As a “new grad” telemetry (and later CVICU) nurse in the mid-2000s, the words “travel nursing” evoked visions of Hawaiian beaches, Alaskan wilderness, balconies overlooking Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and the lights and night life of New York City and Chicago. Thirteen weeks of getting paid to work three 12’s a week in a […]
Author: Elissa Russell
Things to Think About When Considering a Travel RN/NP Assignment
Learn How to Apply Splints Like an Orthopedic Provider
As a student nurse practitioner, I had only ever applied and removed one fiberglass cast during a day of clinicals in orthopedics. The physician assistant I was shadowing allowed me to put a short arm cast on him, then had me cut it off with a cast saw with the oversight of the cast technician. […]
6 Ways to Improve Your Quality of Life as a Provider
I have heard many more nurse practitioners talking about quality of life in recent months and years compared to when I started working as an NP a decade ago. Maybe that’s because there just are more NPs now, or maybe it’s another reason, like our collective experience being turned upside down by a pandemic! Either […]
Five Ways to Prepare Yourself For Your New Professional Adventure
So, you want to open your own NP-led clinic? And you’re not sure how to start? Here are the top five ways to prepare yourself for your new professional adventure. 1. Check your state’s laws Check out your state’s nurse practice act and laws regarding nurse practitioner practice. In the state of Illinois, we have […]
How do you prepare to teach skills to NP students?
I recently had the honor and opportunity to teach 25 or so nurse practitioner students in their final semester of graduate school in a 4-hour lecture and hands-on skills workshop. This was both a trip down memory lane (was I really in their seats just a short 10 years ago?) and also a call to […]
How to Consult Cardiology
If you work in general adult or family, internal, or hospital medicine, you are likely quite familiar with the management of cardiac patients. With problems like hypertension and dyslipidemia rampant in patients in the United States, and readily available guidelines through the American College of Cardiology and JNC 8, management of these conditions is likely […]
Life Goals and Work Goals
“Physicians don’t punch a clock, and so neither will you,” she said. Stunned into silence, I sat there, frustrated. It was then added that I had “signed up for this” (life of being treated like a physician with long hours and no work/life balance and taking work home.) This was meant to silence me into […]
NP Roles: Spotlight on Family Practice
Family practice was something I never saw coming. My husband was doing NP clinicals in a FP office that had a position open, and he called to tell me about the opportunity. “You should apply.” I literally laughed at him. After a quick moment, I replied, “Wait, you’re serious?” Let me rewind a bit… While […]