vitawerks
Book Shifts
Post Shifts
vitawerks
Book Shifts
Post Shifts

Author: vitawerks

Categories
Uncategorized

Major Differences Between ICU and Emergency Nurses

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Major Differences Between ICU and Emergency Nurses

When a patient’s condition can suddenly worsen at any moment, facilities turn to one of two units: Emergency nursing or ICU nursing. These HCPs focus on timely and specialized expert care to these critically-conditioned patients, under pressure and time constraints. Both are high-in-demand positions that form the backbone of any good healthcare facility. While demanding, these professionals are compensated accordingly for their expertise. Though similar at first glance, there are numerous key differences you must consider before committing to either path.

Immediate Response vs Continuous Treatment

ER Nurses are trusted to assess patients quickly and accurately, in order to identify the best way to stabilize their condition while minimizing pain. Cases can range from hard falls, to gunshot wounds, to severe heart attacks and more. Certified Emergency Nurses (or CENs) must keep themselves on their toes, since anyone can be admitted to the ER at any given moment. Emergency room nurses also communicate and collaborate within a team, to isolate the issue and devise a care plan as quickly as possible. By the end, either the patient has either made a full recovery or they have stabilized enough to be transferred to another unit.

Conversely, ICU nurses provide more continuous treatment for the critically ill. Admissions are often booked in advance, and nurses are given time to operate. By crafting detailed care plans, they involve themselves in every step of the process. Bedside care is provided as they prescribe treatments and medication dosage. During this process, they have to monitor patient conditions and immediately respond to sudden changes.

Responsibilities:

ED nursing is a wide-encompassing role that covers a varied list of responsibilities, including:

  • Triaging cases (arranging patients in order of priority)
  • Setting broken bones
  • Applying stitches and sutures
  • Working with other ER nurses to stabilize patients
  • Administering IV drips and medications, with physician approval
  • Making and updating patient records

Even in a more controlled environment, ICU nurses have a similarly long and broad scope of main responsibilities:

  • Commencing treatment and monitoring doses
  • Handling patient records and transfer paperwork
  • Closely monitoring recovery progress and reporting condition changes
  • Updating family members in a comprehensive, understandable manner
  • Overseeing patient recovery by creating care plans

Work Environment

ICU and ER Nursing have very different workflows. CEN nurses are expected to thrive in a fast-paced, frenetic environment. In one shift, they typically handle 8-40 patients. Emergency room nurses must also triage as quickly and accurately as possible, to smoothen operations. Once their condition has been assessed, they must follow a quick, efficient and algorithmic protocol. These protocols cover problems such as chest pains, head injuries and more. It is a hectic work experience for nurses who want to work on their toes.

By comparison, ICU units are far more organized and deliberate. Their shifts are much more planned out and structured than an ER Nurse’s. They cannot proceed without input and orders from the ICU physicians. ICU nurses are also not as meticulous as certified emergency nurses in following protocol. They can take their time to assess and adapt. It also helps that they usually work with one to three patients per shift.

Salary

As per salary.com, ICU nurses have a higher median salary at $78,200, compared to the ED Nurse’s $68,113. Both also have smaller low-end salaries ($63,490 vs $56,379) and significantly larger high-end estimates ($91,191 vs $82,481). While the pay gap is not drastic on paper, keep in mind that education, additional certifications, years of experience and even your location will affect your pay no matter what.

Go Out There!

Whether you are an emergency nurse or an ICU nurse, you will have to learn to work in a stressful, time-sensitive environment. Your nursing abilities, communication skills and your quick thinking will be put to the limit. Yet in the end, you will be rewarded professionally and financially. The right path for you depends on your career priorities and preferences. Consider the key differences we have covered, and consult ICU and CEN nursing specialists who can provide you with both practical advice and perspective.

