Travel nurses have a short orientation time on a new unit — typically 2-3 shifts. Starting a new contract can be both exciting and stressful at the same time. There are certain documents that are always required at each orientation. Make sure that you have glucometer access before you start your first unit based orientation. When it came to travel nursing orientation, my biggest concern was usually trying to figure out how I was going to get up early and stay awake all day. I thought the room was nice. Travel Nurse Required Blackboard Education Checklist Department Specific Travel Nurse Orientation Checklists are available in Self Serve under Applications, Orientation Checklists. As a travel nurse, whether you’re new or seasoned, travel nurse orientation is one of the most anxiety-inducing parts of starting a new assignment. This is probably the most important part of hospital orientation. Find me on: Web | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook, Your email address will not be published. In fact, there has never been a better time for early career nurses to try travel nursing! The first two days usually consist of your typical “learn our mission” stuff with general introductions to the administrative staff. Life is good. But we've compiled everything you need to know to hit the floor for a successful travel nurse assignment. If you haven’t been paid for something you were required to do, please contact your recruiter and ask why. Most places will hand out cheat sheets for you to bring with you to your unit to help you with charting. Feb 7, 2020 - There's no one-size-fits-all travel nurse orientation. Traveling Nurse … And the unique nature of our profession makes it difficult to really structure our experience like a standard job CV. For... 2. I like to hear where people are from and a little part of their story. We stayed at an Extended Stay hotel in Columbus last week while I was going through orientation. Travel companies will provide you with the information you need to obtain the required license for your assigned state. We were two nurse educators responsible for three hospitals. Travel Nursing Orientation Pay. At some point during hospital orientation you will have a chance to tour your unit and meet your manager. Kylee is a traveling Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) nurse with a love for solo travel, wine, and Taylor Swift. This typically consists of completing paperwork, learning hospital policies and procedures, getting acclimated to the hospital and unit, and taking tests. Now that we’ve talked about pre-employment screenings, we also have to address the added healthstreams that are oftentimes required to be completed before you start an assignment.  Again, not every single hospital will require this, but a lot will.  In regards to doing work before orientation starts, you should know that not all companies pay for you for the time you spend doing your healthstreams.  Make sure to ask your recruiter BEFORE signing your contract what their process is and figure out whether or not you’re okay with it.  Also, ask how much you’ll be getting paid for the time it takes you to do your healthstream, as some companies do not pay you at your full hourly rate.  You’ll also want to check with your recruiter if there is any testing done at orientation.  Some hospitals require you to pass a test, whether it’s a medication test, EKG, or simple knowledge test, in order to move through orientation and be welcomed onto the unit. Read more:  Dealing With the Anxiety of Starting a New Travel Nurse Assignment. Take the time in nursing orientation to organize yourself so you can enjoy the rest of your contract stress free. Most hospitals run their orientations very similar. You will be paid for your time, but you will be expected to do it on your own. This orientation time is to learn the unit, experience the patient population, get to know your new coworkers, and review the charting system. Feb 22, 2017 - Get the most out of your travel nursing orientation with these tips.. . Know your route ahead of time – The day before orientation walk/drive your route to the hospital to make sure that you know where you’re going.  This will cut down on your anxiety immensely! A travel nurse may receive a minimal orientation to the new hospital (and rarely no orientation at all). I am enjoying being a travel nurse! For $47.00 a night you couldn’t beat it! Are there online learning modules that have to be completed prior to starting. Your email address will not be published. Do I have to wear specific colored scrubs? On days 3 and 4 of hospital orientation, you will most likely learn how to use certain medical equipment such as IV pumps, glucometers, beds and lifts. Part 4: Orientation Advice From a Travel Nurse We asked our travelers for their advice on orienting to new facilities and new units. This is an excellent time to meet other travelers and exchange info; I met some of my closest friends in travel nursing orientation. Your preceptor will show you the ropes; they will