Travel nurses who work with agencies have many housing options available.

Travel nurses enjoy the luxury of being able to choose not just where they work, but also whether they find their own housing for each assignment — or have someone else take care of it for them.

Since each of these housing options has its own set of very different benefits, it’s important to review them thoroughly before you make a decision.

If you’re not sure which option to take advantage of for your next assignment, check out the Onward Healthcare Guide to Travel Nursing Housing Options for a full comparison.

Option 1: Free Private Housing

What is it?  Onward Healthcare offers free private housing to every one of its travel nurses. The Onward Healthcare Housing Team will set you up in accommodations that meet your needs, whether it’s a private one bedroom apartment, or a quaint two-bedroom cottage. This service is provided free of charge and has no bearing on your salary or take-home pay.

What do you get? The Free Private Housing option ensures that you have a great place to live ready when you need to move in — one that’s close to your assignment and in a safe neighborhood. Your living space can range in size, style and amenities, but Onward Healthcare offers a detailed list of common features and amenities.

Why choose it? The Free Private Housing option is a simple way to get your housing taken care of before your assignment, but unlike the Housing Subsidy option, you don’t get a housing stipend to spend in addition to your salary.

Option 2: Housing Stipend

What is it? Onward Healthcare will provide you with a generous Housing Subsidy if you choose to find and secure your own living accommodations. This stipend is in addition to your regular salary and any bonuses or overtime you may earn.

What do you get? Each travel nurses housing subsidy budget may be a little different, so your recruiter will be the best source of details on it. But no matter how much it is, you’ll automatically be increasing your base pay by accepting the housing subsidy.

Why choose it? What’s better than being paid more to choose your own place to live? Not only that, but with the housing stipend, you still get to take advantage of the Onward Healthcare Housing Team. This brings us to the last, and best option of all…

Option 3: Onward Healthcare Housing Concierge

What is it? This option combines the increase in base pay you get with the housing stipend, with the convenience and ease of relying on the housing team to find and set up your accommodations.

What do you get? When you use the Housing Concierge, you accept the generous housing stipend in addition to your regular pay, then you connect with a housing coordinator who takes down all your housing preferences. The coordinator will handle all the work of finding housing that meets your preferences as well as fits within your subsidy budget. Once they present you with your preferred housing options, all you have to do is pick one, sign for it and pay!

Why choose it? Not only is this the easiest and most care-free way to secure housing for your next assignment, it adds a little extra cash to your salary. What more could you ask for?

Getting Started With A Travel Nursing Job

Onward Healthcare would like to connect you with a travel nursing job that fits your needs and qualifications.  Our experts can help you every step of the way — including housing, licensure, benefits, and more.  To get started on a new position, call us at 1-800-278-0332, or apply online today!

What is Sea Glass?

What is sea glass, you may ask? Well, a formal definition may go  something like: sea glass, also called beach glass, is any glass that  has eventually found its way to a coastline or large body of water  that has a sufficient combination of surf, sand and stone to tumble the glass smooth and “frost” it into a naturally made, beautifully colored, sea glass gem.

A more appropriate explanation I use in my writings is this: colorful  gems, indigenous of coastal regions, causing infectious behavior in  persons taking a relaxing stroll along a beach. May induce extreme and uncontrollable excitement, signaled by high-pitched screams of joy  accompanied by maniacal jumping and erratic waving of the arms.

There is no known cure, only treatment, which includes frequent trips  to the beach – especially effective if accomplished in tropical areas  of the world such as Bermuda, Hawaii, Greece and the Caribbean.

How I Got “The Itch” for Sea Glass

I began sea glass collecting in my youth, spending summers on the  coast while discovering my passion for beach combing.

Those zen moments  spent strolling the beach, enjoying the sights, sounds and scent of  the ocean… ahhhh… tonic for the soul. Finding sea glass, in its  myriad of shapes and colors, was like treasure hunting to me.

At day’s  end I would bring these beachy gems home, placing them in jars as  keepsakes, colorful reminders of all the fun times spent playing in the sand.

Now, I explore the coastal regions of the US as well as the world for  sea glass, collecting it, photographing it and making jewelry and  other whimsical objects with it.

Only genuine sea glass is used, collected by myself or my sea glass collecting cohorts. I work with sea glass as it is found, never grinding or reshaping the glass, and only occasionally drilling as required.

