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The U.S. has now officially passed one year of the pandemic. The first identified infection here was January 20, 2020. For the first time, the numbers for COVID-19 in the U.S. have continued to decrease steadily over the past few weeks, prompting some cautious hopefulness in a country that has grown weary of pandemic life.
According to the CDC, as of February 12, there were less than 100,000 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the U.S., the lowest number since November of last year. In January, new infections reached above 250,000, so the drop is a significant one, although experts are warning about factors including a delay in holiday reporting and the rise of new COVID variants.
Here’s what’s new with COVID-19, the vaccine and how travel nurses can expect to be affected.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
First, while the number of new COVID-19 cases of COVID-19 is dropping, it’s important to remember it’s because numbers were high to begin with. So while a drop to less than 100,000 is great news, it’s still an infection rate about 2.5 times higher than this summer. And the death toll has now reached 482,536 in the U.S. alone. In other words, as the CDC puts it: things are “better, but not good enough.”
The CDC case map notes a new infection average of about 28 per 10,000 people per day, with some states — like North Dakota and Michigan — hovering around an average of 10 new cases per 100,000 people per day. NPR’s state tracker shows the states with the most COVID cases per 100,000 people are South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Virginia. South Carolina is reporting the highest current case count by population, with an infection rate of 57 positive cases per 100,000 people, which is lower than our last update, which saw Texas as the highest positive rate per capita, at 71 cases per 100,000 people.
The CDC’s weekly surveillance summary reinforces the downward trend in case numbers. In fact, they report a 69% drop in daily cases. New hospital admissions of patients with confirmed COVID-19 infections have also decreased by half since last month. However, the current caseloads are still higher than the two other pandemic peaks that we’ve seen. In other words, we’re still above the numbers we saw when the whole country first shut down. Deaths have had a negligible decline, which may reflect past infections as well. And then, of course, there are the variants. So far, all of the different variants have been found in the U.S. and the UK strain is expected to become dominant by March and could become a “fourth wave” without serious intervention, so some experts have warned that as tired as we all are, it’s not time to relax just yet.
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Right now, the entire country almost seems to be in a bit of a “wait-and-see” limbo with COVID-19. Will the vaccinations be enough to keep numbers down? Will the variants cause us to go into a fourth wave? What will happen to the virus as spring creeps up? And what will happen to the healthcare workers who are burned out from the past year?
The need for travel nurses hasn’t stopped but the high-paying crisis rates of the pandemic peaks are not readily available at the moment. Instead, the trend seems to be more needs for general MICI/SICU jobs in the $6K-7K weekly range.
Here are some of the highest-paying opportunities for travel nursing right now:
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
The vaccine administration program is moving right along. As of Feb. 11, the CDC notes that 46.4 million doses of the vaccine have been administered, which is roughly about 10.6% of the population. And 3.4% of the population have received their full two-dose vaccination.
Mass vaccination sites and the initial rollout of pharmacy vaccinations at some major retailers including CVS and Walgreens locations have helped the vaccine roll out.
As more people receive their first and even second doses, it’s an opportunity for people to share their experiences and hopefully, for people who are hesitant about the vaccine for any reason, to get their concerns and questions addressed.
In other vaccine news:
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
For the first time in a long time, we have a glimmer of hopeful news to report on the COVID-19 front: cases from the novel coronavirus are on the decline. Cases and new infections have taken a pretty steep decrease and while deaths are not drastically dropping just yet, it’s still a refreshing change from the constant doom and gloom updates we’ve had to present in the past.
However, new variants of the COVID-19 virus continue to pop up and vaccination efforts still lag behind ideal numbers, so it’s hard to say with certainty if a clear end to this fight is yet in sight. Here are some of the vital updates on COVID-19 for travel nurses and what areas are hiring high-paying positions right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
In the U.S., new cases seem to be dropping, which is hopeful news and a necessary one to slow a wave of new infection. As of February 2nd, the CDC reports just over 26 million cases and close to 442,000 deaths. If you look at the case map through the CDC, the visuals are almost shocking––some states that have been hard-hit in the past, like Michigan, Washington, and the Dakotas, all now sit at a peaceful green, representing a low case count of only 1-11 per 100K in the past week.
NPR’s state tracker shows the top 5 states with the most COVID cases by 100K people as Texas, South Carolina, Arizona, New York, and Oklahoma. Texas is reporting the highest current case count per population, with an infection rate of 71 positive cases per 100K people.
