Health Archives

6 Tips for a First Time Travel Nurse

August 29, 2022

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I have spoken to many nurses who want to travel but don’t consider letting go of their staff positions and jumping into the world of travel because of fear. Surprisingly, some have way more experiences than the average nurses, however still hesitant to travel and have a lot reasons why they don’t want to give it a try.

I usually get statements like: “I’m afraid the contracts will be too complicated and demanding”.

“I don’t want to do all the licensing requirements and Onboarding exams”.

“I’m afraid the housing situation will be horrible and hard to find.”

“I’m scared to travel by myself and wont’ make any friends”.

In all honesty, all these are valid questions because if you’re gonna make a decision to leave home or family and go to a new environment, you need to know all the details to make your travel experience a good one. For that, I will list about 6 important tips if you are a new traveler or plan on getting into travel nursing.

First thing first.

Do your research

Travel nursing is not for everyone because some people don’t like changes and there still opportunities to leverage your career in your staff position. It is necessary to research on where you want to travel, local or out of state, research about the different agencies , pay packages etc…

Why this is important? Being a first time traveler, you may not want to travel out of state, so starting a local travel position within an hour or two away from home is a great option. Also, try being in flex/float pool within your hospital in order to get a feel on travel nursing since you might get floated to different units during your assignment.

Second, you want to research the different agencies simply because they don’t operate the same or they don’t offer the same pay package. Then, add your number and make sure it’s worth traveling by doubling or tripling your income.

When you’re traveling, you are duplicating expenses; therefore, you want to make enough to cover both expenses, at home and out of state. It simply makes no sense to leave home and to earn the same income .

Get Organized

As travel professionals, once you contact a recruiter, he/she would want you to send everything related to your career: licensing information, certifications, health and up to date immunization records and references. It also means that you’re 100% prepared to submit your application and ready for those phone interviews.

One thing I do, is creating a file where I add all my updated documents and be able to attach them to my email in quick second. Lastly, be familiar with the different prices you have to pay for your certifications and licenses especially if you don’t live in a compact state.
The great thing about about you living in a compact state is to be able to travel in more than 30 states with that one nursing license. Isn’t that awesome?

Be Flexible

The more flexible you are with location, facility and pay grade (I’m not telling you to cut yourself short), the more jobs will be open to you. Just have have a range on what’s the highest and lowest pay you would want, that will make your search easier for both your recruiter and yourself.
Travel nursing want you to be so flexible that if there’s an emergency, you will be able to hop on a plane within 24-48hrs. Meaning, you may not even know what’s your next contract is within a week of you starting. By now, I just keep a small carry on bag with all the essentials I need.

Plan Your Housing

If your travel nursing assignment is far away from home, you would want to secure your housing before you get there. Not all agencies provide housing and if they do, you may not even like what they provide.
There are many other factors to consider when looking for housing. Do you want to live in the center of town, or you rather drive 30+ minutes to work? Do you want roommates? Do you have a furry friend? By asking yourself all these questions, your search will be much easier.

Me personally, I have tried Airbnb, Extended stay with kitchen areas as well as short term rental. I honestly don’t have any problem with any of them as long as it’s less than 15 drive to work.

Keep in touch with your recruiter

A good recruiter will be available to you when you need them. There’s nothing worse than having questions and concerns at work and no one is available to answer.

It doesn’t matter if you just started travel nursing or on your 15th assignment, you will have questions in the beginning, and during the process. Your recruiter works for you and if you don’t have the best one, you can always call your agency and switch recruiters if you have to.

Explore and Make New Friends

And please don’t forget to make new friends, explore the new city and eat some good food. You will be away from home for a period of 4-13 weeks and the last thing you want to do is to stay locked up in a hotel room or your Airbnb. Don’t do that !!!

15 Self Care Activity Ideas To Kickstart a Healthy Lifestyle.

July 1, 2022

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admin

What is self-care to you? Self-care is not just eating a nice healthy meal and create a 6-pack at the gym. It is the action you take to meet all your physical, mental, spiritual, or emotional needs. We tend to put ourselves last, at the very bottom of our priority list because when we stop doing something in order to take care of our needs; people or even yourself think of it as laziness and feel guilty about it. Well, I hate to break the news to you; if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be there to help others. Therefore, make an effort to put yourself first without feeling guilty. In this post, I will share 15 self-care ideas to kickstart a healthy lifestyle.

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Health, Travel

Have You Heard of Getaway House ? Everyone Should Take a Trip

July 31, 2020

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Have you heard of Getaway House ? Everyone Should Take a Trip!

