you when you finally do get home and try to wind down from a long “night”. Instead, have your caffeine earlier in your shift and try to avoid it as much as possible in the latter half. Avoid “energy drinks” at all costs. These drinks usually contain high amounts of sugar and a ridiculous amount of caffeine that can make you jittery and uncomfortable during a shift, not to mention give you an upset stomach.

3. Sleep Schedule

Working odd hour shifts makes it difficult to get into a regular routine, particularly when you are trying to maintain some semblance of a social life! Take steps to ensure you get some quality sleep when you get home. Simple things such as blackout shades to keep the sunlight out, earplugs to block noise, turning off your phone and other electronic distractions, and even scheduling your sleep will all make it easier to obtain those 7-8 hours of rest that most of us require to maintain our health and well-being.

4.) Stay active during breaks:

Take a quick walk to the cafeteria, step outside the facility for some fresh air, do some light stretching exercises, or rhythmic breathing. It can all help to keep you awake, refreshed, and mentally alert during your shift.

5.) Exercise Regularly:

Regularly scheduled exercise throughout the week is critical to maintaining healthy sleep patterns. Try and find a time each day to get 45-60 minutes of activity each day to keep in shape and keep you feeling good. If motivation is a problem, see if you can find a colleague that will be your workout partner to help get you moving or drag you to the gym on those days where you would rather be curled up on the couch with Netflix and a bag of Doritos.

It takes a special breed of travel nurse to work the night shift, either that or being the “newest” member of the staff! As a travel RN, it may even be the shift you end up working because of staffing shortages! Whatever the reason, your night shift experience does not necessarily have to be a bad one if you plan correctly and follow some of these guidelines.

If you’re a night shift nurse and you successfully navigate the evenings, please share some of your tips below with your colleagues who may need some help adjusting.

Tips to Make Your Travel Nurse Housing More “Homey”

Posted on November 24, 2020 by TNC

You have found yourself a new travel nurse assignment and you just arrived at your new “home”! Yay! Now to try and make it feel a little cozier and more comfortable since it’s where you will be coming “home” to after every shift.

Making your new travel nurse temporary housing feel welcoming is an essential part of your health and happiness while on assignment. Below are a couple of examples of easy and inexpensive tips to help guide you through decorating temporary housing (without breaking the bank!) and making it feel more like home.

Plants:

Flowers are an attractive and fun addition to your temporary home furnishings. Grab low-cost flowers from the grocery or some easy to care for green plants. Plants and flowers can brighten any room!

Art:

Not many things are more depressing than dull, generic walls. Grab some inexpensive artwork from discount stores like TJ Maxx or Marshall’s to spruce up the walls a bit. Wall decals are an awesome (and cheap) way to decorate as well, and the best part is that they easily peel off when you’re done with them.

Candles and/or Diffusers:

The scent is known to trigger memories and feelings. Whether that smell takes you to a place or reminds you of a person, we’ve all had that experience. If you burn certain candles at home, bring that scent to your new temporary home. Different smells have different effects, and certain oils or incense can help make your home more inviting and calming!

Add some color:

Whether these colors are homelike themes or you want to go with a bright palette you’ve never tried before, color is a lively way of helping you forget that this home is temporary. If your housing is completely furnished, try buying a vibrant throw blanket to dress-up the couch or substituting the comforter with a crazy quilt. Making your home away from home colorful will help it feel much less boring and bland.

Pictures:

Bring some pictures of loved ones, animals, and family with you and put them up in your bedroom, on the refrigerator or buy some frames and hang them on the wall! Nothing beats the comfort of a reminder you feel when looking at pictures of people you care about or places you have been!

Tips for Making Friends in Your New City

Posted on November 18, 2020 by TNC

So you are on your latest adventure as a travel nurse…you landed the ideal job in your dream city, packed up, and settled in. Now what? All of a sudden, you have some time on your hands and no one to share it with, nowhere to really go, and you’re feeling a little lonely. It’s perfectly normal to go through this type of adjustment stage as a travel nurse. And, with the stressful demands of your job, sometimes it’s better to keep a more moderate schedule. However, that doesn’t mean living like a hermit. Socializing is very important for everyone’s mental and emotional health. To keep nursing and life balanced, you should stay connected with people, feel needed and appreciated outside of work, and look for opportunities to meet new people that can add richness to your life.