The CDC’s weekly surveillance summary also reinforces that the numbers tend to be trending downwards: they note that the overall number of positive results from COVID-19 tests has decreased across the entire country and in all age groups. Other good news? Visits to ERs and urgent care for respiratory symptoms and illness have also decreased. Deaths have somewhat plateaued, but still remain at above-epidemic levels and the CDC is still predicting those to increase, due to the lag in deaths from reported cases. In other words, people may just now be passing away, despite being infected months ago.
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According to the most recent update from the CDC, although ER and urgent care visits have decreased, the overall hospitalization rate has remained steady. However, there is somewhat good news in that the hospitalization rate has plateaued at a steady pace— albeit above-earlier-pandemic peaks–and is not steadily increasing.
So, the need for travel nurses is still strong, although it may be shifting from some previously urgent areas. Needs may also be changing to include more step-down and critical care vs. emergent and intensive care. And in most places, you won’t be seeing those $10K weekly assignments that were available only a few weeks ago.
Instead, here are some of the highest-paying opportunities for travel nursing right now:
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
The vaccine administration schedule has been frustrating for many people, with limited slots and availability and even stories of doses being wasted when people who are eligible for the vaccine can’t be found. (As a volunteer vaccine clinic nurse, I can attest to the fact that sadly, this does happen, although the hardworking people who are working overtime to organize vaccine programs do everything in their power to avoid wasting even one precious vaccine dose.)
The Biden administration has also been focused on ramping up both vaccine production and distribution. For instance, on Feb. 2, it was announced
that the White House will be sending vaccines directly to pharmacies across the nation in an effort to help increase vaccine administration. The program will begin on Feb 11 and will roll out on a limited basis at first, with about 6,500 doses being shipped.
As of Feb 1st, the CDC says that about 32 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine and over 6 million million have been fully vaccinated, the majority of those going to nursing home residents. The numbers come in at approximately 1.4 million people being vaccinated every day, although, of course, that varies with vaccine availability and geographical area. The states who have the highest number of vaccines per population include Vermont, North and South Dakota, New Mexico, Alaska, West Virginia, and Oklahoma.
However, no matter which way you look at it, that’s a huge improvement from where we were even a few weeks ago. As more people receive their first and even second doses, too, it’s an opportunity for people to share their stories and experiences and hopefully, for people who are hesitant about the vaccine for any reason, to get their concerns and questions addressed.
In other vaccine news:
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
We’re well into the new year and we’re about to swear in a new President, but as far as COVID-19 updates go, it seems like more of the same frustrating news. The pandemic continues, with some areas of the country seeing record-high numbers and deaths. LA County, for example, has had so many deaths that they actually had to limit the number of cremations taking place because it was affecting the air quality.
Meanwhile, new variants of the COVID-19 virus continue to pop up and vaccination efforts still lag behind ideal numbers, so it’s hard to say with certainty if a clear end to this fight is yet in sight.
Here are some of the vital updates on COVID-19 for travel nurses and what areas are hiring high-paying positions right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
The numbers for COVID at the moment are definitely alarming. The U.S. passed 400,000 deaths this week and saw an increase of over 4 million infections in the past month alone.
As of January 9th, the most recent complete data available from the CDC shows an overall average increase in infections, illnesses and deaths from COVID after a decline in the previous three weeks. According to their report, many areas and numbers are still catching after the delay from holiday reporting.
NPR’s state tracker shows the top 5 states with the most COVID cases by 100K people are Arizona, California, South Carolina, Rhode Island, and Oklahoma. Tennessee dropped from the list from our last update, replaced with South Carolina. Arizona has a higher infection rate per 100K people, but California is still reporting an astonishing rate of 39,124 new infections every day.
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
According to the CDC, hospitalizations peaked in December and have appeared to be on the decline, but experts say those numbers may not be fully accurate yet. Any mitigating effects of community efforts or vaccinations will not be reflected in hospitalizations for many months to come. For now, experts are staying cautious about staying ahead of staffing and safety efforts.
All that to say: the need for travel nurses is still high.
Here are some of the highest-paying opportunities for travel nursing right now:
In addition to the high paying 10K positions in Nevada and California, those states also have other opportunities ranging from $7-8K for other positions, such as ER.
Ready to start travel nursing? Start here.
The vaccine situation right now is… well, challenging. Vaccine administration numbers are overall pretty low and reports show that larger-than-expected numbers of healthcare workers continue to refuse the initial rounds of the vaccine.