Well, in all honesty, Getaway is not in every state, but if there’s one in nearby or your home state; you should definitely plan your next getaway weekend.

What is Getaway House?

Gateway House is not your typical cabin , it is more like a glamorous stay on the mountain. Their tiny cabins nestled in nature are just the perfect escape for yourself and loved ones.

My Personal Experience

My Getaway experience was in Suches, GA, just about 1 hr 1/2 to 2 hours from Atlanta, GA. With everything going on, Getaway understands their guest’s safety concerns and discuss both on the website and text messages how they’ve intensified their cleaning procedures to ensure the cabins are deeply disinfected. It is self checking and a code will be provided to you by text hours before your stay. Be mindful that you will other cabin in the surrounding but they are at least There is also at least 100-150 ft between each other so you don’t have to interact with anyone.

Even the drive to the cabin was so refreshing as you’re getting closer because there was less traffic, less noise but all these tall and beautiful trees on both side of the roads.

Once I arrived, there was a comfy, freshly made king bed with four fluffy pillows, How welcoming!!! The pine wood inside the cabin and these huge glass windows automatically put you in a relaxing mood. I was in awe when I saw the complete private bathroom with a shower and tons of towels. It was beautiful!

There were two stove burners for me to cook with tons of dinnerware. On the other hand, I recommend you to bring your own food if you have any preference or staying for a long period of time because there’s no nearby grocery store. But, if you don’t mind or forget to bring something, all their cabins have kitchen essentials such as pasta, pasta sauce, crackers, soup, even olive oil in case you need to cook dinner. There are also woods outside if you want to set up a fire. You can use all you want and they’ll put it on your tab once you leave.
I only spent about $8 on woods during my stay because I had to eat my complementary marshmallows they left me and just spent some times by the fire before bed.

You want to bring a furry baby? Don’t worry , they will provide everything you need for them for a small fee of $40.

Why am I even recommending this?

We have neglected our relationship with nature by opting for an entirely urban lifestyle, but there’s never a dull moment seeing some nature. And let’s be honest, you know that I know how unbearable it can be to spend another minute surrounded by the same, negative people at your job and spend extremely long hours in traffic.

Go see some nature, away from the noise, traffic, road rage and smoke. It will be so good for your short term well-being and long term mental health. Don’t miss out and use this link and get $25 off your first stay to fuel your body with fresh air and soothing bird songs. Everyone should get a little break.

Getaway cabins are about 2 hours away from Atlanta, Cleveland, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Portland, and Washington, D.C.

4 Benefits of Eucalyptus Leaves

June 25, 2020

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admin

As I was sitting outside drinking my Eucalyptus tea this morning, I thought about sharing some of the amazing health benefits with you. Eucalyptus is an evergreen tree that’s widely used for its medicinal properties. Although, Eucalyptus can be used for many other reasons but more research needs to be done in order to claim that it’s actually working in that particular area.

(As you can see, I chose to blend mine with some peppermint leave)

Eucalyptus may relieve cold symptoms

Eucalyptus is a natural anti-inflammatory agent and it is widely used as a natural cold remedy and is a common ingredient in cold and cough products.

There is a main ingredient responsible for these properties in eucalyptus called eucalyptol, also known as cineole. Research has shown that eucalyptol relieves cold symptoms like cough frequency, nasal congestion, and headache by decreasing inflammation and mucus buildup, asthma and so much more.

However, if you are using eucalyptus oil, any small amount can be considered as toxic. So, it’s best to consult with your doctor, especially if you’re taking some other medications that are not compatible with.

High in antioxidants

Although you cannot eat fresh, whole eucalyptus leaves, dried leaves can be made into tea. Be sure to choose a tea that’s labeled “eucalyptus leaves tea,” because it can be TOXIC to add eucalyptus essential oil to your tea.

In addition, eucalyptus tea contains flavonoids, which are antioxidants that may lower your risk of certain cancers, heart disease stress, and dementia.

Promote relaxation

Eucalyptus is widely believed to decrease symptoms of stress. If eucalyptus has the ability to decrease heart disease therefore it has its importance in decreasing stress as well. Stress is one of the leading cause of heard disease such as hypertension after all! Also, the same eucalyptol component from the eucalyptus leaves has been found to possess anti-anxiety properties Want a nice calming effect on your body? Hanging some eucalyptus leaves in your shower can do the trick.