Categories
Uncategorized

HCP of the Month January 2022 – Roxanne W S

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

HCP of the Month January 2022 – Roxanne W S

VitaWerks proudly serves HCPs of all levels. Whether you are an RN, CNA, or LVN, we appreciate everything you do to preserve the health and wellbeing of our communities. The company was founded with the intent of supporting these outstanding healthcare professionals with cutting edge AI matchmaking and more schedule flexibility. To commemorate the exceptional individuals that work in health, we take our time to highlight an HCP and their story.

To kickstart the new year, we are happy to name Roxanne as our first HCP of the Month for 2022. Born in New York, she spent the majority of her childhood in Long Beach. At the time of writing, she currently resides in and works from San Bernardino, California. She has worked as an LVN for 19 years and shows no signs of slowing down. No matter where she goes, everyone she works with has been impressed by her commitment to her craft. Meanwhile, her cheery and approachable personality enlivens co-workers and patients alike. 

In particular, all our partnered facilities have praised her punctuality and capabilities as an LVN. “Without fail, Roxanne is always on time,” one manager shared with us. “She is never late nor NCNS, when it comes to our shift. She is easily one of the most reliable HCPs we have ever worked with.” 

You cannot help but ask yourself: what drives such an HCP? What motivates her to approach LVN work the way she does? Much of this can be attributed to raw passion. You will be hard pressed to find someone who loves her work as much as Roxanne does. “I have been an LVN since 2003. I loved what I did then, and I still love it now,” she noted. True to her word, her passion for treating the sick, injured and in-need remains strong to this day. Roxanne also draws a lot of motivation from her family life. “My daughter has been a major source of inspiration for me, in my work” she explained. “I love her dearly.” 

In many ways, Roxanne is a model HCP. She brings a level of experience and ability that any healthcare facility would appreciate. Her ability to connect with and comfort the patients around her cannot be understated. LVNs like her will thrive in any environment and situation, if you allow them to.

We thank Roxanne for allowing us to share her story! Wherever she works next, we know that she will continue to excel.

Categories
Uncategorized

Professional Development For Healthcare Professionals

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Professional Development For Healthcare Professionals

Nursing professional development is a vital part of a HCP’s progression. They can keep their knowledge sharp and up-to-date, while working towards greater opportunities down the line. While nurses understand its importance, not everyone knows how to approach career advancement. Professional development requires thought out planning and clear goals within a reasonable timeline. You must be as thorough and surgical as you are in the operating room. To help, we will go over all you need to know in order to realize your dream career.

Setting Career Goals

Professional development goals for nurses are extremely important. As soon as you begin your nursing career, you need to know what you are working towards. To start, you need to look at the big picture and ask yourself what you want from your career. Do you prefer frequent travel, flexibility or stability? Between traditional hospitals, nursing homes, and other community settings, what facilities interest you the most? Even the age range you would prefer to work with is important, for directing your professional nursing development.

From there, choosing a preferred track becomes far easier. For example, you should consider nurse practitioner education if an independent and personal approach to care interests you. NPs are primary care providers who work with their patients throughout their lifespan. They possess the authority to diagnose and prescribe treatment and medication for their patients, and are also in charge of educating them on their lifestyle and healthcare decisions.

Research On Your Career Track

Once you know your desired track, you must research their minimum education and training requirements. Most professional development goals for nurses should center around achieving these conditions within a reasonable time frame. Required nursing courses, degree levels and certifications are all a part of this. Before you dive headlong into a profession, it is also important to research a job’s future prospects. This lets you learn about your industry of choice, their market demand in the future as well as the skill sets you must learn to stay competitive.

Short Term vs Long Term

Setting only distant goals for yourself can be bad for a nurse’s professional development. To avoid a sense of stagnation, establish short-term career goals to achieve in a year or less. This can be as simple as passing the NCLEX-RN or finding a good job at a quality facility. You can also take courses for nurses that provide certifications, both required and additional. Programs like first aid and clinical research are valuable in any setting, while nursing organizations also offer specialized programs such as pediatrics or oncology. This lets you feel tangible progress, as you work towards your main objective.