CDC numbers state that 10.6 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine and only 1.6 million have been fully vaccinated — primarily nursing home residents (1.4 million). Of the 31 million vaccine doses distributed to states, it’s estimated that only about half of those have been given.
In other vaccine news:
TravelNursing.org has also spoken with travel nurses who have reported significant challenges in getting the COVID-19 vaccine for themselves due to their status as a traveler. Some hospitals are limiting the vaccine to staff nurses, leaving travel nurses on their own to find a way to get the vaccine.
If you are having trouble getting your vaccine through your agency or current contracted hospital, it may be helpful to contact your state or local health department for advice on how to obtain the vaccine.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
From post-holiday numbers to travel nurse opportunities to the latest on the vaccine, here are the new year COVID updates for travel nurses.
With reports of a COVID-19 variant spreading across the globe, some countries, like the UK and Germany, have imposed fresh–and strict–lockdowns. In the U.S., the new variant has been detected and may even be to blame for California’s current staggering outbreak, but the new strain has not led to new lockdowns here in the states yet.
However, many states, California, included, are feeling the post-holiday infection strain. Airlines recorded yearly and pandemic travel numbers, albeit still much lower than pre-epidemic levels, over the holidays and while numbers still continue to get caught up, it’s clear at least some of the new cases can be attributed to holiday gatherings.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
As of January 5th, the CDC is reporting close to 21 million COVID infections and over 352,000 deaths from COVID in the U.S. The average daily case rate per 10,000 people in the last week is 64.5K.
The top 5 states with the most COVID cases by 100K people are Arizonna, California, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Oklahamo. NPR’s state tracker lists California as a current hot spot with unchecked community spread of the virus –– the state is reporting close to 38,000 new infections every single day. The next highest state is Arizona, which is reporting an average of 8,160 new infections daily.
According to the CDC’s weekly update on COVID, the latest data is from the week of Christmas and it showed a slight decrease in both the number of overall new infections and hospitalizations from COVID, although the CDC also notes that those decreases are more than likely due to a delay in reporting due to the holidays and that an increase is predicted. Additionally, there were a few regions, such as New Jersey/New York/Puerto Rico, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, South Central, and Central that did see an increase in positive COVID tests in the last reported week.
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
According to the CDC, hospitalizations peaked in November and have either declined or plateaued. However, the CDC fully expects those numbers — especially with post-holiday season infections coming into effect — to start to increase again. Deaths related to pneumonia, influenza and COVID are also slightly on the decline as well, although again, the CDC is expecting them to rise again. California has been especially hard hit and hospitals in the Southern California region have reported the dreaded 0% ICU capacity.
The combination of healthcare staff burnout, staff getting sick or quarantined continues to lead to a high need for travel nurses who are willing to take on COVID assignments. Here are some of the highest-paying opportunities for travel nursing right now:
In addition to the high paying 10K positions in Nevada and California, those states also have other opportunities ranging from $7-8K for other positions, such as ER.
Ready to start travel nursing? Start here.
Since the rollout of the vaccine, statewide administration has been slower than expected in many areas. So far, about 4.8 million people in the U.S. have received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the New York Times. The federal government has stated that it’s delivered a total of 17 million doses to states, so there still remains a lot of vaccines to be given. (Although the vaccine does have to be given in two separate doses.)
There has also been some vaccine hesitancy reported among healthcare workers and some on the frontlines have refused the vaccine all together. For instance, Michigan has reported thousands of refusals among its healthcare workers, potentially contributing to having one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country. So far, the areas with the highest percentage of vaccinations given are the Northern Mariana Islands and South Dakota, with vaccination rates of 5.7% and 3.2%, respectively.
TravelNursing.org has also spoken with travel nurses who have reported significant challenges in getting the COVID-19 vaccine for themselves due to their status as a traveler. Some hospitals are administering the vaccine only to staff nurses and not travelers, leaving travel nurses on their own to find a way to get the vaccine. If you are having trouble getting your vaccine through your agency or current contracted hospital, it may be helpful to contact your state or local health department for advice on how to obtain the vaccine.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
According to the CDC’s phased allocation plan for the COVID-19 vaccine, hospital healthcare workers are supposed to be prioritized to be the first to receive the vaccine. For many healthcare workers, that’s exactly what has happened. They’ve been offered the vaccine by the hospitals that they are employed at and have been able to receive the vaccine right on-site.
But, unfortunately, travel nurses are having a different experience.
