Perks of Becoming a Magnet Medical Traveler

Published: March 9, 2023
Magnet Medical travelers walking towards the camera.

Working in healthcare can sometimes feel mythical— because what’s asked of its professionals is incredible when you think about it. A mixture of scientific rationality, athletic endurance, and intimate compassion is a lot to hope for when hiring anyone. So, when we talk about whom we staff, we know it goes much deeper than a job description— but we also can’t just talk about how great our travelers are all the time (and by can’t, we mean shouldn’t).

So instead, we’ll try to create that cocktail of sentiment and skill to describe whom we staff, and hopefully, you’ll stick with us (or scroll to the bottom, either way…)

Nursing

The nursing sector is vast, containing healthcare professionals that work with the broadest span of patients from birth to end of life, so opportunities abound. That said, obviously, that doesn’t mean anyone can do it. Individuals in nursing must have a blend of compassion, incredible patience, a sense of humor, and stamina to excel in the role.

Magnet currently staffs the following 22 positions in nursing.

Case Management

Case managers advise on and coordinate inpatient and outpatient treatment, depending on their needs. This includes advocating for their patients, coordinating care, and providing other healthcare services and education. Unlike specialized healthcare professionals, case management nurses perform various tasks across a wide range of disciplines.

Certified Nursing Assistant

Certified nursing assistants, or CNAs, work directly with patients and have many responsibilities. Their duties include helping patients bathe and maintain proper hygiene, feeding patients, ensuring they take their medication, and assessing their patients’ vital signs to notify staff of any changes.

Dialysis

Dialysis nurses, also known as nephrology nurses, oversee treating patients suffering from acute or chronic kidney failure. They ensure that dialysis machines are set up correctly, check and record patients’ vitals, and educate patients on how to operate machines at home.

ER

Emergency room nurses work with doctors, attending to immediate needs. An Emergency Room Nurse is primarily responsible for developing a patient care plan after a quick and thorough evaluation of a patient’s injuries. Typical responsibilities include bone setting, blood transfusions, wound care, medication administration, addressing allergic reactions or trauma, and monitoring vitals.

Home Health

A home health nurse is responsible for providing regular visits to patients in their homes so they can maintain independence. Their duties include administering IVs and medication, cleaning wounds, upkeeping hygiene, and creating reports for physicians.

Hospice

Hospice nurses provide end-of-life care to patients, ensuring comfort and support to them and their families. They develop care plans for individual patients, including taking vital signs, doing physical examinations, and asking questions about pain management, sleep schedules, and eating and digestive routines. These nurses often work in private homes, residential care facilities, nursing centers, and other hospice care environments.

ICU

Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses specialize in delivering care to patients in critical conditions that require 24/7 care. Their duties include evaluating the patient’s condition, administering treatment, and providing constant support during recovery.

Labor & Delivery

Labor and delivery nurses work directly with mothers during the final stages of pregnancy, assisting with birthing and postpartum care for mothers and infants. They are also involved in educating families on newborn care.

Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse

Also known as LPNs or LVNs, these nurses monitor patients’ vital signs, including their blood pressure, pulse, respiration, temperature, height, and weight. Additionally, they can be responsible for administering enemas, recording the intake and output of foods and fluids, collecting samples for testing, and administering medication under a physician’s order. These professionals usually work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and physician offices.

Long Term Care

Long-term care nurses are responsible for caring for patients who require extended medical care.

Some examples include those with injuries that need prolonged recovery periods, disabilities or chronic illnesses, or the elderly. They perform routine procedures like recording vital signs and administering medications while providing specialized treatments for progressive and chronic conditions.  LTC nurses also offer educational and emotional assistance to patients and their family members.

MedSurg/Telemetry

These nurses specialize in reviewing and interpreting data measured by sophisticated medical equipment. They care for critically ill patients, monitor patients’ conditions in telemetry units, administer medication, and advise patients and their families on post-hospital care.

NICU

Nurses who work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are responsible for caring for and treating premature newborns or those suffering from illnesses and providing support for parents and guardians. Responsibilities include overseeing infants’ basic needs, such as diaper changes and feeding, and coordinating the infants’ medical treatments with the NICU physician.

Oncology

Oncology nurses work with patients suffering from cancer and other related diseases. They are responsible for developing and implementing a care plan that promotes quality of life, maximizes functional abilities for patients, and provides emotional support for patients and family members.

Operating Room

OR nurses care for patients throughout surgery or a medical procedure. They also ensure patients are recovering or are prepared for recovery through education after the fact.

PACU

Post-anesthesia care unit nurses, also called recovery room nurses, care for patients recovering from anesthesia after surgery. They monitor post-operation vital signs, assess levels of consciousness, and carefully observe patients for any side effects.

Pediatric

These nurses specialize in care for infants, children, and adolescents.

PICU

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) nurses provide hands-on care for children and adolescents with ailments ranging from common childhood diseases to life-threatening illnesses.

Postpartum

Postpartum nurses provide physical and emotional recovery care for both mother and newborn following delivery. They are trained to watch for signs of postpartum depression and may work with a lactation consultant to assist with breastfeeding.