Get another perspective

Planning a professional nursing development plan alone can be a daunting task. Getting the right guidance can make a huge difference in establishing and achieving your professional nursing goals. If you are friends with people in your industry of choice, they share with you the steps they took to enter their profession. If you do not know anyone like this, you can join mentorship programs held by some medical facilities. Together, you can create a plan filled with realistic and achievable professional development goals for nurses.

Useful General Skills

There are a host of skills that will carry over, regardless of your nursing course of choice. For example, nursing as a whole is becoming more technology-driven. For example, most healthcare facilities use electronic records that nurses are required to create and update. Devices such as portable patient monitors and wearable sensor technology have also gained prominence over time. As such, developing your knowledge with healthcare technology is important. Communication is another aspect of nursing you must familiarize yourself with. Clearly conveying your message to your co-workers and patients is extremely important, in business that can get very stressful and hectic. You want to brush up on your public speaking, listening and message writing. Practice makes perfect and builds confidence.

Categories
Uncategorized

7 proven tips to make a professional nursing resume

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

7 proven tips to make a professional nursing resume

In the words of Will Rogers, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” The nursing job market is no exception to this. Healthcare facilities sift through dozens or even hundreds of applications, and many of these are discarded at first glance. Whether you are a seasoned RN or a young CNA, how you write your resume can make or break your application. With so much to account for, actually making your nursing resume can be daunting at the start. To get you started, we have 7 resume writing tips that nurses should consider, when making their resumes.

Do Your Research

You want to tailor your registered nurse resume to a facility’s sensibilities. The only way to accomplish this is by thorough research. Read on their corporate culture, core values and workplace priorities. You can find this explicitly on their website’s mission statement or implicitly in social media posts. Finally, you want to list skill sets and educational requirements that facilities are looking for. For example, an ICU nurse resume must include relevant skills such as treating wounds, advanced life support and more.

Highlight Your Achievements and Credentials

Listing your accomplishments on your nursing resume can help employers recognize your potential, while demonstrating your dedication to your craft. Do not be afraid to list relevant honors, awards, professional affiliations and certifications. A CNA resume can list workplace achievements that will leave a strong impression. This can range from answering multiple calls in a day to ensuring patient safety while performing your nursing tasks. If you do volunteer work, listing this experience will show facilities your dedication to helping your community.

Prepare A Master Copy

Writing a generic, all-encompassing resume is a great way to save on time. This is not going to be the document that you send to companies. Bland, broad-strokes nurse resumes are all but guaranteed to fail. Rather, this gives you a starting point that lets you save on time. From this basic template, you can tweak and modify the contents around your facility’s preferences. You can add or remove strengths to line up with that hospital’s culture, or highlight specific qualifications required by the job opening.

Format Your Resume

The average recruiter spends six seconds looking at your registered nurse resume. If they see that your application is unstructured or hard-to-read, they will discard your submission instantly. To avoid this, registered nurse resumes must have good formatting and structure.

  • Font: Times New Roman and Arial are popular, but many clear fonts will suffice. For style, you can try complimentary font pairings. Serif or sans serif for the body, and the opposite for headings is a good example.
  • Font Sizes: Varying font size between sections is recommended. Anything below 10-11 is likely too small.
  • Name: 18-22
  • Contact information: 10-11
  • Section headers: 12-14
  • Descriptions 10-11.
  • Spacing: One space between each category is recommended. Borders can separate sections, while making the registered nurse resume less busy. As for margins, it is suggested for the top margin to be 1”, while the side margin sits at 0.63”.
  • Bullet points: For consistently and flow, bullet points should be used consistently in style. Whether you are listing your work history or additional employment, make sure the presentation is similar.

If you do not know where to start, you can refer to popular templates or nursing resume examples online.