Some travel nurses are running into trouble trying to get their COVID-19 vaccines when the hospitals they are contracted with are only providing the vaccine to actual staff members and travel nurses aren’t included in the priority access. Further complicating matters, travel nursing agencies don’t have access to vaccines either, so travel nurses are caught trying to figure out how to get the vaccine on their own.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
Jessica Gibbs, RN, a current travel nurse in Detroit, MI, never dreamed that she would have difficulty getting her COVID-19 vaccine. But as she tells TravelNursing.org, that’s exactly what happened. When the hospital she is currently contracted with announced vaccines would be offered to all staff in early December, Gibbs inquired about receiving the vaccine as a traveling nurse. Unfortunately, despite going through seemingly endless rounds of multiple requests and emails, Gibbs was ultimately told that she would have to find the vaccine on her own.
In the end, she contacted the Michigan Department of Human Health and Services for advice on how to procure the vaccine and was ultimately able to schedule an appointment with the Lapeer County Health Department to receive her vaccine on December 29th.
Gibbs explains she’s used to having “extra hoops” to jump through as a travel nurse.
“That is a fact I accept and happily jump through the extra hoops as I get to go to some cool places,” she says. She points out that she always has to find and pay for her own flu shots, which she says is “understandable.” However, she believes the COVID-19 vaccine is a different story entirely.
“To be refused a Covid vaccine that the hospital paid nothing for is unacceptable,” Gibbs says. “Both travel nurses and staff nurses care for COVID-suspected and COVID+ patients. I fail to understand how a CNO can exclude travelers when we are working in the same conditions with the same patients side by side with the staff nurses.”
Jenn Dekeyser, a travel nurse in Las Vegas faced a similar situation.
“When I inquired about getting the shot at my current place of employment the person I spoke with (from education) told me that the shot was for employees and since I was a traveler, I was unlikely to get the shot,” she says. “My plan is to try at a different facility when I switch contracts to get the vaccine.”
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
What makes Gibbs’ story even more frustrating is she actually left Washington and specifically took a contract position in her hometown of Michigan to help Detroit when it was struggling as a COVID hotspot.
“[My] Facebook friends were posting the struggles Detroit was facing and then Detroit made the news,” Gibbs relates. She believed so strongly in helping, in fact, that she accepted a decrease of almost $700/week when she took on her initial contract with the Detroit hospital.
“I was willing to work for the same low rate as the initial contract because the hospital I am at is truly struggling with staffing needs,” she says. “My presence was making a difference –– for me, walking into a struggling hospital and making a difference for the patients and staff is rewarding enough.
Gibbs never did hear back from anyone she tried to contact at the hospital regarding her vaccine, but she does note that the two emergency department managers –– both of whom happen to be traveling nurses as well –– were able to receive the vaccines. However, according to Gibbs, no ER travel nurses actually caring for the COVID patients are being offered the vaccine at this time.
Having been on the frontlines of COVID through the pandemic, Gibbs says being refused the vaccine by the hospital felt like being told she was a “lesser human being and nurse” than the staff. She says the things she has witnessed as a frontline nurse in the fight against COVID have affected her entire life.
“I am religious in my PPE use,” she explains. “I don’t go anywhere I don’t have to go. I haven’t had a haircut since before COVID started… I am not afraid of COVID,” she adds. “I am afraid of the complications we are seeing with this virus.”
“It is very exhausting and defeating to fight for 12 hours for someone’s life, shoveling your lunch in your mouth behind a glass window in view of the patient’s room while the ED resident is inserting a central line, knowing that this is the only 10-minute break you will have tonight because this patient and the multiple drips along with your other patients will now keep you too busy, just to find out the patient has passed 2 hours after your shift ended due to COVID complications,” she says.
Despite all she has been through, finally finding a way to get her vaccine represented a glimmer of hope for this hardworking nurse.
“My entire being is exhausted from COVID and this vaccine to me is one step closer to a little breathing room in this fight,” she says.
If you are a traveling nurse having trouble procuring a COVID-19 vaccine, contact your state or local health department for advice on how to sign up for a healthcare worker vaccine clinic.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
As we head into the new year, some states, like Michigan, have loosened some restrictions after reporting a decrease in new COVID-19 cases, while others, like California, continue to report hospitals at capacity and healthcare staff at their breaking point.
Airlines are recording records of travelers already — a million per day for at least three days in a row — and while it’s thought that many people in the U.S. heeded advice about staying home for Thanksgiving, experts aren’t sure if Christmas and the holiday season will show the same.