Natural insect repellent

Eucalyptus oil is a natural insect repellent, mainly due to its eucalyptol content once again.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention lists lemon eucalyptus oil derived from the lemon eucalyptus tree as an approved and powerful bug repellant. Topical application is very effective at warding off mosquitoes and other biting insects for up to eight hours. So, before you go to that mountain trip, camping getaway, don’t forget to add one in your bag.

While eucalyptus leaves are generally recognized as safe, there are some serious health risks associated with consuming eucalyptus oil, as it can lead to toxicity in both adults and children. Again be sure to consult your healthcare provider.

I’m Going a Month Without Meat. #NoMeatinMay

April 30, 2020

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admin

Thinking about going meat-free may sound crazy for someone who truly loves Buffalo chicken sandwich. Like, no JOKE!!!

I know some of you might be thinking how am I going to get all the nutrition that I need? How will I get enough protein? What about iron and vitamin B12? These questions are very important but the good news is: you can get all your nutritional needs through a well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet. What’s more, what is the big deal? There is an increasing body of evidence showing the health benefits of a plant-based diet, particularly when it comes to reducing chronic disease risk.

Even though I enjoy eating meat, I can go days without it; and when I do eat meat, I eat very small portions which will make this challenge so much easier. I also love my vegetables, legumes and fruits which are necessary when you are replacing your animal protein. In addition, I will have more wholegrains, nuts and seeds as part my diet.

Wanna know what will I include in this challenge? Here’s a list of some of the things that will be part of my #NoMeatinMay diet:

Protein: such as chickpeas, lentils, dried beans, oats and brown rice since I honesty don’t like quinoa

Calcium: kale, broccoli, hard tofu, almonds etc…

Vitamin B12: This vitamin is found in red meat, poultry, seafood, milk, yoghurt, eggs and cheese. Plant foods are not really a reliable source of this vitamin; therefore since I personally not a big fan of cheese, eggs and yogurt will be definitely my to go choice

Irion: plant foods such as legumes, cereal grains, nuts, seeds and dark green leafy vegetables. I will also include food that are high in vitamine C to help with the absorption of Iron.

While I am sure there maybe guidelines on what to eat or where to start , everyone’s nutritional needs are different. Therefore, if you are planning to or have recently adopted a meat-free diet, I suggest that you do your own research. For me, this is a quick overview of what will be included in my #NoMeatinMay diet. I can’t wait to share the process with you all.

Looking for Personal Protective Equipment to protect yourself during this pandemic? click HERE

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Health

Mental Health Awareness is an Everyday Thing: 14 Tips to Boost Your Mental Health

April 28, 2020

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admin

Mental health awareness should be an everyday subject because it is important as much as our physical health. It really takes courage for someone to say that “I am not Ok”; and I want to tell you that it is Ok not to be Ok. For Mental Health Awareness Month, I have put together 14 tips to help you boost your mental health this month.

1. Focus on relaxing today. It’s okay not to be Ok.

2. Work your strengths to build self-confidence.

3. Create a sacred space for yourself.

4. Practice mindfulness today. Be present at the moment, feel the air that you are breathing, the water falling down your body in the shower, forget about the past or future. You are breathing, you are doing the best you can

5. Practice gratitude with a journal. What are the things you are grateful for? Even on a bad day, there is always something to be grateful for. Write it down each day.

7. Read something that will help your mental health or watch a movie that will make you smile. A favorite book, an informative blog post, or a live comedy show

8. Choose a daily affirmation and repeat it to yourself throughout the day. Practice positive self-talk. This is by far my best one and it works wonder for me

9. Check out some apps that might help you focus more, calm you down and focus on your mental wellbeing. (Pacifica, calm, The Safe Place)

10. What are your top three intentions for each day and how can you meet them?

11. Set up a getaway/date night for yourself or with your closed friends. It could be camping, hang out on the couch with a movie or sleep under the stars. The act of planning a getaway can boost your overall mood. (You can do it alone since we are in quarantine)

12. Are you too hard on yourself? I know you may have a lot on your plate but go to bed early and disconnect your self. Get that extra hour of sleep or two.

13. Work on coping skills you’ve neglected. You know all the things that will help you. So, soak up in one of them. (guided meditation, breathing exercises, therapy) Focus on the positive side as much as you can.

14. Take a warm bath every time you can. Epsom salts are good to soothe aches and pains and help boost magnesium levels.

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Health

6 Tips for a First Time Travel Nurse

15 Self Care Activity Ideas To Kickstart a Healthy Lifestyle.

Have You Heard of Getaway House ? Everyone Should Take a Trip

Getaway cabins are about 2 hours away from Atlanta, Cleveland, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, Portland, and Washington, D.C.