Travel Nursing Coast to Coast Newsletter

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Clinical One is pleased to announce a number of exciting new travel, contract, per diem, and permanent opportunities in Rhode Island. While Rhode Island may be small in land mass, these facilities are large, state-of-the-art teaching hospitals providing patient care to a large portion of the state population. It also provides easy access to other exciting cities such as Boston, New York City, and Hartford. Rhode Island is a compact state so traveling here is easy for those with a compact license! Call your Recruitment Specialist today at 800-919-9100 for all the details on the opportunities in Rhode Island.

Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island's capital city, provides access to the best of historical New England in one convenient and colorful package! With Boston only 1 hour away, Hartford 1.5 hours away, and New York City 3 hours away, you'll never run out of things to see and do while on assignment here. Known as the "Creative Capital," Providence offers world renowned theater, art, and music. The Rhode Island School of Design houses more than 80,000 works of art from around the world. If theater and music are more your style, attend a show by the Tony Award-winning Trinity Repertory Company, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, or Opera Providence. And with four distinctly beautiful seasons, you'll have plenty of outdoor adventures awaiting you in Providence. Go for a run or bike ride along the trails of Roger Williams Park during the summer or spring months, take in the changing foliage during the Fall months, and once the first snow falls enjoy skiing at nearby Yawgoo Valley Ski Area in Exeter, Rhode Island.

East Providence, Rhode Island
East Providence is located across the bridge from Providence in an area locals refer to as "East Bay." East Bay offers an abundance of recreational opportunities, shopping, and fine dining. Be sure to take a ride on the Crescent Park Carousel, one of the finest surviving examples of a hand-carved carousel in the country, constructed between 1895 and 1898. If you prefer to be outdoors, take a bike ride down the beautiful 15-mile East Bay Bicycle Path.

Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is the Sailing Capital of America and has been home to America's Cup yacht racing for more then 100 years. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, Newport Harbor is packed with so many boats of all shapes and sizes that it seems like they could be used as stepping stones to cross from one side to the other! Located 30 miles south of Providence, Newport's beach front location offers stunning coastlines for this four-season resort destination. With year round festivals, you'll never run out of things to do while on assignment here.

Extended Stay Housing Options

Clinical One has partnered with Extended Stay America so that we may provide our travelers with another option for their housing needs. Extended Stay housing offers fully furnished studio units that come with a fully equipped kitchen (all appliances and dishes) as well as linens such as sheets and towels, allowing you to pack nice and light for your long distance travel. Extended Stay units are much smaller (usually less than 600 square feet) than the private one bedroom apartment that many of our travelers have become accustom too, making it the best fit for those who don't plan on spending a lot of time inside on their day's off, but are more interested in sight seeing or cruising the town.

Extended Stay's offer a free weekly cleaning service and has laundry facilities on site. Some even come equipped with a pool, gym, and complimentary breakfast. Most Extended Stay's are also pet friendly and charge a one time standard pet fee, but do not require any kind of monthly pet rent.

If an Extended Stay sounds like it could be a good fit for you, be sure to mention it to your Recruitment Specialist before booking your next assignment.

Utility Costs: Being Green Can Save You Money

We would like to take a minute to remind travelers of Clinical One's utility policy. At the start of each new assignment, Clinical One will turn on the electric and gas services for your new apartment and will cover up to $100.00 per month for utilities. If your monthly bill is over $100.00, that fee will be passed back to the traveler. When this happens, a copy of the actual bill along with a letter stating the overage amount and alerting you as to when that amount will be deducted from your pay will be mailed to you. If you should have any questions regarding your bill or this policy, please contact your Housing Coordinator or Recruitment Specialist at 800-919-9100.

Clinical One is a "green" company and would like to offer the following tips to help you reserve as mush energy as possible and reduce your utility bill each month:

Always look for the ENERGY STAR® label, which means the product has met strict government standards for energy efficiency, saving you money.
Shut the lights off when you leave a room.
Shut down your computer when you are done using it.
Unplug appliances such as coffee pots, cell phone chargers, radios, and hair dryers, when they are not in use. These gadgets suck energy -- and generate heat -- as long as they're attached to a power source, so unplug them or use a power strip that can be turned off when not in use.
If your unit comes with an electronic thermostat, set it to automatically adjust the temperature settings to energy-saving levels when you're sleeping or away from the house.
Use the right size pot on stove burners while cooking. A 6-inch pot on an 8-inch burner wastes over 40% of the burner's heat.
Use your microwave instead of the oven when you are reheating small portions and you can reduce your cooking energy by up to 80%.
Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with highly efficient compact fluorescent bulbs, which use from about one quarter to one third the energy to produce the same amount of light (a 20-watt compact fluorescent will give you about the same light as a 75-watt incandescent). Though most cost considerably more than conventional bulbs, they last up to thirteen times longer which, combined with the energy savings, makes them a long-term good buy.
In warmer months, turn the air conditioner off and opt for oscillating fans or open the windows and let the cool breeze in.

Per Diem Payroll Reminders - Tips to Get Paid on Time!

Here are a few tips and reminders about Per Diem payroll to ensure that you are paid on time each week.