give you the codes to the doors, show you where the linen is, teach you about the flow of the unit, go over protocols, teach you how to get a hold of doctors etc… I recommend keeping a notecard with your passwords, door codes and physician phone numbers in your pocket until you remember them to save you a little time. Hospitals, clinics, and other care areas had unfilled positions, yet had patients needing care. If you have at least 6–9 months of experience in your specialty, our Onward Healthcare recruiters are ready to get you started in a travel nursing career. Article from travelnursing.org. Guaranteed hours clauses and travel nursing orientation hours. One thing to keep in mind when considering your next move, is that if you extend your current contract, you do not have to go through orientation again and often times you will get an extension bonus. New travel nurses may feel overwhelmed with questions about their first travel assignment. They may be integral in addressing immediate shortages of nurses, fluctuations in patient demand, and cost pressures. A few weeks before orientation begins, you’ll be required to complete basic paperwork and other hospital requirements such as a TB test, physical, drug screen, fit test, and immunizations.  The hospital (not your company) decides what is required for you to start an assignment.  Once the hospital tells the company what the requirements are, someone at your company (usually a compliance officer), will reach out to you and ask for your zip code.  They will then set up all your test at a location nearest to you.  Once everything is set, you will receive a “passport” that you’ll need to print off and hand in to the front desk at the medical office you go to.  This passport tells the medical team what exact tests you need to have done, and allows for that office to bill your company for the services.  That’s right, your company should be picking up the tab for this!  This will not (and should not) be coming out of your pocket.  Before arriving, always call ahead to double-check that what you need to get done is available at the place that the company is sending you to.  Also, make sure to ask if an appointment is required and if you need to come in on a certain day. Are there additional classes or certifications I will have to take after orientation is complete? | Salary & FAQ. How do I get paid? In addition, new nurse orientations may vary greatly from one facility to the next. This is a good time to ask about your  schedule. Many times the regular staff on the floor doesn’t know the proper way to chart care plans, so make sure you ask in orientation. Make sure your username and password are working before your first shift. Starting a new travel contract can be super overwhelming, especially with only one orientation shift! It is illegal to not pay an employee for anything that’s mandatory, such as in-person training classes or online educational modules. Medical General has 425 licensed beds, more than 2,600 employees, 550 active attending physicians representing more than 60 sub-specialties, 235 medical/surgical residents and fellows in programs affiliated with a University School of Medicine, and more than 360 volunteers. It is also during this time that you will probably go over the hospital’s computer charting system. How Does Travel Nursing Work? Travel nurses are raking in big bucks as the city’s public hospital system is filing its ranks with temps to give COVID shots, some earning as much as $11,000 a week. Frankly speaking, your travel nursing orientation will take up your first and likely even second, third, and fourth day on the job. Be prepared to not get your full hours – This means that your stipend might also be cut short.  Speak with your recruiter BEFORE signing your contract to know what to expect.  For example:  If your contract starts on a Tuesday, American Mobile will not give you your housing or meal stipend on Sunday or Monday.  However, Fusion Medical pays out your full stipend for the week no matter what day you start on. This is a private, not-for-profit acute care hospital located in Connecticut’s most populous city, primarily serving patients from Fairfield and New Hav… First and foremost, travel nursing orientation pay is mandatory by law. I’m Kylee, a NICU nurse... who loves to travel! Together, we identified challenges to combining resources and standardizing the orientation program, then brainstormed ways to address these challenges. International travel nursing is common. During this time you will be combined with all of the other travelers and newly hired permanent staff. Other places will allow you to bring a TB mask fit test card from a previous employer, others will require you to have it done on your own time, and others will do it for you during hospital orientation. Required fields are marked *. Learn about Nursing and Travel Nurse Orientation offered by the Center of Nursing Excellence at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Traveling Nurse Orientation - What to Expect. They don't need any additional certifications or credentials other than the ones they need for their specific specialty.  