6 Considerations about the Geography of the Nursing Shortage

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Geography and/or regional issues are often cited when referring to the nursing shortage. The idea is that certain areas of the country have a surplus of nurses while other areas of the country are faced with severe shortages. The net result is an overall nursing shortage. These regional imbalances lead to recommendations that nurses, especially those having difficulty landing a job, should seek employment opportunities in regions exhibiting shortages. However, others contend that such recommendations maybe without merit. Understanding the issues at play will help nurses form a clearer picture of the nursing labor market and possibly assist them with their job searches. Read more

Travel Nursing Pay: The M&IE Stipend

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The tax-free aspect of the travel nursing pay package can get really confusing. Different companies approach and handle it in different ways. You’ll find many companies that refer to the Meals and Incidental Expenditure (M&IE) stipend as one of the components of their pay package.

Like the rest of the pay package, the M&IE stipend can be confusing. Recruiters often use different terms when describing it. Different agencies offer different amounts in the same area. Recruiters often do a poor job of defining it clearly. In the end, travel nurses are often left wondering what’s really going on with this compensation variable. Read more

7 Things to Know about Travel Nursing Pay & Wage Recharacterization

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Travel nursing pay packages are quite complex compared to permanent-job pay packages. This is due to the fact that travel nursing pay is commonly split between a taxable base rate and various tax-free reimbursements.

Moreover, different agencies have different ways of splitting the pay among the various pay package components. Some agencies will pay travel nurses more tax-free money and less taxable money, and vice-versa.

However, there are rules that agencies must follow. One set of rules that agencies should adhere to pertain to what is commonly called “wage recharacterization.” Understanding this issue will provide travel nurses with a better understanding of travel nursing pay.

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Median Staff RN Salary VS. Top 10% by Specialty

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This Infographic displays a comparison between median Staff RN salaries and the top 10% of Staff RN salaries by specialty. Remeber, the median is the numerical value separating that higher half of the data sample from the lower half of the sample. In other words, 50% of Staff RNs make more than the median salary and 50% make less than the median salary. This is much different than the average Staff RN salary. Read more

Average RN Salary by Specialty 2013

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This Infographic shows national average RN salaries in the year 2013 for 11 common nursing specialties. It’s important to remember that these figures are estimates compiled from several different reporting sources and methods. However, the figures do provide a general idea of the overall market. Read more

How to Become a Travel Nurse in 10 Steps

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Travel nurses are nurses who work temporary jobs commonly referred to as travel nursing assignments. Assignments are typically 13 weeks in length but can be longer or shorter. Travel nursing is a great way to travel around the country while gaining valuable work experience. However, you should familiarize yourself with the advantages and disadvantages before you decide to undertake travel nursing. If you decide that it’s right for you, then you just need to know how to become a travel nurse. In this article, we’ll provide our 10 steps to becoming a travel nurse.
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9 Points of Debate Between Travel Nursing Companies over the MSP Model

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The debate over Managed Service Providers in travel nursing and healthcare staffing heated up in June of 2013 when opposing sides exchanged barbs on The Staffing Stream. Colleen Mills, a Senior VP for the National Healthcare Staffing Alliance wrote a piece urging small and mid-sized travel nursing companies to “Take a stand on VMS/MSP”. Days later, Bob Livonius, President of Workforce Solutions at AMN Healthcare, took exception and urged healthcare staffing agencies to “Work Together to Embrace Best Practices with MSPs.” This is an important topic with major implications for travel nurses, travel allied professionals, and Locum Tenens.  Read more