What always gives me a chuckle is when I come across someone on the  beach asking me what I’m doing and who has never heard of sea glass. I  explain that it starts out as refuse, broken glass that has been  tumbled smooth by the sea. I also mention that some colors are rarer  to find than others. Red and cobalt blue gems are highly desired by  the sea glass hunter.

I will receive a nod of understanding, thanking  me for the explanation. And as they walk away… their eyes are now cast down, scanning the surface of the beach, looking for a shard that  they, only a minute ago, would have probably walked blissfully by! As my new beach friend walks away I will often shout a reminder to “look up every once in awhile and enjoy the beauty of the stroll!”

Snapshots from my Sea Glass Gallery

Bermuda has many small pockets of coastline, including little caves, where you will often find sea glass. Some of the sea glass can be very old, dating from the 1800 or 1700s.

Glass Beach, in Fort Bragg, California, was once the town dump. Fortunately they stopped in 1969 and now it is a destination for sea glass collectors. At times the beach is covered with so much glass that you can't see the sand.

Here are some of the spoils of a short hunt on the island of Vieques,Puerto Rico.

Some of the types of jewelry that can be made with naturally made sea glass.

With summer approaching, the warm weather is bringing everyone out into the sunshine. Homeowners are airing out their homes and setting up yard sales, storefronts are spilling onto the streets, and the flea market & festival seasons is beginning to gear up.

These are all fantastic opportunities for recently relocated travel nurses to get outside and into a social environment, to become acquainted with the area, and to meld with the local culture.

Unfortunately, most of these activities are consumer-centered, and if there’s one thing that a traveler does not need, it’s more things to carry with them. But with a little forethought, there are some great things you can pick up that will enhance your life without adding to your burden.

Great Finds For Travel Nurses In The Marketplace

Antique Post Cards

These little pieces of local history can be found in antique shops, consignment stores, and flea markets everywhere. While antique, they’re surprisingly inexpensive – as little as a dollar apiece – and cost much less than your typical Hallmark card. Antique post cards are fully mailable, often hand-painted, available in many different styles, and are always a hit with the people who receive them. It’s something a little extra-special to send along to someone you care about!

Usable & Edible Goods

Outdoor marketplaces are popular places to find fruit preserves, smoked meats, breads, homemade cheeses, garden-fresh vegetables and fruit, maple syrup, farm-fresh eggs, oils, herbs, spices, confectionery, and more.

Along with that, they’re havens for beautifully made candles as well as handmade soaps, potpourri, lotions, reed diffusers, and even shampoos.

Use what you buy often, and never purchase more than you need, and you’ll find that you’ve added nothing to your burden as you move to your next assignment. As you use them, they serve as pleasant reminders of a day spent in relaxing activity.

Unique Flower Pots

If you’re traveling alone, having a few plants in your home can provide feelings of freshness and life to your home, as well as a splash of color for added ambiance. However, most potted plants come in a small, confining pots that are sorely lacking in appeal.

With a little creativity, you can repurpose a quality secondhand item from a yard sale, flea market, or consignment store into something truly unique.

Use your imagination – this can be a lot of fun! Don’t have a way to take the plants with you? Give them away when you leave, or buy flowering plants that will pass in a few weeks, and donate your “flower pot” back to the store to sell again.

Examples:

Decorative Plates, Bowls, & Casserole Dishes

Yard sales and flea markets are great places to buy beautiful but inexpensive plates and kitchen items – they rarely cost more than a couple dollars apiece. These are wonderful when giving away cookies or other baked goods to coworkers or new acquaintances, and also when bringing food to a dinner party.

This is particularly true for secondhand plates. Yard sale plates, when in good condition, are nicer than paper plates but not as precious as pieces from your normal set of matching dinnerware. You can give them away freely, never having to worry about getting them back – and if they like the plate, tell them it’s theirs! Like the flower pots, when it’s time to leave, any that you have remaining can simply be brought to a local consignment store for resale.

A Fast, Easy Recipe…

Looking for a unique, crowd-pleasing recipe that’s easy to make? A plate of brickle never fails! You can find a great recipe for it here. Personally, I like to use graham crackers instead of Saltines, and I use parchment paper instead of aluminum foil (it’s hard to peel the foil off without leaving little pieces behind). My family craves this on the holidays!

Where Is Your Next Assignment?