Psychiatric

Psychiatric mental health nurses (PMHNs) have specialized training that helps assess, address, and monitor mental health and behavioral conditions. They can work with individuals, families, groups, or communities. Most PMHNs work with a team of other licensed mental healthcare workers.

Sterile Processing Tech

A sterile processing technician prepares, sterilizes, installs, assembles, and cleans all laboratory or healthcare equipment required for surgeries, examinations, and medical procedures to ensure safety and prevent infection.

Surgical Tech

Surgical technologists assist surgeons during procedures by anticipating their needs to ensure smooth and efficient execution. They prepare and organize the operating room, clean and sterilize equipment, and maintain the environment. Surgical technologists are also known as scrubs, scrub technicians, surgical technicians, and operating room technicians.

PCU/Step-Down/Telemetry

These nurses care for patients who require close monitoring and frequent assessment but are stable enough to stay out of the ICU.

Therapy

Whether it’s occupational, speech, or physical, travel therapists put in the work to tailor their strategies to each patient. Therapy takes time, so people in these roles need to come equipped with resilience (mentally, emotionally, and physically), humility, and a great deal of patience.

Magnet provides opportunities in the following five therapy specialties.

Physical Therapist

Physical therapists work with patients to improve their movement or manage pain after an accident, injury, illness, or other conditions. They use various techniques, including hands-on therapy, stretching and strengthening exercises, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, heat/ice, and more.

PT Assistant

Under the direction and supervision of a physical therapist, assistants treat patients through exercise, massage, gait and balance training, and other therapeutic interventions. They record patients’ progress and report the results of each treatment to the physical therapist.

Occupational Therapist

Occupational therapists treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities for long-term care. They help these patients develop, recover, improve, and maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.

Certified OT Assistant

Assistants and aides also help patients develop, recover, and improve under the direction of an occupational therapist. Occupational therapy assistants are directly involved in providing therapy to patients; occupational therapy aides typically perform support activities.

Speech Language Pathologist

Speech pathologists assist patients with disabilities or who experienced traumatic events that left them with speech, voice, or swallowing impairments. These professionals are also known as speech therapists.

Cath Lab

Working as a Cath Lab traveler means assisting doctors in providing cardiac care before, during, and after operations. Therefore, Cath Lab professionals need to be detail-oriented, strong communicators, and (like most healthcare professionals) full of stamina for long hours.

Magnet staffs the following five roles in Cath Lab.

Cath Lab Skills

A registered nurse in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory (Cath Lab) assists cardiologists during the entire catheterization process. They prepare the patient before and after the procedure to stabilize their health status. The type of patients they’ll work with have heart diseases or ailments that require constant monitoring.

Cath Lab Tech

For complex procedures, cardiovascular technologists assist doctors with stent implants, cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators, and other tests to diagnose heart disease. Their day-to-day tasks include reviewing patient documents, maintaining and operating facility equipment, monitoring patient health status, and scheduling appointments to follow the health plan. The difference between a Cath Lab nurse and tech is that techs cannot prescribe medication and tend to approach care from a procedure-oriented viewpoint.

CT

Also known as radiology nurses, these professionals provide care to patients before and after imaging procedures. They also assist the radiologist during the procedure.

EP Tech

An electrophysiology technician assists cardiologists during cardiac procedures like ablation, angiography, and angioplasty. Duties include placing a cardiac EP catheter in a patient, reading electrocardiograms, and interpreting the recordings to help diagnose heart problems.

IR

Interventional radiology nurses provide and monitor patient care before and after minimally invasive procedures and treatments. These procedures treat a wide range of diseases, including cancer, vascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, etc.

Benefits of working with Magnet

Similarly, Magnet offers benefits that are both practical and personal.

We know that travelers need more than just adventure to keep them going. So, we provide benefits that will benefit their lives and where they are headed. That’s why we offer the following:

  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Vacation pay
  • Continuing education reimbursement
  • Certification reimbursement
  • License reimbursement
  • 401K, competitive pay packages & disability benefits

Perhaps that’s enough for some; but we don’t stop there. Because we know that our travelers are the real key to our success, their care is where our focus resides. Magnet provides 24/7/365 support for our travelers to help the placement process go as smoothly as possible.

Whether you are a traveler looking for their next assignment or agency or a provider who wants the peace of mind that they’ll be working with the best in the industry. Magnet strives to provide the best experience for all involved.

Want to learn more about what Magnet can do for you? Contact our team today!

 

You May also like…

Balancing Work and Family Life as a Healthcare Traveler: Tips for Traveling with Your Loved Ones

Balancing Work and Family Life as a Healthcare Traveler: Tips for Traveling with Your Loved Ones

. Healthcare traveler families often face unique obstacles, such as finding suitable housing, ensuring access to quality education, and maintaining strong relationships with loved ones while being away for extended periods. Below, we’ll offer tips and advice on navigating these challenges and provide insight into what it takes to balance a career in healthcare travel with family life successfully.