Here’s what travel nurses should know about COVID this week.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
As of Monday evening, the CDC is reporting 17,790,376 cases (197,616 of those new), and 316,844 deaths (1,584 of those new) from COVID in the U.S.
The top 5 states with the most COVID cases by 100K people are Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, California, and Rhode Island. NPR’s state tracker also lists Arizona as a current hot spot with unchecked community spread of the virus. There’s also been some concern over a new variant strain of COVID-19 that has been discovered in the UK, although travel hasn’t been banned from the US to the UK as of yet.
Ready to start travel nursing? Start here.
According to the CDC, hospitalizations peaked in November and have declined. However, the CDC fully expects those numbers — especially with holiday season in full swing — to start to increase again. Deaths related to pneumonia, influenza and COVID are also slightly on the decline as well, although again, the CDC is expecting them to rise again. As of Monday, 1/5 of hospitals with ICUs report that they are at 95% capacity, says the New York Times.
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
The combination of healthcare staff burnout, staff getting sick or quarantined and the holiday season when staff may have already had scheduled time off, there continues to be a high need for travel nurses who are willing to take on COVID assignments. Here are some of the highest-paying opportunities for travel nursing right now:
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
There’s also been some big movement on the COVID-19 vaccine. Many prominent public officials, including Mike Pence and President-Elect Joe Biden, who received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine live on television on Monday, Monday December 21st. Allergic reactions are also being closely monitored — so far, the CDC is reviewing a total of 6 allergic reactions to the Pfizer Biotech vaccine have been reported.
What does that mean for healthcare workers with allergies? Well, the CDC recommends that if you have had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in the COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get the vaccine. If you have a history of severe allergic reactions that aren’t related to vaccines or injectable medications, however—such as allergies to food, pet, venom, environmental, or latex — you may still get vaccinated. People with a history of allergies to some medications taken by mouth may also still get vaccinated. Talk to your doctor about your own health history.
The second COVID-19 vaccine, by Moderna, was also approved and began arriving in states across the country on Monday. The two vaccines are very similar and both must be given in 2 doses, but the Moderna has the practical advantage of not needing dry ice temperatures before administration. If you’re a frontline healthcare worker and on a travel nursing assignment, be sure to speak with your agency about when you can get the vaccine. And if you’re able to get that vaccine, be sure to hold onto your vaccine card — you never know when it might come in handy.
Ready to start travel nursing? Start here.
Emergency room travel nurse Kayla Cummins, BSN/RN started a mission sixteen months ago to get debt-free by travel nursing. In a celebratory post on her Instagram page, Cummins shared that she had succeeded in her mission, paying off $67,588 in debt.
Cummins tells TravelNursing.org just how she managed to pay down so much debt, how travel nursing helped her get there and why she believes talking more openly about finances can help increase our financial literacy.
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Cummins became an RN in 2016 but she didn’t start working as a travel nurse until July of 2019. She quickly picked up assignments and discovered a love of cosmetic nursing, which she plans to return to in the future. Cummins tells Travelursing.org that she decided she wanted to pay down her debts to stop “paying for the past.”
“I wanted financial freedom and for my money to go towards the future, especially my future family and retirement,” she said. Her total debts included:
Although it may seem like a daunting task to approach paying down debt, Cummins broke her journey down into small, manageable steps. Here’s how she did it.
Cummins was able to find finance-focused accounts, like @debtfreeinsunnyca, who offered a free downloadable debt tracker to help her get started.
Cummins decided to choose four of her debts to tackle first, adding them all up and dividing the total by 100 so she could have a tangible, achievable goal to work towards.
“Each week that I was paid I threw every last extra dollar at my debt,” she explained.
Budgeting can be intimidating for a lot of people, but Cummins says taking the time to do it is worth it.
“Making a budget and sticking to it is what allowed me to really see how much additional money I had that could go towards my debts,” she said.
To take some of the fear out of the budgeting step, Cummins suggests making what she calls a “starter budget” that lists every single monthly expense, when it’s due, and how they make that payment (auto draft vs. manual payment). Once your expenses are added up, you can subtract that number from your monthly take home pay.
“Some people are shocked to see they actually spend more than they bring home, and others are even more shocked to see the amount of extra money they have each month that they have no idea where it goes,” she said.
Once you have your starting point and are actually aware of your expenses, you can start to decrease expenses, she says, with steps like canceling subscriptions, picking a cheaper phone or Internet plan and cooking at home. And don’t forget those seemingly “small” expenses, like Apple music, Hulu and Netflix.
