Recovering from burnout will take more effort and may require bigger life changes to break out of the rut. Let’s take a look at what you can do to recover.

• Take a break. And not just fifteen minutes. In order to recover, you’re going to need to slow down your life. Cut back on committments, perhaps take a week off work. If that’s not enough an extended leave might be in order. You’ll need to start reflecting on what issues are causing your burnout during this time. Once you are able to recognize the cause or causes, then you can begin to fix the problem.
• Turn to family and friends. Avoid isolating yourself. Your family and friends will likely have noticed that something is bothering you and will want to help. Share your feelings and problems with them. This can have immediate effect as you’ll be able to get some things off your chest and release that stress and tension.
• Reassess your direction. Understand that burnout is your body’s way of telling you that something in your life is out of balance. Reflect on your dreams and goals. Are you moving away from important dreams, goals or values?

Once you have taken some time to identify the causes of your burnout, you will be able to move forward and make positive changes in your life and career. Here’s a list of things you’ll want to consider in order to move past burnout:

• Discuss the issues that led to your burnout with your current manager or supervisor. One of the easiest ways to beat nursing burnout is to change your work environment. Clear the air on the things get to you or interfere with your ability to do your job.
• Change your job. If there is no possiblity of changing conditions in your current job you’ll want to consider taking a job in a different unit or looking at openings in other hospitals or facilities. This might be a good time to try travel nursing. Or perhaps you could go into teaching and prepare the nurses of tomorrow.
• Change your career. If you have completely lost your passion for nursing or your life goals have changed, this may be your best option. Take what you’ve learned from your situation to help you identify what kind of career could help you reignite your passion and help you meet your goals.

Here are some resources to help you recover from burnout:

Recovering From Burnout

Preventing Burnout – Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Coping Strategies

The Deeper Well - Nursing retreats offered to help combat burnout.

Prevention of burnout by and large comes down recognizing the warning signs of burnout and bringing your life back into a healthy balance. Here are some tips that will help you get balance in your life and prevent burnout:

• Begin your day with a morning ritual – Get your day off to a good start by making time for breakfast, fifteen minutes of meditation, writing in your journal, gentle stretching, or reading something that inspires you. They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and in many ways that’s true. Don’t overlook the importance of breakfast to help you get off on the right foot every day.
• Pay attention to your eating habits, excercise, and sleeping habits – Start or rededicate yourself to a healthy diet and an excercise regimen. Get plenty of rest. Develop a bedtime routine that helps you relax and prepare to sleep. The combination of excercise, nutritious food, and rest will help recharge your daily battery and deal with most anything life can throw at you.
• Say “no” – This is very important. Beating burnout and managing stress involves using this two-letter word we all learned as a toddler. Learn to say “no” and set boundaries on requests for your time. This can be tough to do, but attempt to recognize situations where you can exert some control. By regaining control over situations in your life, you can start to say “no” easier.
• Start a new hobby – Take up a new activity or hobby that’s completely unrelated to your job. Think of the things you’ve always wanted to try but never did. Start tomorrow. A new hobby will kickstart your brain and nourish your creativity. Plus it will give you something to look forward to throughout the day or when you’re dealing with a stressful situation.

As you can see all of these tips involve taking control of your life in different ways. By regaining control over your life and its direction, you will feel better about yourself and better equipped to manage stress and beat burnout.

Here are a few good sites to read about beating burnout:

• Preventing Burnout – Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Coping Strategies
• 77 Ways to Beat Burnout!

Next time I’ll take a look at how to recover from burnout.

The economy has placed a lot of stress on facilities as well as families. Facilities/hospitals have not been hiring as they watch their bottom lines closely and are utilizing their perm staff rather than travel nurses to fill extra shifts. The perm staff nurses have been eager to fill the extra shifts where in many cases their spouses may be dealing with a recent layoff from their job. Of course, you can see where this situation can lead: burnout.

Here are some signs to be aware of for yourself and your co-workers. If you can catch the warning signs that burnout present, you’ll be able to “right the ship” and get back to enjoying your work:

1. Headaches
2. Overwhelming exhaustion
3. Persistent sense of fatigue
4. Digestive problems (e.g., diarrhea, upset stomach)
5. Insomnia
6. Dizziness
7. Loss of appetite
8. Sudded weight loss or gain
9. Inability to concentrate
10. Sadness
11. Sense of isolation
12. Looking for excuses to not go to work

If you begin to notice these symtpoms in yourself or others, take them seriously. They could be warning signs of burnout.

So I’ve compiled a short-list of online resume writing services for nurses:

• Resume-For-Nurses.com
• CreatingPrints.com
• AspirationsResume.com
• e-resume.net
• Employment911.com
• Resume.info

If you decide to work with a resume writer, it will cost you. Prices vary somewhat so make sure you shop around and know what you feel comfortable paying.

I was recently reading this article ”How to converse with travel nurse recruiters” at TravelRNgab.com and it reminded me somewhat of an older post from Beth at PixelRN.com where she talked about nurses having a Mission Statement.