Optimize for Keywords

In recent years, large hospitals and healthcare companies have begun using software to sift through the countless RN, LPN and CNA resumes they receive everyday. These programs look for keywords related to open positions. To maximize opportunities, you want to find these keywords and incorporate them into your nurse resume. You can determine these keywords by reviewing the job postings and isolating words and terms that appear more than once. There are also online resources that can help you find and incorporate keywords in a competitive manner. Resume Worded and JobScan are two such examples, and there are many more available to you.

Make It Short But Sweet

As mentioned above, employers spend little time reading through your registered nurse resume. More often than not they will choose to ignore applications that are too long or wordy. You want to make sure that you provide all the required information in a short, yet informative nursing resume. If possible, you want to keep it all in one page, while maintaining clean and readable formatting.

Proofread and Edit to Perfection

Formatting and grammatical errors are the last thing you want on your nurse resume. If a recruiter spots these, your chances of employment will drastically go down. Be sure to take the time to review and edit your resume, until you are sure that it is perfect. If possible, having a friend double-check your work can also be a lifesaver.

Categories
Uncategorized

Why There Is A Nursing Shortage In California

  • Vitawerks • February 8, 2023

Why There Is A Nursing Shortage In California

Nurse shortages in California are reaching a crisis point that will persist for the foreseeable future. The University of California San Francisco recently released a report on the impact of COVID-19 on the nursing workforce. Preliminary data from the 2020 Survey of California Registered Nurses and the final findings from the 2019-20 Annual RN Schools Survey indicate that many older RNs have left, while more are planning to leave in the next two years. All this has contributed to a 13.6% nursing shortage (around 40,567 nurses) that is expected to persist until 2026.

What are the reasons for the nursing shortages, you may ask? The most obvious culprit is COVID-19. Healthcare workers are working long, demanding hours to stop the spread of coronavirus and its more dangerous Delta variant. All the while, both they and their families are risking exposure to the virus. All this building stress has taken its toll. National Nurses United reports that over 53% of nurses felt increased stress during the pandemic, while 42% were more depressed. It is clearly a major reason, but blaming the turnover solely on COVID would not capture the truth of the nursing shortage.

It is possible that California’s vaccine mandates have added an extra layer to the issue. On August 5, the California Department of Public Health ordered that all health workers must be vaccinated. According to some accounts, traveling nurses have been quitting because of this vaccine mandate. Seeing as per-diem nursing has been one of the stop gap solutions to the current shortage, it is easy to see how this would cause a problem. On top of this, some hospitals still had hundreds of unvaccinated full-time HCPs in October. Anti vaccine-sentiments have complicated an already problematic nurse shortage.

ARPNs such as Nurse Practitioners were also asked to fill in. At the time of writing, legislatures are working to accommodate for this by rushing to expand the licensing and scope of practice for APRNs. Much like per-diem nurses, this is not a long-term solution. In this scenario, they would be expected to fill in as RNs on top of their pre-existing obligations. On top of the added workload, Nurse Practitioners filling in for the shortage may find it “demeaning” to fill as healthcare assistants. This is the wrong way to look at such work, but it is a genuine concern.

Then there is the issue of younger healthcare workers. Unemployment among younger, more inexperienced RNs has spiked, in parallel with the turnover of veterans. One would think that hiring these younger workers would solve the nursing shortage in California, along with the unemployment rate. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Hospitals are understandably hesitant to trust a high risk global pandemic to newcomers. At the same time, this hesitation prevents these younger nurses from gaining experience to mature as professionals. Sadly, this problem remains self-perpetuating, with no easy answers in sight.