For her own budget, Cummins stopped shopping completely and gave herself a very small food budget, which she says she stuck to very strictly. She also made sure to establish a true emergency fund savings account before she began paying off her debt, by calculating three months of expenses and saving that amount in a separate bank account.
While the pandemic has not been a good situation by any means, in Cummins’ case, she was able to utilize her increased travel nurse rates to pay down her debt even faster. She explains that the pandemic brought rates that she had “never seen before” and by continuing to stick to her strict budget, she was able to put the extra wages towards her savings and car loan.
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Cummins stresses that sticking to a budget doesn’t mean sacrificing everything. In fact, she believes the key to successful budgeting means including the things that are important to your own self-care.
For her, that meant that her monthly facials and nail appointments had a place in her financial plan.
“I wanted to still give myself some luxuries in life,” she said. “I love self care and I do feel that we should treat ourselves still during our debt freedom journeys.”
Along the way, Cummins has shared her financial journey both on her Instagram page and her blog and tells TravelNursing.org that she enjoys being open along the way because it allows others to take control of their own finances.
“I believe that my own transparency regarding my debt and finances has shown people it is okay to discuss these things with friends and family,” she said.
She also points out that young adults are often not financially educated. By sharing her own financial journey, she hopes to change that.
“I can’t tell you the last time I had to figure out the circumference of an object, but I do have to manage my money each week that I am paid,” she said. “I have to know how interest rates work and how to apply for mortgage loans, but this never makes it into our education for some reason. I just hope that I can help others feel more educated and comfortable with managing their own finances.”
Now that she’s debt-free, Cummins doesn’t anticipate changing her lifestyle drastically. Well, aside from working a few more meals out into her budget.
“I love to eat!” she said with a laugh.
Instead, she’s going to continue to carefully tend to her finances and save for the things that are important for her.
For instance, she’s already planning a travel fund adding to her saving funds. By budgeting and tracking expenses, Cummins will live below her means to allow her to strategize her next financial move, which at the moment include big goals like paying down her mortgage, maxing out her retirement account and personal Roth IRA, investing and building a down payment fund for investment property.
“I now have the decision of where I want every single dollar I earn moving forward to go, and that is very exciting,” Cummins said. “What used to be so hard — living with less — is now so easy and peaceful and I plan to continue this. I work hard and need to enjoy the beautiful life I have been given now too.”
Ready to start travel nursing? Start here.
As the pandemic rages on, demand for travel nurses is more intense than ever — and travel nurses are making more money than ever. As COVID-19 cases rise across the country, one thing has become clear: there aren’t nearly enough nurses to keep up.
Across the country, the number of nurses and other healthcare staff are at critically low levels. Ohio’s governor called the lack of nurses available to work in his state “shocking” and Florida nurses are pleading for help after watching staff nurses dwindle down to unsafe numbers.
The nationwide shortage of nurses has led to an unparalleled demand for travel nurses, especially those trained in ICU work. And that unparalleled demand also means, of course, unparalleled paychecks.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
Simply put, the travel nursing industry has exploded. According to data from NurseFly, five states in the U.S. have seen 200% growth in demand for ICU nurses, from Delaware to a whopping 441% increase in Hawaii.
Why the explosive growth? It’s because of COVID-19 — both directly and indirectly.
For instance, increasing numbers of staff nurses are getting infected or placed on quarantine, reducing the number of available staff. In some places, like hard-hit North Dakota, this has prompted officials to permit COVID-positive healthcare staff to continue providing care for patients.
COVID has also led some staff nurses to leave their nursing positions in hopes of better protections and better pay elsewhere. Some staff nurses are striking, fed up with being asked to continue working in what they say are unsafe conditions for both them and patients. And in some situations, the combination of staff strikes or exoduses make travel nursing even more appealing, because travel nursing agencies may be able to provide benefits that staff hospitals just can’t, from crisis pay to assurance of personal protective equipment (PPE).
The pandemic has also put travel nurses in the demand spotlight in a new way. In the beginning of the COVID-19 surge, the virus was hitting only certain parts of the country hard, like New York. Dealing with isolated outbreaks was easier because travel nurses could be mobilized and sent to the hardest-hit areas. But now, every area is hard-hit. That means that travel nurses are needed all across the country.
Ready to start travel nursing? Start here.
While the demand for travel nurses may be good news for travel nurses who are able and willing to take on short-term COVID assignments and earn a considerably high paycheck, the sudden surge for demand for travel nurses also carries some caveats.