At Onward Healthcare, our experts are standing by to position you in the best travel nursing jobs across the nation.  We’ll take care of all the details, so you can focus on nursing and maximizing your enjoyment of each new area where you work.  To get started with us on your next travel nursing assignment, apply online, or call us today at (800) 278-0332!

Karen is a writer and educator interested in finding and sharing information relating to the healthcare profession. She works primarily with, and for, nurses who have an interest in better RN to BSN & MSN Degree Programs, as well as with those interested developing a more substantial career in the medical profession.

Each year, National Nurses Week is celebrated from May 6 to 12, concluding on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is renowned as the founder of the modern nursing profession.

The week honors the variety of ways that nurses work to improve healthcare. The observance also includes National Student Nurses Day on May 8 and National School Nurse Day, which is celebrated on the Wednesday of each National Nurses Week. This year, that Wednesday falls on May 9.

During the course of this week-long holiday, schools, hospitals, clinics and other healthcare organizations recognize their nurses’ hard work and commitment through special events, ceremonies and activities.

What National Nurses Week Means To Professionals

Often, all it takes is one positive experience with someone in a particular career field to point us on our path toward a profession. This happens a lot with nursing; many nurses feel the profession chose them instead of the other way around. For these professionals, their career choice is a calling of the heart – possibly one they’ve dreamed about since childhood.

Nursing is a diverse career, full of challenges and rewards. National Nurses Week offers nurses a chance to reflect on their accomplishments, and to feel pride in their contributions. For the people whose lives have been touched by the services that nurses provide, it provides them with a unique opportunity to say thanks.

National Nurses Week is a wonderful way to focus attention on the millions of nurses in the United States who are saving lives and improving healthcare.

How It All Began…

Efforts to recognize nurses nationally began in the early 1950s, when the first National Nurse Week was observed ‘unofficially’ in October 1954. However, it wasn’t until two decades later, in February 1974, that the White House designated National Nurse Week in an official capacity.

Over the years, recognition of nurses expanded – and in February 1982, the American Nurses Association (ANA) board of directors formally declared May 6 as National Nurses Day.

A few years later, in the early 1990s, The ANA Board of Directors designated May 6 – 12 as permanent dates to observe National Nurses Week for years to come.

Honoring & Thanking Nursing Professionals

Caring for others requires special skills and talents. It is often the nursing staff that patients remember as the heart of their hospital experience. Good nursing is considered to be the perfect blend of science and art; it requires dedicated and passionate people who can communicate and relate well – and also possess the knowledge required to tend to patients’ medical needs.

Nurses today are on the front lines in the ongoing challenges facing the healthcare industry. As debates about insurance, HMOs, unions and other issues swirl around them, nurses continue to do what they do best: advocating for their patients and offering them comfort during their most vulnerable and difficult times.

Nurses deserve to honored and celebrated for all they do, and we should be inspired and humbled by the history of their noble profession.

Spring is finally here again, and the weather is already warming up across the states.

As it does, travel nurses across the country are seeing the flu season die down – and the annual epidemic of spring fever settle in.

Unfortunately, exploring the great outdoors when it’s outside of your normal stomping grounds can be challenging.

Sure, there’s word of mouth and travel guides, but sometimes a travel nurse just wants to spontaneously get out of the house and explore somewhere new. If this sounds like you, we recommend you give letterboxing a try.

What Is A Letterbox?

A typical letterbox contains a stamp pad and a book. In this case, they were tucked inside a vitamin bottle.

Letterboxes are small containers – usually plastic food storage containers – that are hidden in public places. Each letterbox contains a rubber stamp (usually homemade) and a notepad.

In most cases, there’s also an ink pad and/or pen. To protect them from rain and moisture, most letterboxes are also placed in plastic sandwich bags.

When searching for a letterbox, you bring your own stamp and sketchbook. Once you find the letterbox, you stamp your book with their stamp, and stamp their book with your stamp.

Then, you leave them a nice note, saying where you’re from, the date when you found it, and maybe a few thoughts. If you like, you can read through their book and see who else has found the letterbox.

Directions to these letterboxes are posted on online forums – often on letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com. These directions can be printed out on your computer, or even accessed on your cell phone while you’re searching.

Where Are Letterboxes Found?

Lifting up this rock (seen right) reveals a letterbox concealed in the leaves.