But to get to the root of this nursing shortage in 2021, we need to take an even further step back. As early as the 60s, nursing was identified as an incredibly stressful job, thanks to the physical labor, interpersonal relationships and human suffering that is integral to the profession. A more recent 2018 survey of 500,000 US nurse shone modern light on the burnout problem, pre-pandemic. It was found that among the nurses who were about to leave their professions (9.5% of the sample), 31.5% reported burnout as the main reason for their retirement. While nursing shortage statistics in 2021 have spiked, compared to previous years, it is clear that turnover has always been a problem in healthcare jobs and that COVID amplified them. UCSF professor Joanna Spetz said as much, claiming that the pandemic was actually “accelerating a broad trend that has been building for some time.”

So what is the reason for the nursing shortages in California? It is not one single issue, but multiple factors combined to create a brutal and hostile working environment for our healthcare providers. An unprecedented pandemic stressed long standing issues in the industry, thousands of young workers cannot gain the experience needed to work and anti vaccine sentiments are just the tip of this iceberg. For the nursing world to have any future, nurses have to look towards retaining veterans as mentors, while giving young nurses ample opportunities to develop. Otherwise, this healthcare worker shortage will stretch far beyond 2021.

Categories
Uncategorized

Here’s how to renew CNA license in California

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Here’s how to renew CNA license in California

For any Certified Nursing Assistant, it can be stressful to renew your CNA license. Scrambling to prepare all the important documentation, fees and requirements is a costly and time consuming process. With a bit of foresight and planning, however, you can stay on top of the process with a fraction of the time and stress.

To get you started, here is everything you need to know about CNA license renewal in California.

Basic Overview

Just like in every other state, CNA certification must be renewed every two years. You have to fulfil the required amount of Completed Education Units (CEU) and present the appropriate paperwork before your application can be processed.

If your CNA license expired within the last two years, you can apply for CNA renewal once you pay your late fees. If your license has expired for more than two years, then you have to complete a 75-hour retraining course. If your certificate was outright revoked, you can no longer renew your CNA license.

Training Programs and Other Resources

To meet your CEU requirement, you need to find an approved training program. Luckily, the California Department of Public Health’s Licensing and Certification Division provides an extensive list of approved training programs, including classroom and online education.

To find a complete listing of state-approved CEU providers and learn about CNA renewal online, you can visit this page, on the official CDPH website. If you want more information about CNA license requirements, you can contact the Aide and Technician Certification Section, CAN/HHA/CHT Certification unit at 916 327-2445 or cna@cdph.ca.gov.

The required 48 hours of in-service training has to be completed over a two-year period. While half that time has to be carried out in a classroom setting, 24 hours can be completed with an approved CNA certification online training program. When you have fulfilled the requirements, you will receive a certificate of course completion.

Final Submissions

As soon as you have fulfilled your CNA certification renewal requirements, you can complete the Certified Nurse Assistant In-Service Training/Continuing Education form. Proceed to send this CNA renewal form to the California Department of Public Health’s Training Program Review Unit at PO Box 997416, MS-3301, Sacramento, CA 95899-7416.

Once your application has been processed, you can receive your renewed CNA license from the CDPH. For CNA license lookup, you can check in the Licensing and Certification Verification Search Page on their official website to see if you are listed.

Can’t Complete The Requirements?

 

If you cannot meet the California CNA license renewal requirements, you can take the Competency Evaluation to reinstate your CNA license. To do this, you must submit a Renewal Application (CDPH 283C). When submitting online, make sure to check the “yes” box in the “Reactivation” section.

If approved, you will be sent the information needed to schedule the evaluation. This has to be completed within two years from your CNA license expiration date. Once you have successfully passed the evaluation while maintaining a clean criminal record, you will be issued a current CNA license.

Categories
Uncategorized

HCP of the Month December 2021 – Claire M

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

HCP of the Month December 2021 – Claire M

VitaWerks proudly hosts the finest HCPs in the entire United States. Their skills, character, and compassion are unmatched in the healthcare world. Words alone can barely express how grateful we are for the services they provide to the community at large. Every month, we take the opportunity to celebrate the outstanding individuals who make VitaWerks the best healthcare staffing platform in the entire market.

