EP 138: How’s Travel Nursing Going in Texas

Breaks vs. Cali 

Travel nursing is fun! You get to experience the different parts of the country.

But how’s travel nursing in other states? Currently, we are in Texas, we have breaks totaling 30 min versus California we had a total of 1 hour of breaks.

Things are different because we do not have a break nurse on the unit. In Texas, there is something called a task nurse instead to help the nurses on the unit.

Delayed Start 

Even as experienced travelers, we ran into roadblocks. This was our first contract that didn’t go according to plan. We started on 10/25 instead of 10/11.

Things we had to plan out when it came to starting dates are; flights, housing, and transportation.

Charting system Meditech vs. Epic

One of the most frequent tools we use in hospitals to complete our job is the medical electronic record.

In our Texas contract Meditech is completely different from Epic. It is like comparing Windows 98 to the new Macbook system. 

Paper Charting 

Segwaying from an older charting system, there are fewer spots to chart important information, such as medication wasted.

So to continue tracking things like high-risk medication, in our current contract, we need to document by drips by paper in the ICU.

The rounding sheet is still paper copied through most health systems. 

Working Night Shift

Even if you can’t change your shifts, what you do before, during, and after the shift can make a huge difference to your sleepiness and your general mood, we realized.

We have 4 years of experience working nights, so we didn’t have too much of an issue getting back to working 7p – 7a. 

3-day Orientation 

This was the biggest shocker. They gave us three days of orientation on a travel nursing assignment.

In most places, you will get a full shift if you’re lucky, and sometimes you’ll get 4 hours. 

Same Schedule 

This is something we always strive for as travel nurses. Since we have only 1 car in Texas, it’s crucial to have the same schedule.

Usually, on orientation week, you will be able to meet the manager or scheduler to talk about your schedule.

Getting paid for CBLs

Before you set out, make sure how the travel nursing contract works.

You will have to sit through a few hours of education health streams for your facility.

This can sometimes take up to 8 hours; make sure you get paid for everything from your agency if it’s not on the facility. 

Reimbursements 

If you applied to a new state for your license to travel nurse, save all your receipts!

One negative of having a California license is having to pay for verification to another state which costs $100 per license just for verification from California.

The license fee total may cost up to $400+. Make sure you get your money back for the hard work as a nurse. 

No BP Recycle on Monitors 

As ICU nurses, we like to know our vital signs in real time. In this hospital, they have G.E monitors that don’t allow you to cycle your cuff in the nurse’s station.

Nursing Fact Sheet

• Nursing is the nation’s largest healthcare profession, with more than 3.8 million registered nurses (RNs) nationwide. Of all licensed RNs, 84.5% are employed in nursing.
• The federal government projects that more than 200,000 new registered nurse positions will be created each year from 2016-2026. 
• Registered Nurses comprise one of the largest segments of the U.S. workforce as a whole and are among the highest-paying large occupations. Nearly 58% of RNs worked in general medical and surgical hospitals, where RN salaries averaged $70,000 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 19% growth by 2022.
• Nurses comprise the largest component of the healthcare workforce, are the primary providers of hospital patient care, and deliver most of the nation’s long-term care.

If you are interested in working in Austin, check out our Austin, Texas, travel nurse experience here 👇

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Cup of Nurses Intro
2:14 Episode Introduction
5:44 Breaks vs Cali
12:22 Delayed Start of Contract
15:14 Charting System Meditech vs Epic
18:20 Paper Charting
19:58 Working Night Shift
24:40 Same Schedule
26:14 Getting Paid for CBLs
27:16 Reimbursements
28:09 No BP Recycle on Monitors