Here are a few ways you can meet and win new friends while on a travel nurse assignment. They may not all be right for your particular personality, but keep an open mind and be sure to give some a fair try. Here’s hoping you are on the road to popularity very soon.

Be approachable at work–

Clearly, you don’t want to limit all your friends to co-workers because that would leave very little variety to your day. However, it is a good place to start. Grab lunch or take a walk with others in your department. You will learn quickly who is a good fit, then perhaps it can grow into some after-work get-togethers.

Maintain–

Once you have done a great job meeting new people and have formed a few friendships, you have to keep them going. Any relationship takes some effort. Try to schedule regular “dates” or activities. Go for coffee, have a monthly movie night, commit to trying a new restaurant regularly, or even have a “call date’ to chat. In a world of instant technology and texting, it is still imperative to have live conversations for a relationship to last.

The fitness factor–

Join a gym or sign-up for a class. Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, and other fitness classes are all popular ways to get exposed to a group of diverse people. These also provide flexible commitment on your part. You set your time at the gym and usually roam away from a conversation if it’s not working for you. Classes have set time limits, so you know there is a little time at the start and finish if you want to pursue a new friend further.

Start a club–

Once you have a few people that seem to fit well with your personality, it can be very helpful to engage on a regular basis to help those relationships grow. Host a book club, regular dinner potluck, or even a wine and cheese tasting to bring people together.

Open up–

While it’s not advisable to download your entire life story at a first encounter, it is often helpful to share about yourself gradually to grow a relationship. Showing emotion and confiding in someone you trust can help bolster a casual friendship into something more valuable to both parties.

Network–

One of the fastest ways to meet new people is through your existing friends. Ask if they know people in your new location. This can be an excellent source of new friendships because your current acquaintances know your personality and might be able to match you with those who share common interests.

Tread lightly on work talk–

Most of your life may be currently consumed by your work and it is no doubt a proud part of your day, however, nursing may not be interesting to everyone. Share on a gradual basis and gauge reception from your audience. And, be sure never to share personal details about your patients, or information that can be linked to a specific person. Privacy and discretion should always be your top job despite how rousing the details may be.

High tech options–

Social media is just as the name suggests, a place to foster socializing. It is a great place to look for new friends in your newest city. Look for Meet-Ups, Facebook pages and groups, and apps that are designed to connect people with similar interests. Always use precautions to stay safe. Never give out personal information online, meet only in well light public places, inform someone about any meetings with location details, etc.

Travel Nurse Do’s and Don’ts

Posted on November 4, 2020 by TNC

Travel nurses are met with unique challenges as well as many benefits that a traditional nurse might not encounter. Here a few do’s and don’ts designed to help your journey as a travel nurse.

Do get active–

join a Zumba class, yoga, cycling or enter a road race. Staying active is important for a healthy lifestyle and a great way to meet people in the area.

Do learn something new–

hospitals and healthcare facilities have different ways of doing things. Learn how the units are run, ask questions, and try to gain new knowledge around a procedure or process that can benefit your career.

Don’t argue the rules–

there will always be minor differences in procedures and processes between hospitals. As long as there are no safety concerns, don’t assume a different style is wrong. Adhere to the policies in place.

Do make new friends–

with all the technology today it’s tempting to stay close to your inner circle through facetime, email, and texting. However, nothing compares to personal interaction, a hug when you need it, or a friendly face across a cup of coffee. Be sure to connect with people in your area so you have a few friends to count on in person.

Do eat healthily–

your energy level and ability to perform is directly related to your nutritional intake. While it may seem obvious to a medical professional, everyone falls into the trap of rushing, grabbing junk food, or skipping meals altogether from time to time. This is especially true when you are in a new area, unfamiliar with restaurants, or alone and feel food prep is just too time-consuming for one person. Stay strong by planning ahead, eating right, and taking care of you as the number one priority.

Do rest–

nursing is a demanding job, any day and every day. There are physical and emotional aspects, stress, and enormous responsibility at every turn. Adequate rest is key to good decision-making, stamina, and mood.

Don’t be afraid to ask–

a new area, a new job, and a new home can add up to a lot of uncertainly and unknowns. Ask questions of those you respect and trust, research reliable sources online, and never be embarrassed to inquire about something.

Do visit a park–

take advantage of your new location by taking in the sights. Find a few parks, nature centers, or animal parks and enjoy the local attractions.

Don’t fail to review your contract–

read carefully to understand the assignment, location, hours, benefits, pay, and housing parameters.

