TAG | nurse career
Travel nursing has nothing to do with a nurse being employed by a transportation company nor does it mean a nurse doing her duties while on a mode of transportation. A travel nurse is an RN who works to fill in vacancies in different medical institutions. It allows a registered nurse a career choice of short-term positions across the country, serving different hospitals. This job is in demand and most hospitals are willing to pay a hefty salary for a nurse to fill in a vacancy until a permanent replacement is found.
Travel nursing used to be an exclusive practice in the US. Today, travel nursing in Saudi Arabia is gaining popularity as the demand for highly qualified registered nurses rise. The contract for a travel nurse usually spans a minimum of three months to as long as a year. With this job, a travel nurse gets to have the benefit of: working in different hospital environments, travelling a lot, be at liberty to carve your career at the pace you are comfortable with, have a very competitive salary plus bonuses.
At a glance, the job of a travel nurse seems unstable for after all you are just filling in until the permanent replacement comes. This is not so for travel nurses are practically recruited by the hospital as full time replacements so there is really no need to worry about being in between jobs. When you choose to be a travel nurse, it is best to register with a recruiting agency so that you are assured of a steady string of travel nursing positions. The recruiter might take quite a chunk out of your pay but in the end, it would be all worth it.
It is a fact that Saudi Arabia has a great demand for RNs and other healthcare providers like doctors and dentists. Saudi Arabia is fast becoming one of the top highly industrialized and urbanized countries worldwide and with progress comes growing demands in education and healthcare.
The need for highly trained nurses in different fields of specialization never ceases. For this matter, a travel nurse is best to be trained in many fields of specialization too. A regular staff nurse earns anywhere from $23,000 to $35,000 a month in a Saudi Arabia hospital. A travel nurse can earn from a$23 to $40 per hour. The difference in salary is dependent on the RN’s country’s basic nurse pay. So, in some cases, working in the USA would translate to more money in terms of gross salary. However, there are no taxes deductible from a travel nurse’s pay slip. If your salary is set at $20 an hour, then you get the $20 as is. No deductions.
Travel nurses are also afforded transient lodgings in the hospital compound they work for. If you work as a travel nurse you will be provided with a fully furnished unit in the hospital’s housing facility. In most instances, the utilities are also paid for by the hospital that employed you. With all these benefits and a six to ten week of paid vacation as an added bonus, who would not want to be a travel nurse?
Saudi Arabia is the biggest country of the Arabian Peninsula. Its capital is Riyadh with a population of close to 5 million out of 29 million of the total population of the country. Saudi Arabia has its first oil boom in the 1980s. The sudden surge in terms of job opportunities and therefore population, led the country to quickly build facilities for the housing and medical needs of its new labor force. Currently, 23% of its population is foreigners and migrants working in different capacities and cities in the country.
The rise of humongous hospitals all over the Saudi Arabia brought on wave after wave of foreign health workers and health providers. Registered nurses and doctors were and still are in demand in the many hospitals all over Saudi Arabia.
One of the leading healthcare related jobs that are in demand in Saudi Arabia is that of a travel nurse. A travel nurse is an RN who works as a replacement for a nursing position that has been vacated. A travel nurse fills in until a permanent RN is hired. Travel nursing in Saudi Arabia is becoming a much sought after job. The reasons are largely due to the many personal benefits raked in by a travel nurse. Travel nursing in Saudi Arabia pays as much as $40 an hour.
The work of a travel nurse usually lasts from a short four weeks to even a year. At a glance, the job would seem unstable for it is actually a temporary position. However, such is not the case. Travel nurses are registered in agencies that handle their job schedules. For a fee, a regular RN could get the services of a travel nurse agency to get the ball rolling, so to speak. You can travel nurses you know for reputable travel nurse recruiters to avoid scams.
Why are more nurses gravitating towards travel nursing in Saudi Arabia? Aside from the great salary, a travel nurse could also incorporate personal touring or sightseeing in between jobs. A travel nurse does not have to be tied up in a workplace that she does not like. She can just leave without fear of being blackballed after the contract. There are a lot or perks that goes with the job. Traveling expenses are shouldered by the employer so is the furnished housing usually within the compound of the hospital. More often than not, the utility bills are also paid for by the hospital.
Since foreign workers are except from paying taxes to Saudi Arabia, the gross income of a travel nurse is as is. There is not a cent deducted from the actual pay slip. A six to ten-week paid vacation is all part of the travel nurse’s package too. A career as a travel nurse is certainly very appealing. You will have the opportunity to be assigned in various locations, meet new and interesting people, work in different hospital set-ups and have the option to accept the temp job on a permanent basis.
The recent Asian pandemic caused by the type A virus H1N1 or more commonly known swine flu, is still a growing threat. Swine flu is a respiratory disease that originated from pigs. The strain has mutated and has now affected humans. The virus does not respond to most anti-flu vaccines in the market today except for oseltamivir and zenamivir. Having had the required annual anti-flu vaccine is no guarantee that a person exposed to the virus will not be affected. It is imperative that a CNA should know review precautions relating to H1N1.
CNA class include the study of infectious diseases so this information is just for review. Swine flu is not really fatal. A healthy person who has had his annual flu vaccine has really nothing to be worried about. The swine flu though is more serious for young children, pregnant women, and the elderly and to those who have diabetes, lung diseases and heart diseases. What precautions should a CNA know so he or she could impart pertinent information to patients.
Require anti-flu vaccines. A CNA should encourage patients to have their yearly flu vaccine between the months of June to September. As there are two generics that have a limiting effect on H1N1, then these should be the flu vaccine that should be required. To make it easier for the students and staff, the school clinic and therefore its doctor(s) should take care of the vaccination. In big colleges and universities who have tie-ups with hospitals, this should not be a problem. For regular patients, they should check their insurance policies if H1N1 vaccination is included in their policy. If not, they should pay for their own.
Educate the patients, parents and students about Swine flu. There are certain measures that a CNA can impart to others and to lessen the threat and possible contamination of H1N1. Although not necessarily “deadly” H1N1 can spread fast.
The first thing is to always wash your hands. Thought it’s not always possible to wash your hands on the hour by the hour in the bathroom, it would be good for you to bring your own alcohol gel. In this connection, it would be better for public buildings and establishments like hospitals and schools to install automatic alcohol dispensers in strategic places within their premises.
Second, always cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze and cough. It would be better to cough or sneeze into your elbow or the crook of your arm. Covering your mouth with a surgical mask does not help unless the surgical mask is an N95.
Third, if you feel feverish and have flu-like symptoms go home and seek medical help. These are some tips that a CNA should know about H1N1.
