Tag Archives: travel nursing

Traveler Tips: Workplace Bullying

Many traveling healthcare professionals end up on the road in part to avoid workplace drama, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. Enter the workplace bully.

Identify a workplace bully by these behaviors:

  • Putting you down in front of patients or other healthcare professionals
  • Frequent and unnecessary aggressive responses, excessive rudeness and verbal abuse
  • Repeatedly dismissing requests for assistance because “you should know how to do the job” (i.e., they aren’t busy and go out of their way to deny help), or other acts of workplace “sabotage”
  • Threats and intimidation behaviors

You should always let your recruiter know if you are experiencing bullying, but here are some other tips to consider. Read more »

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Traveler Questions Answered: Drug Screens

From US Drug Test Centers:

How to Avoid a Dilute Specimen

  • It is always best to go for a urine collection first thing in the morning because your urine is fresh and not likely dilute. Do not drink extra water because you are afraid of not being able to produce urine at your drug test collection. If you normally drink large quantities of fluids, cut back a bit before going for your drug test.
  • Drinking an excessive quantity of fluid before a drug test can cause dilution and then you might have to back for another drug test.
  • If, at the collection site for your drug test, you have any difficulty providing the required 45 mL of urine, you will be given time to drink some water and try again. We call this a “shy bladder.” There is a shy bladder process where you have up to three hours to provide your specimen and you are given a maximum of 45 ounces of water spread out over the three hours.

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5 Non-Clinical Podcasts For Your Next Adventure

I like listening to people talk. Probably because I’m an introvert, and I don’t like to talk much myself. So I’ll spend hours a week listening to the conversations of others, learning new things about topics from sea turtles to new Urban Dictionary slang words (rarely incorporated into my vocabulary, but always interesting to hear deliberated).

Here are some “just for fun” podcast suggestions to fill the silence on any weekend adventures: Read more »

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How to Research Your Next Contract Location

Maybe you’ve had this happen during a vacation. You’re excited to experience a new place. You’ve heard about the views or the nightlife or the culture. You have a general idea of what you’ll do to enjoy the area once you arrive. And you’ve booked a place to stay. Awesome! And then you get there and realize your rental is nowhere near the attractions and restaurants that interest you, or it’s not as big as you expected. And everything around is way more expensive than you had budgeted, and you’re grabbing for credit cards. Not awesome.

The same thing occasionally comes up in healthcare staffing. It’s smart to do basic research on a city before arriving or even before signing a contract. Here’s what to look up: Read more »

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Adaptability Can Lead to Better Experiences

If adaptability is innately one of your skills, you’re probably well-suited for a travel career. If it’s something you have to work for, we’ve got two good reasons for making that extra effort.

“Action and adaptability create opportunity.”

– Garrison Wynn

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Stay on Track to Avoid Late Starts

Procrastination is no one’s friend. You probably know a fellow traveler who has had plans change due to a missed urine test or delayed response to a phone interview call-back. Avoid those and other procrastination mistakes with these three quick tips to stay on schedule for your first, or next, travel assignment.

ASK QUESTIONS

For first-time travelers especially, it can seem like your recruiter is throwing a lot of to-do items your way. Avoid becoming overwhelmed (or worse, late) by Read more »

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Recruiter-Traveler Relationships

We know the relationship with your recruiter is one of the more important parts of a successful travel career. At Cariant, you work with one recruiter regardless of where in the U.S. you want to travel. The longer you travel with us the stronger your relationship with your recruiter becomes. They are your advocates on the road. And they work hard to make sure their travelers are informed and happy.

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We Need to Talk About Ghosting

Ghosting, an act we may categorize as something that only happens when “retiring” personal relationships, has shifted to the professional space as an employment trend. It’s on the minds of many HR and recruiting professionals. And unfortunately, it’s on our radar as well.

Culturally acceptable it may be to “ghost” an individual to end a friendship or relationship, ghosting does not belong in the travel therapy and travel nursing industry.

Consider this full scenario: Read more »

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Write a Travel Bucket List for Each and Every Contract Location

Most travel contracts are 13 weeks in duration. That may seem like a long period of time… until you recall how often you hear exclamations of how fast the year went by. When you’re moving around the country up to four times a year and trying to squeeze in as many memorable moments as you can, those 13 weeks will fly by!

It’s essential to make a plan, or at least write out a travel bucket list, in advance of each contract so you’re less likely to miss an experience. This is especially true if your plan is never to extend a contract. Read more »

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Travel Questions Answered

Why is it okay for a hospital to cancel a contract, but not for me?

Contract cancellations are a risk of travel. But travelers typically receive two weeks to 30 days’ notice for your recruiter to line up another assignment. Travelers who receive notice directly about a cancellation clause being utilized should contact their recruiter immediately to look at options.

Cancellations usually only happen because the facility filled a permanent position or experienced an unexpected low census. It’s a financial decision, Read more »

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