Letterboxes can be found in just about any publicly accessible place, including nature trails, parks, historic cemeteries, beaches, near monuments, on the fringes of parking lots, and more.

These boxes are found in tucked-away locations, most commonly either behind a rock in a stone wall, or in the hollows of a tree.

If you’re looking for it, it will be obvious – in almost every case, there’s an “Ohhhh!” moment when you find the spot, and know it’s the place you were looking for.  If you’ve been looking for some time for it, this can be very exciting!

In some cases, the people who place letterboxes are very creative about it. I’ve found letterboxes inside hollow books in libraries, at the top of defunct ski slopes, and even under a clay pot in a letterboxer’s yard – the owner of the home came out to greet us when we found it!

But will there be letterboxes at the location of your job? The answer is yes – letterboxes can be found in all 50 states. Below is a breakdown of the US cities that need travel healthcare professionals most, and how many letterboxes can be found in the general area.

Searching For A Letterbox

The instructions to find a letterbox vary as well – some are completely straightforward, while others may guide you with hints or even a cryptograph. You can look for a single letterbox or find a “series” of 2, 3, 6, or more. There’s one series in New York that has 26!

Spend as little or as much time searching for a letterbox as you want. Finding one can be as simple as a five-minute detour in a parking lot, or as complicated as a two-hour excursion up a mountain (Be sure to bring a friend if the journey will be treacherous!). The choice is yours!

Why Travel Nurses Love Letterboxing

The great thing about letterboxing is that you find many lesser-known (But beautiful!) places in the area that you’d never find any other way. It’s fun, child-appropriate, and a great way to build memories as you collect new “finds” at every unique place you visit.

Are you ready for your next travel nursing job? Use our online form to apply for a travel healthcare job today!!

Letterbox shown was found in Wilton, CT.

1) Build your network.

Just like all professionals, travel nurses benefit immensely from a strong, well maintained network of connections. Whether it’s a recommendation from a former colleague, or passing along a job opportunity only to receive a favor in return, there are endless ways your network can support your career. Check out this Onward Healthcare blog post about Twitter networking tips and this episode of the Travel Nursing Insider about social media for travel nurses if you need any refreshers to keep your network working for you.

2) Sharpen your skills.

Make 2012 the year that you outdo yourself by taking all your expertise and education to the next level. Keeping your skills sharp is the perfect way to impress future employers, and build a great reputation. Your career will benefit from a boost in know-how, so why not go for that certification you’ve been thinking about? Onward Healthcare also offers continuing education to all nurses. Your career, plus your patients and colleagues, will thank you for it, so don’t forget to ask your travel nursing recruiter for more details.

3) Broaden your horizons.

Along the same lines of keeping your skills sharp, make broadening your horizons a priority this year. Think about all the different places you want your career to take you and make it all happen. If that means working in a city all the way across the country, go for it! If that means expanding your skills to include a new specialty, why not? Dream bigger this year because your career in travel nursing is all about what you make of it!

4) Challenge yourself.

Were there any assignments or job opportunities that you shied away from last year?  Behind some of the most uncomfortable and challenging scenarios in your career lies some of the best learning and growth experiences you’ll ever have. The next time an assignment comes up that seems a little bit less than ideal, go for it. You never know who you’ll meet, what problems you’ll solve or what you’ll experience that could make a huge difference in your career.

5) Treat yourself right!

Amidst all the traveling, moving, orientation, and settling in, you can’t ignore the investment you must make in keeping yourself healthy and happy. When you’re well rested, exercising enough, eating right and feeling supported by friends, family and loved ones, all the stresses that can come from a travel nursing career will roll off your back much easier. Plus, feeling your best means your performance on the job will improve as well! Refer to the Onward Healthcare Travel Nursing Tips article about maintaining a healthy lifestyle on assignment for a great start to a healthy 2012.

If you need any more information, guidance or inspiration for making your travel nursing career the absolute best it can be this year, don’t hesitate to contact your travel nursing recruiter. They look forward to helping you start off the New Year right!

For the second year in a row, members of the Onward Healthcare and Onward Search teams filled the bins below with coats, hats, scarves, gloves and any other outerwear items they could offer.

Onward Healthcare had these bins completely full before they were collected the week before Thanksgiving

The Bridgeport Rescue Mission is dedicated to fighting poverty from the inside out and assists the hungry, homeless and addicted all year long through educational programs, counseling and case management. Before and during the holiday season however, the Mission organizes special efforts, like the Coat Drive, to ensure everyone across Fairfield County, CT can have a warm and happy Thanksgiving.