This month, we are beyond proud to name Claire (AKA Gabriel) M as our HCP of the Month. He started his journey with VitaWerks as recently as last May. Within that time, Gabriel M has become a regular at one of our partnered facilities, and he has not looked back since. Whether you are talking to patients or supervisors, everyone will tell you that he is easy to work with, extremely reliable, and unabashedly devoted to his craft.

“Gabriel has been an absolute joy to work with. He is always so reliable and very diligent” shared a supervisor at one of our partnered facilities. “Without fail, he always makes sure that all his patients are well taken care of. He is very helpful and his patients are very happy with him.”

Outside of work, Gabriel enjoys nothing more than spending quality time with his fancy pet pigeons. In his free time, you will find him raising them both as pets and as therapy animals. “Some people do not understand just how amazing pigeons are,” he shared with us. “Pigeons make amazing pets. They are just so low maintenance and incredibly easy to train, as well.” His bird expertise does not stop at just pigeons either. At the time of writing, Gabriel is the proud owner of seven pigeons, three Japanese quills, and one lovebird.

Even in his free time, Gabriel is always considering how he can help others. Compassionate and driven HCPs are the lifeblood of the healthcare community. Their very presence can energize everyone around them, from the patients they are treating to their fellow HCPs. VitaWerks is committed to providing these healthcare heroes with the highest quality staffing services and the best rates available in their area. Luckily, Gabriel is also thankful to VitaWerks, for the opportunity given to him to help others. Even in the middle of a challenging and brutal pandemic, he would rather be in the frontlines than sit on the sidelines. In his own words, assisting with and seeing COVID patients recover is “the best feeling in the world”

Categories
Uncategorized

Nurse Champion of the Month December 21 – Hazel M

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Nurse Champion of the Month December 21 – Hazel M

My name is Hazel, and I am a Nurse Champion at VitaWerks. I currently reside in the Philippines with my family. Early on, I decided to look for a job that let me achieve work-life balance. As an easy-going gal who loves to go out with friends, I wanted a profession that fit my lifestyle. I think that my bright attitude makes me an asset to the team. Fittingly, I am a huge fan of music. Singing karaoke is one of my favorite things in the world.

In this field, building a rapport with HCPs through good communication is important. Over time, VitaWerks management and my team have helped me blossom in my role. They taught me so much about company growth and interacting with different kinds of people.

I hope to continue aiding VitaWerks’ growth, virtually. I intend to provide the best, most reliable service to all our clients and HCPs. With plenty of experience in different industries, I will also help expand our reach with creative solutions and ideas. It is the least I can do for a company that has treated me so well.

Categories
Facilities HCP

Los Angeles Omicron Resource Kit & List of COVID-19 Testing Centers

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Los Angeles Omicron Resource Kit & List of COVID-19 Testing Centers

COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles have spiked, due to the Omicron variant. At the time of writing, 21 deaths and over 10,000 cases were reported in Los Angeles County alone. This was a staggering 15% increase from the count on December 23. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer projects that the daily case count could reach as high as 20,000, the way things are trending.

In response to these trends, Los Angeles County is expanding access to free, confidential COVID testing. In this article, we will go over where and how you can get free testing in the Los Angeles area.

COVID-19 testing centers in Los Angeles:

 

1. Union Station (East Side) Testing Site – Walk-up only, no appointment required

City of Los Angeles

811 N. Vignes Street

Los Angeles

2. Axis Clinical Trials 1636 – Drive-up only, by appointment

Axis Clinical Trials

1636 Wilshire Boulevard

Los Angeles

3. Mexican Consulate – Walk-up only, no appointment required for COVID/Omicron testing

City of Los Angeles

2401 W 6th St

Los Angeles

4. Carbon Health – Echo Park – Walk-up only, appointment required

City of Los Angeles

2110 Sunset Blvd., Suite M, Suite M

Los Angeles

5. Lincoln Park – Walk-up only, no appointment required for COVID testing

City of Los Angeles

3501 Valley Blvd

Los Angeles

6. Anderson Munger YMCA – Pop-up testing site, walk-up only, no appointment required

County of Los Angeles

4301 West 3rd Street

Los Angeles

7. Poinsettia Recreation Center – Front Lawn – Pop-up site, walk-up only, appointment required for COVID Testing

County of Los Angeles

This is a pop-up testing site that travels to different communities.