Per Diem pay periods are Sunday through Saturday.
For Weekly Pay Candidates: You must get your time slips to Payroll by Monday at 5:00 pm for the previous week. If your time slips are not received by this time, then we can not guarantee that you will be paid during that pay period and may have to wait until the next pay period.
For Daily Pay Candidates: There will be a 10:00 am cut-off in the branches for daily time slips to be turned in - NO EXCEPTIONS. Anything received after 10:00 am will be processed the following day. Please note that more taxes are taken out for daily pay. Call payroll if you have any questions at 800-919-9100.
Fax your time slips directly to payroll at 1-800-680-7996. You should ALWAYS call the Payroll Department at 1-800-919-9100 to confirm that they've received your time slip. When leaving a voicemail, please be sure to speak clearly, and be sure to leave your name and your phone number.
Carefully review your completed time slips before faxing. We are not able to pay you when your time slip is missing your name, the facility you worked at, and/or the correct date and proper hours you worked. Any missing or incorrect information could result in delays in payment.
You must have your time slip signed by a supervisor at the end of your shift. If this is missing from your time slip you will not be paid for that shift.
When working an overnight shift that begins before midnight, please enter your hours in the day you started your shift, not ended it. (Ex: Wed. 11:00 pm -7:00 am goes in the Wednesday slot).
If you do not take a break, you must clearly write "no break" or "0" in the less lunch box and you MUST get a supervisor to initial that no break was taken.
If you ever find that you do not have a Clinical One time slip to fill out for your shift please use a blank piece of paper to write down all information and have it signed by the supervisor. Do not use another agency time slip.
Clinical One offers Direct Deposit. Contact your branch if you are interested in signing up for Direct Deposit.

Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals

The overall mission of the Joint Commission is to improve the safety and quality of patient care across all spectrums of our health care delivery system. Joint Commission requires that all of its accredited and certified healthcare clients track and report on specific quality improvement goals. Some of the most common of these goals include reducing the overall number of medication errors, reduce the number of patient falls, and reduce the incidence of wrong site surgeries to name just a few. Based upon ongoing research and reported data from healthcare facilities, the Joint Commission has established a set of national safety goals, specific to facility type, to focus attention on the specific issues that have the greatest impact upon patient safety. These National Patient Safety goals are reviewed on an annual basis by Joint Commission and periodically updated to reflect the most current data and research. Facilities design their quality improvement plans to address and focus on the national patient safety goals.

It is important to all healthcare professionals to be aware of potential patient safety issues and the standards of care developed to mitigate safety hazards. For more information, download a summarized list of the National Patient Safety Goals for Hospitals and Long Term Care Facilities.

Healthcare Travelbook - The New "Facebook" of the Travel Industry

Healthcare travelers nationwide are invited to join forces and connect through a new social network called Healthcare Travelbook! The network was built by travelers�for travelers, with the idea that a COMMUNITY always knows more than an INDIVIDUAL. Join today and begin making more informed decisions and connect with other travelers and industry insiders!

Clinical One's own Alison Hruska, Recruitment Manager, has been invited to be Healthcare Travelbook's featured Recruiter Blogger. Be sure to sign up today to read her most recent blog and to start connecting with other travelers.

Share your experiences with other travelers by writing a review about Clinical One.

Relationships on the Road: Managing Family Ties While on Assignment

As Featured in the February edition of Healthcare Traveler Magazine

Even though you are hundreds or even thousands of miles away from family and friends while on travel assignments, with the right technology communication can be easier then ever. Texting, Skype, Facebook, Snapfish, and Blogger are just a few of the tech tools travelers use to maintain communication while on the road. In this article from Healthcare Traveler Magazine, experienced travelers, including Clinical One travel nurse VJ Gibbins, provide their tips for staying connected with loved ones.

And as VJ says in the article "It's important to put the phone down, get out, and make a few friends. The cure for homesickness isn't always calling home."

Kudos Korner

We have the privilege of working with some amazing Travelers and Temps! Click here to read about our featured Clinical One Travel and Per Diem Healthcare Professionals!

Would you like to be featured in Kudos Korner? Email us at kimberlee.hodges@clinicalone.com, and tell us about an exciting adventure you had while on a travel assignment, your local community service activities, or other activities that you would like to share in a future Kudos Korner.

Featured in this issue: Kristin Landrum, RN

"Snowmaggedon" of 2010 put quite the strain on the Northeast with cities like Washington, DC experiencing the worst blizzard to hit the area in 90 years. The unprecedented amount of snow had an impact on the healthcare system as well, and many of Clinical One's travelers experienced this first hand. We would like to say a big "thank you" to all of our nurses for sticking through the tough times in order to deliver above and beyond their work commitments. NICU nurse Kristin Landrum(pictured at right with her dog Bella) is just one example of a traveler who rolled with the punches during the snow storms. Kristin is on assignment at Children's National in DC and has twice been mandated to stay past her shift due to the snow storms. Even when her double shift was over, Kristin continued to stay to help cover for the staff that were unable to get to the hospital due to road conditions. Kristin was a real trooper during this challenging time and Clinical One would like to say thank you for her hard work and flexibility.