Almost every company has a Mission Statement that clearly communicates the company’s vision, their methods of conducting business, and the standards they measure themselves against. These statements are created mostly for the employees’ benefit. As they can use the mission to help guide them through business decisions and also provide motivation during the work day.

Gary’s post at TravelRNgab.com was a very good post with tips about how to talk with travel nursing recruiters, but to me the most important part of his post is how to be prepared to talk with a recruiter.

So how does this relate to a Mission Statement?

As a travel nurse or someone considering travelling, it is crucial to have a good idea of what you want from a travel nursing career. Your Mission Statement. Why do you want to travel? Where do you want to travel to? Do you like the challenge of being working in a large city hospital or do you prefer a small town atmosphere? Do you want to try to learn new skills?

Gary mentions having a list of priorities that he needs each recruiter to answer. For him, these priorities include understanding certain benefits a travel nursing company offers. This is a great idea that you should add as part of your Mission Statement.

All these things are important and will help you have a rewarding travel nursing experience. Armed with your Mission Statement you’ll be able to use it to help guide you in choosing travel nursing companies and assignments that match your career goals.

Here’s a great tool I discovered called Cost2Drive!

Simply enter the starting and ending points of your journey, as well as what type of car you’ll be driving. From that information the website will show you their estimation of the fuel cost of your trip. It also shows you a map with the stops in your trip where you’ll need to re-fuel your vehicle as well as what the price of gas is in that city. They also provide links to Mapquest, Yahoo Maps and Google Maps if you want to print out your driving directions.

The other nice thing it shows you is what your trip would cost if you decided to fly instead. I wish I could have used this tool a few years back when I was planning a family trip to Pennsylvania!

The one thing it doesn’t do is allow you to add extra stops on your journey. Say you planned to see your friend in Dallas, TX on your way to San Diego. With this site you would need to enter a trip from Minneapolis to Dallas and then another trip from Dallas to San Diego.

Give Cost2Drive a try the next time you have a road trip to plan!

Those of you who have travelled before will relate to their stories and for those of you who are considering travel nursing, you can gain some valuable insight from their experiences. Enjoy!

What sparked the turn around? A commitment to make their travelers feel like part of the family.

It’s good to hear a facility having success with travelers, but I hope that their revelation is more common among the nation’s health facilities than not. To me it just seems like common sense that if you make each of your employees (permanent or temporary) feel included as an important member of the staff, you have employees that are happier and more productive.

Without naming names, what has your general experience been? Are you made to feel like a valuable part of the staff or are you treated as an outsider?

I was inspired by the stories that our Recruiters sent me as they nominated their travelers to be considered as our company’s traveler of the year. The stories ranged from surviving a hurricane to delivering a eulogy at a patient’s funeral. But the one thing all these travelers had in common was their dedication and commitment to patient care.

It makes me realizes just how special our travel nurses are.

Another interesting aspect of this is the relation that the nursing shortage plays in this:

Nurses say the persistent nationwide nursing shortage is making matters worse, because understaffing increases the risk of violent incidents. And nurses cite the fear of assault as a reason for low morale, especially if they feel that management does not share their concern.

“Staffing levels really affect what happens in terms of safety on the unit,” said Barbara Williams, a psychiatric and emergency room nurse who retired last year from Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, Calif. “If people’s needs don’t get met in a timely manner, that level of frustration builds. When people become angry, the nurses become the focus of the anger when they really had nothing to do with it.”

I cannot imagine having to endure verbal or physical assaults while at work and this story really opened my eyes as I had no idea that this was happening at such a high rate! It certainly has given me a new appreciation for all nurses. Your jobs are difficult enough that you shouldn’t need to deal with this also.

Have you ever suffered from an attack while on a travel nursing assignment?  What measures do your facilities take to safegaurd against these attacks?

With this in mind, I’ve decided to republish some tips that Julie Hall, a former travel nurse, had written for this blog about a year and a half ago. They are still relevant and I think they can help anyone who is considering a travel nursing career or for anyone with some travel assignments under their belt looking for some ideas to stay organized.

1. First, I’d either set up a folder on your computer to store all your travel-related documents OR get a hard, plastic portable ‘filing cabinet’ if you don’t have a computer. You need a ‘central’ location where you can keep everything!
2. Keep track of your licenses (when they expire, what the renewal fees are, required CEU’s, the mailing address they have on file for you, etc.) Keep the original copy and extra copies handy for faxing, mailing, etc. Use the calendar in your e-mail account to ‘notify’ you about 60 days before your license is due to expire. That way you have enough time to make sure you are up to speed on the CEU requirements for renewal. If you are not as comfortable on the computer, get a date book and use that instead.
3. Keep track of ALL the paperwork your company may need, and keep it in a handy place. This includes immunization and health records, resume, references, CEU’s, certifications, etc. Anytime your Recruiter or the hospital asks for something, it’s all together and you can take care of business quickly! If you have a scanner (and a computer), you can scan documents and store them on your computer.
4. Keep a list of e-mail contacts who will need to know your frequent address changes (auto insurance, credit cards, cell phone company, etc). If you don’t use e-mail very much, keep a list of physical addresses and/or phone numbers to let these folks know you’ve moved to your next exciting travel location!
5. Make it a point to check the websites for state licenses and certifications at least annually for changes and updates to their requirements. You can link to all state Boards of Nursing on www.MedicalSolutions.com by going to Resources and State Licensure. (The State Licensure page that Julie references can be found here. – Bret)
6. Most of you probably drove to your assignment and have to remember to ‘tag’ your vehicle annually. Again, add this to your calendar (either via computer or address book) several months in advance so you don’t forget!