7341 Willoughby Ave

Los Angeles

8. Via Care Community Health Center – Atlantic Blvd – Drive-in only, no appointment required

Via Care

507 S. Atlantic Blvd.

Los Angeles

9. CVS – Los Angeles – Drive-up only, appointment required for COVID/Omicron testing

CVS

5176 East Whittier Boulevard

Los Angeles

10. Hobart Elementary – KTPU Holiday Vaccination Fair – Pop-up site, walk-up only, appointment only

County of Los Angeles

980 S. Hobart Blvd.

Los Angeles

 
Complete list of COVID-19 testing centers in Los Angeles (267 centers)

Home testing options:

If you cannot reach any of the listed COVID testing centers in LA, you can avail of the newly relaunched Holiday Home Test Collection Program. County residents who are symptomatic or believe they were exposed can order a free home testing kit from Fulgent Genetics.

Users must sign up to the Picture by Fulgent Genetics website to have their kits shipped to their address (not a P.O. Box), via FedEx. On the same day they receive the COVID testing kit, users should take their nasal samples and mail them back. You can do this either via a scheduled one-time Fed-Ex pick up, or drop box. Results will be available 48 hours after the sample reaches the lab.

COVID-19 vaccine centers in Los Angeles:

Even with regular testing, you still want extra protection from the virus. Luckily, California provides free vaccinations for citizens aged 5 and older. While this can vary, you also do not need an appointment for many vaccination centers. For a complete list of LA vaccination centers, you can refer to this official site.

Symptoms of the new COVID Variant “Omicron”

While the virus is still being studied closely, there are a couple recurring symptoms of the Omicron variant that are worth noting. Across many cases, “common-cold” like symptoms along with fatigue are the frequently-found. Notably, classic COVID-19 symptoms like loss of taste or tremendous shortness of breath were not as common. Newer symptoms such as vomiting and loss of appetite further distinguish the Omicron strain.

Predictably, case severity frequently hinged on vaccination status. For fully-vaccinated individuals with their booster shots, symptoms were mild. “Lots of sore throat (…) some fatigue, maybe some muscle pain. No difficulty of breathing, No shortness of breath. Mostly fine” specified Craig Spencer, Director of Global Health in Emergency Medicine at Columbia Medicine.

Patients fully vaccinated with Moderna/Pfizer but not boosted experienced similar but slightly stronger symptoms. Unboosted J&J patients “felt terrible” with fever, fatigue, coughing, and shortness of breath, but they didn’t need hospitalization or oxygen. Only unvaccinated patients displayed profound shortness of breath, as “they needed oxygen just to walk regularly.”

Frequently asked questions on OMICRON variant:

How severe is Omicron?

Currently, we cannot pinpoint how dangerous this strain really is. While a couple key patterns have been recognized, symptoms of the Omicron variant are inconsistent. Reinfections, breakthrough infections in the vaccinated, and deadlier cases are a possibility, but the data is too limited and it is far too early to make any strong conclusions.

Does vaccination work against Omicron?

As mentioned earlier, Omicron cases are milder for vaccinated individuals compared to previous strains. While a breakthrough case is possible, early signs are encouraging.

What can I do to prevent Omicron?

So far, pre-existing COVID-19 measures have still been shown to be effective. Along with vaccination, wearing a mask in high-density public settings is still strongly recommended by the CDC. COVID testing before going to populous gatherings or travel is another excellent preventative measure. Provided that one remains vigilant, they can protect themselves from Omicron to the best of their abilities.