For one thing, lucrative travel nursing assignments may be drawing staff nurses away from rural hospitals where they are so desperately needed. Smaller, rural hospitals simply can’t compete with the type of benefits and pay that a travel nursing agency can command and even more, smaller, rural hospitals may be more affected by the loss of staff nurses than a larger hospital or facility because they don’t have the means or the people available to replace them.
Another hard-to-fathom effect is that if nurses are flocking only to well-paying positions, real patients will be affected. Hospitals and facilities with less resources will definitely suffer in a way that those with deeper pockets won’t because they simply won’t be able to attract the same type of trained talent.
So, do these difficult considerations mean that travel nurses shouldn’t be taking the high-paying positions available to them? Absolutely not! Travel nursing exists for a reason and that reason is more evident today than ever. For hospitals that need them, travel nurses are saving lives and swooping in to save the day on strapped and over-stressed units. “This is the warmest welcome I’ve ever had as a travel nurse,” one travel nurse in Lansing, MI told The Washington Post. “They are so happy to have another pair of hands.
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
If you are considering taking a position as a travel nurse, here are some tips to keep in mind:
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
Here are the latest COVID updates for travel nurses as the holidays approach and there is a lot of uncertainty about what the rest of the year will hold for COVID cases in the U.S. Day after day, we are hearing about record-breaking new infections, hospitals reaching peak capacity and public officials scrambling to figure out what is best for their communities. As of right now, the U.S. has surpassed 12 million cases of COVID and 253,600 deaths and counting, per the CDC.
A lot of the decisions that people are making now will continue to affect how the virus spreads, but here’s what we know about COVID as we head into Thanksgiving week.
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The CDC’s COVID tracker shows that the majority of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are largely concentrated in the Midwest in states like Wyoming, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Utah, Iowa, and Montana. But almost every single state in the country is seeing an increase of both infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Aside from a handful of states, NPR’s daily state case tracker highlights that there is “unchecked community spread” across the entire U.S.
And while with our last update, there was somewhat of a plateau in deaths, as predicted, the hospitalizations and deaths have finally caught up to the numbers. Across the board, new COVID infections, hospitaliations, and deaths are increasing.
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We won’t sugar coat it: what’s happening with hospitals in many states in the U.S. is not pretty.
The country currently has more patients hospitalized with COVID than ever before, including during case peaks in the spring. Larger cities are facing an influx of patients, but what makes this surge of coronavirus even more frightening is that, as predicted, rural areas are now running up against their healthcare facility capacity.
Rural areas with hospitals that may only have a handful of ICU beds to begin with are being forced to send critically ill patients to other, larger hospitals. But even those hospitals are filling up — and there aren’t enough healthcare staff to keep up. A combination of infections and quarantines along with burnout and fatigue, mean many hospitals are facing dire staffing shortages.
There are nationwide shortages of healthcare workers, even as COVID cases continue to surge. According to data from the Department of Human and Health Services given to Atlantic staff, 22% of hospitals in the U.S. are reporting staff shortages. In some areas of rural America, in fact, the situation is so dire that hospitals are begging the public for help. Goshen Health in Indiana, for instance, put out a public plea on Facebook asking for anyone with a healthcare background or medical training to help them get through their current crisis. As past data has shown, the trend for COVID tends to follow a predictable pattern: an increase in cases means an increase in hospitalizations two weeks later. And that means, with COVID infections increasing daily, hospital needs and staffing shortages are likely to only increase in the coming weeks.
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
The sudden surge of COVID cases in combination with healthcare staff themselves being sick or quarantined has led to a huge increase in the demand for travel nurses. As some sources are reporting, the demand for travel nurses is unparalleled and hospitals are paying some of the steepest rates ever seen.
ICU travel nurse positions are especially in demand and overall rates for travel nurse wages are up nearly 28%, according to NurseFly. Some hospitals have had to convert non-ICU floors to ICUs to keep up with the patient surge and need trained staff who can work in an ICU setting.
Frankly, travel nursing rates are the highest in years. And while that may be a good thing for any travel nurses looking to build income, it bodes badly for hospitals. Currently, based on researching travel nursing job boards, the states and positions with the highest pay rates are:
Pennsylvania: over $8K/weekly for ICU
Maryland: over $8K/weekly for ICU
North Dakota: over $8K/weekly for ICU
New Mexico: over $7K/weekly for ICU, Telemetry and Med/Surg
Minnesota: over $7K/weekly for ICU
Texas: $7K/weekly for ICU
Michigan, Montana, Oregon, Wisconsin: Between $5-6K/weekly for ICU, Med/Surg and Telemetry
Health experts across the board are predicting patient numbers will only increase as year end approaches and in combination with pre-scheduled staff time off for the holidays, cold weather and indoor gatherings, chances are that hospitals will continue to rely on travel nurses to staff their facilities.