At the end of the week, you’ll usually be oriented to your specific unit where you’ll have 1-3 shifts of orientation.  Remember that no two hospitals orient the same way so expect virtually anything once you arrive.  Also, know that all travel nurses will be orienting together, so you won’t be taught specifically what to do on your unit until you arrive at your unit. We selected the main campus as the locat… Apply to become a Cross Country Nurse today. Peterson advises travel nurses to ask their recruiter or quality management specialist for “first day instructions” no later than midday Friday prior to the start of their assignment. Inspiring nurses to travel both near and far, Kylee began Passports and Preemies in 2017 while volunteering in Skopje, North Macedonia. During this time you will most likely cover JAHCO required material such as HIPAA, ethics, infection control, and ergonomics (body mechanics). Two distinct tracts are offered to new hires: Make notes on your cheat sheets to help you navigate the system. Resume writing gives most of us nurses just a little bit of anxiety. 1 Upon receiving their unit assignment and orientation, the role of the travel nurse is to immediately assume direct patient care duties. Did I miss anything?  Let me know in the comments below! I recommend arriving to your first orientation day at least 30 minutes early to make sure your badge, computer access, and pyxis access are all working properly.  Most hospitals only give you one day with a preceptor and then you are on your own. If you have a good recruiter, than you should be well prepared for orientation. Ask A Travel Nurse: Travel Nurse Orientation. My favorite part of nursing orientation is listening to introductions. The aim of Passports and Preemies is to reach nurses and advocate for the prevention of nurse burnout by traveling. Hi EveryoneI was looking for some advice from my fellow travel nurses. Do I clock in or fill out a time sheet? Get adequate sleep the night before – We all know that it can be hard to sleep when you’re anxious about the next day.  And even if you toss and turn, make sure to turn off the TV and try your hardest to get adequate rest to prepare for the week ahead. You should have already discussed time off prior to starting your contract, but your manager may have filled you in, so make sure your requested time off is honored. I also like to write down what the minimum requirements for charting are and how to chart specifically on care plans. Some facilities give a shorter orientation, some give a longer. In most cases, hospital orientation lasts approximately 4 days from 0800-1630. The Health + Hospitals C… Travel nursing is a specialty that took root when the field of nursing faced a nationwide shortage. Of course, contracts typically include clauses that guarantee a certain number of hours per week and we’ve discussed guaranteed hours at length in a previous blog post.To recap, guaranteed hours clauses exist to protect both the traveler and the agency from the hospital cancelling shifts. To help you prepare, below is a list of helpful tips to ensure you’re ready for your new nurse orientation. Travel nurse orientation is very unpredictable. Jimmy however, was not impressed. I started Passports and Preemies in 2017 when I was volunteering in Skopje, North Macedonia. If you have questions, please contact Org. To try and attract nurses to the open positions, employers offered higher pay, housing, and … Consider packing a lunch – If you don’t want to eat hospital food then definitely bring your own lunch.  However, know that a fridge and/or a microwave is not guaranteed.  Make sure to pack something that doesn’t need to be put in the fridge or needs to be microwaved.  Note that some hospitals give you a long enough of a lunch break to leave the hospital and find food from somewhere else.  However, this tends to be the exception – not the rule. Travel Nursing for Recent Graduates. Nursing and Travel Nurse Orientation The Nursing Orientation Program provides the newly hired nurses an introduction to BWH clinical resources, patient care technology and policies that supports nursing practice at BWH. As a travel nurse, whether you’re new or seasoned, travel nurse orientation is one of the most anxiety-inducing parts of starting a new assignment.  Completely unaware of what to expect, you’re usually left in the dark on all things besides where to show up to and at what time.  And even then you don’t get that information until a couple of days before your assignment starts!  Will there be a test you’re required to pass in order to come back the next day?  Will what they teach you be relevant to the unit you’ll be working on?  These thoughts may tumble through your head as you toss and turn the night before showing up on an assignment.  But after going through the orientation process 10+ times now, there are a few simple tips you can follow to best prepare for your orientation.