Most likely, when you went to school to become a nurse, you went into the industry to help people. You wanted to find a solution to the problem and make a difference in someone’s life. Well, as a traveling nurse, you can make a more significant impact. Between staffing issues and a nursing shortage, you are not only helping patients who require quality care, but you are helping a hospital that requires excellent staff. As a traveling nurse, you can positively impact hospitals and help where these facilities are straining for help. Here are the 5 ways you can influence a traveling nurse in hospitals and the patients they care for.
1. Quality of Care
In many hospitals, there are a lot of issues with staffing. Hospitals work with the staff they have and try to make it work. Usually, when there are staffing issues, the patients are the ones that suffer. As a traveling nurse, being assigned to a hospital with staffing issues, you are not only helping the patients have better care, but you are taking the stress off of many nurses who may have a tough schedule or are assigned too many patients a shift.
When there are is a more efficient schedule and a significant number of staff during a shift, the patients won’t feel ignored, and they will be well cared for.
2. Cost
Since nurses take up a significant number of staff in a hospital, there is a large portion of operating dollars being used to pay nurses’ salaries. During budget cuts, there is a potential decrease in hours for nurses. This can cause issues with staffing and patient care.
As a traveling nurse, being assigned to a hospital with enormous budget costs, you are stressing off the other employees and putting more action and quality of care for the patients. Many of these hospitals don’t realize that budget cuts can decrease quality care for patients. When hiring traveling nurses, instead of worry about costs and scheduling issues, these employees help fill in the blanks and help with the slack of caring for patients.
3. Staff Shortage
There is a nursing shortage in the United States; this is a common and ongoing issue many hospitals are having to deal with. In rural areas, it can be worse. With traveling nurses, they are helping pick up the slack being lost with the lack of bodies needed for a shift. Hospitals not only use traveling nurses for a hiring shortage, but they can fill in for any employee that is on sick leave, maternity leave, epidemics, and hard to fill in positions.
4. Improved Patient Satisfaction
Seasoned nurses bring experience and knowledge to every hospital they work for. As a traveling nurse, you obtain all that experience with you to every assignment when you work in different locations and departments—teaching other nurses little tips and tricks along the way. Passing on your experiences is essential too. There may be a nurse new to the scene that requires years of experience. It doesn’t matter how long you’re there for, and you are impacting the staff with your knowledge. With this type of experience, you understand the importance of patient satisfaction to every hospital you are assigned to. Traveling nurses thrive in busy environments and strive to deliver personalized patient care.
5. Fighting Nurse Burnt-out
When a nurse is happy with their job, they will create a better patient outcome. With the freedom, flexibility, and quality pay, a traveling nurse can take extended vacations or breaks when needed. With this type of schedule, it is easier to avoid burnout or overstressing at work. Having control over your career will only lead to job satisfaction, less nurse burnout, and more positive patient outcomes. Becoming a traveling nurse can become the career you have been looking for.
Conclusion
As a traveling nurse, you want to make a positive impact wherever you are assigned to. Not only to the patients that require your help but the hospitals that require qualified nurses. It is not only a career builder to work for many different hospitals, learning new things, but it also makes you feel proud to be such a help and appreciated. Think of all the skills, certifications, and smiling faces, you will help when assigned to busy hospital environments.
TLC Nursing can be your next positive, impactful job as a nurse. This is your next career in the traveling nurse industry. They have quality assignments, knowledgeable staffing, and flexible scheduling. Check them out today.