Donna Romano, Bridgeport Rescue Mission Communications Manager

Donna Romano, Communications Manager for the Mission (left), was happy to show us the coat staging area at the Mission where donations were being prepped for their excited new owners to take them home. The racks below, filled with coats for women and girls, represent only a portion of the outerwear items on display, which is only part of what the Mission collects. Donations of turkey’s and canned goods are welcomed as well to bring true Thanksgiving dinners to tables across the area.

These racks are the women's and girl's coats, which made up only a portion of the donations made ready for distribution.

We were thrilled by the donations this year and want to thank every one who contributed to the Coat drive for their generosity. Hopefully the Onward Healthcare Coat Drive has inspired you to share your own good fortune with others. If you’re interested in helping the Bridgeport Rescue Mission make the holidays a little brighter, please visit their website, http://www.bridgeportrescuemission.org, for more information.

To all of our friends, family, coworkers, clients and candidates across the country, everyone here at Onward Healthcare wishes you a very happy, healthy and warm Thanksgiving holiday!

The Travel Nursing Jobs Guide is built upon a survey of over 200 of Onward Healthcare’s nationwide travel registered nurses. Their responses about professional motivations, favorite career perks and various job experiences make this guide an reliable source of real-life information about what it’s like to work as a travel healthcare professional.

Onward Healthcare is proud to be the leading provider of educational materials in the travel nursing space, and invites all members of the travel nursing community, as well as those who are interested in starting their own travel nursing career, to check out and share the new Career Guide to Travel Nursing Jobs!

New on the Onward Healthcare Blog – Saving Money On The Road

When you’re traveling between assignments, moving into new places, and getting comfortable in your new facility, the last thing you want to worry about is breaking the bank on the road. With these useful and easy Thrifty Travel Savings Tips about Saving Money On The Road, you’ll be saving money like a pro, no matter where you assignments take you, or how you get there!

New Resource Article – Questions to Ask Your Travel Recruiter: Part 1

For those who are brand new to Travel Nursing and aren’t sure where to start, or even what questions to ask, this handy Healthcare Traveler Tips article is the perfect career resource. Part 1 of Questions to Ask Your Travel Recruiter offers the top 10 must-ask questions that you should cover with your Travel Recruiter as you set off on your exciting career as a travel nurse.

New Travel Nursing Insider – Top 5 Travel Nursing Specialties

The latest episode of the Travel Nursing Insider brings you insight from Onward Healthcare’s Director of Travel Nursing, Lindsay Francis, and Senior Recruiter, Suzanne Johnson, about the top 5 specialties in travel nursing. Tune into this episode for great tips on how you can leverage this demand to land awesome assignments all over the country.

Identify Potential Costs

Before you step out the door, or pack your bags for that matter, identify where and when in your trip you’re likely to spend money you can save instead. If you’re taking a flight, will you be tempted to buy things you can bring with you instead? If you’re embarking on a road trip, is it possible to avoid tolls and pricey meals? No matter how you’re getting to your next assignment, you can always plan ahead to avoid spending when you don’t have to based on how long you’ll be traveling and where you’ll be.

Research Your Route

There are plenty of opportunities to save money while traveling as long as you research your route. Plan your stops off the highway based on regional and seasonal attractions and sales. Take advantage of a layover by coming equipped with coupons for local businesses. Book your room only after you’ve compared rates and availability at smaller hotels as well as national chains. The more you know about what lies between point A and point B, the better your chances are of saving money.

Travel In Pairs (or more!)

Buying in bulk and saving a ton isn’t just for paper towels and frozen foods. Group discounts and cost sharing are a great way to cut your travel expenses significantly. Look online for group deals on everything from airline tickets to dining and lodging. Know someone who’s hitting the road as well? Ask them if you can tag along, or if they’d like to join you. You’ll end up splitting everything from gas and dinner bills to hotel rooms (if you don’t mind the room mate).

These are just a few ways you can save money while traveling between your nursing assignments. For more tips on traveling, as well as the best advice for your travel nursing or therapy career, check out the Onward Healthcare Resources for Healthcare Travelers page. It has everything you need to find your next dream travel job and build the career you want!