Don’t get into a rut–

avoid eating and shopping at the same place every time. You can still have favorites, but be open to new experiences. Try new restaurants and stores every week.

Don’t forget to stay streetwise–

vary your routine, avoid leaving valuables visible in your car, walk and park in well-lit areas, and stay alert of your surroundings.

We hope these Do’s and Don’ts help you with your travel nurse journey!

10 Tips to Help Travel Nurses De-Stress

Posted on April 20, 2020 by TNC

If you have chosen to journey across the country as a travel nurse, you have probably hit a few bumps in the road along the way. Long days, challenging patients, conflicts with supervisors, and even bad weather can increase stress levels. It is important to take care of your health and avoid Travel Nurse Burnout. Everyone will appreciate you more if you are in a good, positive mood.

Here are 10 easy ways to reduce stress and even lower blood pressure. Take five minutes for you and give them a try the next time life throws you a little extra anxiety.

10 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress for Travel Nurses

1. Listen to Music

While classical music can be extremely calming and decrease levels of stress hormones, the truth is any music you enjoy can increase the flow of feel-good chemicals to the brain and help you relax.

2. Disconnect from your electronics

Turn off your cell phone, step away from your computer, look away from the screen. Uninterrupted screen time can increase stress. So be sure to take frequent breaks and from time to time disconnect completely.

3. Laughter is the best medicine

Anything that makes you chuckle will work, a joke, funny video, hilarious memory, just laugh out loud. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.”

4. Inhale and Exhale

Breathing exercises can help. One popular choice is to take a deep breath in, hold for the count of ten, then exhale for a count of ten. Just taking a few deep breaths can reduce tension and relieve stress. The extra boost of oxygen nourishes the brain and can reduce blood pressure.

5. Try aromatherapy

Escape for just a few moments with essential oil. Aromatherapy has been shown to decrease stress levels; some popular scents include lavender, vanilla, and chamomile.

6. Get your potassium

Bananas are loaded with potassium which has been shown to help regulate blood pressure and even improve energy levels during stressful times.

7. Get out and move

moving your body or any type of exercise that you enjoy stimulates blood flow, staying active regularly helps keep you fit and better prepared to handle stressful situations.

8. Have treat here and there

Good nutrition continuously helps keep you healthy, but a treat from time to time in small portions can also help boost your mood and combat stress. Dark chocolate is one of the best choices because its flavanols may improve blood flow and lower blood pressure.

9. Get your sleep

Sleep is an important component of a healthy lifestyle. But not all sleep is created equal. To be rested you need adequate amounts of uninterrupted sleep, many times it quality not quantity that can best help you de-stress.

10. Make a schedule

No doubt you will have very busy days and challenging to-do lists, to keep stress at bay, build in time between commitments. Don’t schedule something every minute to avoid rushing and fear of being late—real stressors!

Traveling Nurse Blog Round Up 2/1/2013

Posted on February 1, 2013 by TNC

Been a little behind on your travel nurse reading? That’s OK! We’ve complied some of the best blog posts about travel nursing from the past few weeks.

Here they are:

The rewards of travel nursing

By Aya Healthcare Blog on Jan 21st, 2013

Travel nursing assignments are among the most unique and rewarding career opportunities available. That being said, the many benefits that travel nursing jobs offer are not without their own challenges.

Ways for a travel nurse to become a better leader

By Aureus Medical Group on January 31st, 2013
New evidence shows that a travel nurse with leadership training and advanced education is in a better position to help his or her workplace and create a more effective unit.
Read more…

How to Handle Mail on Your Travel Nurse Assignment

By Jeannie, Travel Nursing Blogs on Jan 25th, 2013

Moving to a new assignment every 3 months takes a lot of patience and organization, including taking care of your mail and bills. But how do most travel nurses handle their mail situation?

Travel Nursing – Is It Worth It Without a Tax-home?

By Kyle, The Truth about Travel Nursing on Feb 1st, 2013

Travel nursing agencies and their recruiters trumpet the benefits of tax-free stipends in their marketing campaigns and sales pitches. And of course, why wouldn’t they? In most cases, the tax-free stipends can result in hundreds of additional dollars making their way into the pocket of the travel nurse.

Top 10 expectations for a travel nurse

By Mighty Nurse on Jan 29th, 2013

The top 10 things that a hospital should consider when working with Travel Nurses (from a Travel Nurse perspective):