Categories
Uncategorized

Nurse Floating Is On The Rise

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Nurse Floating Is On The Rise

Most nurses focus their training and education in one specific area, so that they can work in a single department for the rest of their career. This is not the case for float nurses, who have risen in prominence following the recent nursing shortages. For the uninitiated, a “floating nurse” means an HCPs with the capacity to move between departments. In doing so, hospitals can theoretically maintain sufficient nurse-to-patient staffing ratios for each of their units, without any long term commitments or staff changes. Float nursing is as uniquely challenging and demanding as it is rewarding, for the travel nurses who are up to the task. What exactly are these challenges? How can you find out if you are fit for per diem nursing? Read on to find out all this and more.

Floating nurse job description

Float nursing can be employed in a number of different ways. For example, it is not uncommon for permanently-staffed nurses to be asked to “float” between different units. This is done to cover for sudden shortages, turnover or structural shifts. Other times, they bring in “travel float nurses” with flexible skill sets as needed, for a few days or weeks. This is done by contacting staffing agencies or using cutting-edge applications such as VitaWerks, which instantly matches hospitals with the best per diem nurses in their proximity. Finally, there is sometimes a “pool” of float nurses who are hired for their ability to move between departments. These nurses know what they are signing up for, which can maintain staff satisfaction and lower turnover rates in the long term.

Why become a float nurse?

Although float nursing is not easy, it comes with its share of perks and benefits. The most obvious is flexible scheduling. Whether you are employed or a travel nurse, hospitals will typically allow you to choose your own hours. You can give yourself more freetime, or put in your 12 hour shifts for some extra income–the choice is yours. Understandably, full-time and part time nurses will usually have less flexibility, since they are guaranteed a number of hours. Depending on the facility, you either have to work on set days or your situation changes week-by-week. Per diem nurses, conversely, have complete control over where and when they work.

Nurse floating is also perfect for HCPs who are looking to diversify their portfolios. You get the opportunity to work in different departments, which lets you build diverse workplace experiences and skill sets that will look great on your resume. By trying a little bit of everything, you also get to discover what you prioritize in a work environment. For example: you may have never considered ICU or NICU work as you plan your career.. It is possible that a couple of shifts is all that it takes to convince you that this is what you want to do. If not, you did not commit to anything and you can move on to the next department.

Finally there is the income. Contrary to what you might have heard, float nurses have more earning potential than the average RN. On average, the floating nurse salary is 15% higher than a regularized nurse’s. When you think about it, the reasoning is obvious. Hospitals are rushing to fill critical vacancies with flexible and skilled temporary nurses. With such high and immediate demand for intense skilled labor, it only makes sense that these float nurses are compensated accordingly.

Are there downsides?

No job is perfect, and float nursing is no exception. Compared to full-time HCPs, float nurses have limited stability with their working environment. They have to adapt to different departments, floating nurse policies and protocol wherever they go. Just when you think you have a grasp on how things work, you are now in a different unit and must relearn everything from step one. For nurses with clear and narrow career plans, float nursing may also not be the best fit. You will have a hard time building experience in a single field, when you are spread out between so many different specializations. If you are a nurse who prizes set routines, this may not be the lifestyle for you.

Go out there!

Nurse floating is as exciting as it is daunting, in some ways. Within the field of per diem nursing, it allows you to take in a diverse array of looks, experiences, and skill sets. For nurses who are constantly pushing themselves to grow, both as professionals and as people, you will not find such opportunities anywhere else. It is true that the lifestyle can be a bit too volatile for professionals who prefer a steady pace. For those who can adapt and learn on the fly, then float nursing is a uniquely rewarding career path that is worth a try.

Post Shifts
Book Shifts

Company

Legal

Follow Us

Twitter Instagram Linkedin-in Facebook-f

Download our app

Copyright © 2025 Vitawerks