A rising trend in the nursing world is taking on travel nurse opportunities. Travel nurses are RNs that work for independent staffing agencies, taking on assignments in different care areas on a temporary basis in order to fill short-term employment gaps. Due to nationwide nursing shortages, health care facilities turned to travel nurses to fill the void. Through the use of travel nurses, nurse-patient ratios have balanced out, which leads ultimately to patient safety and lower patient mortality.
The position of travel nurse is ideal for those who enjoy adapting to different work environments and traveling to new places. Travel nurses also experience higher-than-average pay, adding another facet to the profession that many find attractive.
Not only has the nursing field expanded to suit a travel-friendly lifestyle, but nursing has expanded from the traditional hospital setting to more outpatient settings, enabling nurses to work closer with communities. Ambulatory nurses can work in such areas as home health, military health clinics, community health centers, and telehealth. This shift toward ambulatory care nursing resulted from a need to control health care costs and the development of new health care technologies allowing for quality treatment outside of the typical hospital setting.
While the opportunities for travel and getting outside the typical hospital setting has provided exciting new avenues for the nursing profession, nurses should take care to always ensure they are providing the necessary care and treatment to each patient they interact with. The goal of nursing is to help people get healthy and stay health, and these new trends enable nurses to work with the community in unique ways. However, mistakes or patient complaints can still occur even outside the typical hospital setting, which could result in a risk to your nursing license. Williams & Nickl has substantial experience representing nurses in defense of their licenses. If you find yourself in need of such help, Williams & Nickl can guide you through the process.