These are some great tips. Do you have any tips that you’d like to share? What works for you?

Did you catch the first episode of ‘Hopkins’ last night on ABC?

I thought it was a well-done look into the lives of 3 doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital. They did a nice job of focusing on the human element in healthcare rather than the techonoligical side. In my opinion it is in these moments when the real miracles in healthcare take place.

The show mixed in some stories about a few of the patients each doctor was working with. I’m sure this format will continue throughout the course of the show. These stories made me want to pull for them and I’m hopeful that at the end of the series they do a follow-up and give us an update on all of the featured patients.

Illegal immigration and divorce were 2 other topics addressed in this episode. These are big topics that nearly all of America can relate to or are affected by in some way.

I was disappointed that the show only focused on the 3 doctors. I’m really hoping that we’ll see more of the hospital staff in upcoming episodes. Especially some of the great nursing staff! If they spotlight a travel nurse I’ll be really impressed!

If you saw the show last night, let me know what you thought about it.

It is www.rvparkreviews.com. It has user reviews with prices and pictures. Plus it gives you all the important info about the accomodations, hookups and gives you access to maps of the camps. This has come in very handy as we’ve helped our travelers find parks near their assignments.

I also found some other sites that you may want to check out as well:

• CampgroundReport.com
• RVBuddy.com
• America on Wheels
• rvshark

I think hospitals and their staff should always be looking for ways to improve their care, but I’m not so sure this is the right way to go about it. I would hate to think that anyone with a serious condition would have to wait while a mystery shopper is being tended to.

As a travel nurse how do you feel about this?

I’m not a fan of the reality tv shows, but I think this show could be really good. The show is produced by ABC News, so Hopkins should feel more like an extended 20/20 segment than an episode of The Bachelorette.

It’s almost amazing that a show like this can be made in this era of very tight and strict confidentiality laws guarding patient records. Not to mention that a hospital would be willing to have camera crews documenting everything and opening themselves up to scrutiny. We may never see a show like this again.

What’s your thoughts on this show? Do you plan to watch?

• DrScore.com
• RateMDs.com
• Vitals.com
• DoctorRate.com
• DoctorScorecard.com
• PhysicianReports.com

I can see many positives and negatives about these types of sites and why there is some controversy around them. The fact that you can anonymously leave comments about doctors leads to questions about the validity of these comments. I would expect that any user who lost a loved one would leave a negative comment about a Doctor while a user who had their health issue resolved to leave a good comment. Of course, with the anonymous nature of the internet I think you’d see much more negative feedback overall.

On the positive side, these sites could be great tools empowering patients to research and find doctors. As with most user generated information/feedback on the internet though, patients should take it all with a grain of salt.

I did find one site that allows users to rate hospitals, doctors and healthcare workers. It is:

• HealthcareReviews.com

I doubt there will ever be a nurse or travel nurse rating website, but what’s your take on these types of sites? Do you use any of these sites when looking for healthcare options? Do you use these sites when considering a travel nursing job opportunity?

SoSauce allows you to document where you’ve visited, journal about your experiences and create a photo album. Not only will your friends and family be able to stay abreast of your latest hike or great restaurant discovery but they’ll be able to feel like they were there with you.

Do yo use other sites like SoSauce to share your adventures? If so, which ones?

1.       Make sure you’re visible. Wear bright colored or reflective clothing.

2.       Carry identification. Bring your driver’s license, medical insurance card, and an emergency contact number in the event of an emergency. You may also want to bring your cell phone or change for a phone call.

3.       Run against traffic so you can see approaching vehicles.

4.       Stay alert and be aware of escape routes should you be confronted.

5.       Avoid deserted streets and lonely areas.

6.       When possible, run with a partner or your dog. If you don’t have a dog, ask a friend if you can take their dog for a run.

7.       Vary your running route and the time of day that you run.

This is only a basic collection of safety tips. Below are some excellent resources you may want to check out for additional tips:

·         http://www.runtheplanet.com/trainingracing/safety/

·         http://www.running4women.com/starting_out.php?subid=4

·         http://running.about.com/od/safetyissuesandtips/ht/runsafe.htm

• www.mapmyrun.com
• www.favoriterun.com

Both sites utilize Google Maps, which allows you to customize and know the distance of your route. Other options include elevation display and libraries of running routes that other users have created. FavoriteRun.com offers a premium membership to access additional features while it appears that MapMyRun.com is completely free. Both sites are great tools to help you continue your running regimen when your away from home or if your simply looking for a new route to run.

Starting a new travel nursing assignment can be stressful as you get oriented to a new location. Hopefully these sites can help you maintain or start an exercise program which can help you stay in control and rejuvenated.