So, if you’re interested in taking a short-term travel nursing position and are willing to work a COVID unit, there has never been a more lucrative time to take a travel nursing position than right now.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
Here are the latest COVID updates for travel nurses as this past weekend saw one record-breaking day after another for the number of virus infections. As USA Today reports, the U.S. saw 126,742 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, which marked the third day in a row that the total exceeded 126,000.
Remember the days when we held our breath as the entire country reached 100,000? Good times. Now, the U.S. has a total of 9.8 million cases and collectively, the world’s infection rate is about to break the 50 million mark.
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Many states in the Midwest have been hit the hardest by this “second wave” of corona (although experts disagree if it truly is a second wave, or just the same first wave, continuing running its course). According to USA Today, North Dakota in particular has been very hard hit, reporting a death rate of 41 deaths for every 100,000 people, which is the highest of any state in the entire country.
Overall, infections have exploded and death rates — while lower than they were in the spring — appear to be on a steady climb upwards again. As of right now, the states that are being monitored for fast growth (meaning they reported more cases in the past 7 days than in the preceding week, indicating higher community spread) are:
NPR’s daily state case tracker, which tracks the highest risk areas right now in the country — meaning 25 or more daily new positive tests, indicating uncontrolled community spread — lists these states as the highest-risk states right now:
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Now that flu season is officially underway, the CDC has begun reporting all respiratory-related hospitalizations and mortality data, together. Their chart lists three different-colored lines for pneumonia, influenza, and COVID-19, or PIC for short.
In their summary, they explain that while infections across the board are increasing, doctor visits and urgent-care visits have remained relatively stable. However, hospitalizations for adults aged 18 years and older are up. And death rates attributed to PIC causes in the last week were actually down slightly (8.1% in week 44 compared to 11.8% in week 43), but still above epidemic threshold numbers.
So, what does all of that mean? It means that at the hospital level, healthcare workers can expect to see what could very well be ever-increased hospitalizations, but hopefully less deaths, if the numbers stay the same as they have been. However, the CDC and pretty much every single health expert ever continues to warn us to be cautious, as winter and more severe weather could negatively impact those numbers too.
And like in real estate, location matters too. Some rural hospitals in high-risk states, such as Michigan, are bracing for potential impact from an increase in severe COVID-19 cases, because even small numbers could be devastating. For instance, one hospital in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan reported waiting six months just for disposable gloves that they needed–and with only six ICU beds, they are fearing for what could happen if their community gets hit with an influx of patients needing more intensive care.
Interested in assignments in COVID-impacted areas? Start here.
As the pandemic continues on in the U.S., the effects on the nursing workforce will become increasingly apparent.
On one hand, there has been an unfortunate increase in the nursing shortage that has already plagued the healthcare world. Many hospitals across the country are seeing a high number of staff nurses leaving their positions due to burnout, exhaustion, their own health needs or family responsibilities that may require them to be home more with their children. Some nurses were even laid off by hospitals during pandemic-related financial strains, and have elected not to return to work at all, or have found different employment.
And while a mass exodus of staff nurses is definitely not good for anyone, on the other hand, it does mean that the opportunity for travel nursing will only increase. Especially for travel nurses who have speciality experience, COVID-19 care experience, or are simply well-versed in the unique challenges that travel nursing can entail (hello, moving cross-country with a day’s notice!), the demand may be especially high. Things could also change significantly next year, as President-Elect Joe Biden has sworn to create a dedicated COVID-19 task force, which could affect nursing opportunities.
Speak with a recruiter about available assignments in COVID-impacted areas today.
As of right now, the most in-demand specialities seem to be for travel nurses with ICU, MICU, ER, telemetry, and general Med/Surg experience.
Illinois seems to have a lot of needs at the moment, with many different openings, so if the Windy City is on your list, you may want to look into a position there.
Currently, based on researching travel nursing job boards, the states and positions with the highest pay rates are:
Remember, the nature of the game with travel nursing — and even more so in a pandemic — is that things can change very quickly, so be sure to keep your eyes peeling for new updates and job postings if you’re looking to take on a travel nursing assignment in the near future.
