💰 Nurses & Money: Everything you need to know

Over the last couple months, we hosted five virtual events to give nurses the know-how to achieve financial wellness and growth. Whether you need to focus on budgeting or are looking to build up to a life that's "work optional," there’s an opportunity to prioritize your financial health for years to come. Read more to check out a recap of one of these events, or make time for all five, as they build upon each other! Read more

Finding nurse volunteer opportunities - local and abroad —

Volunteering is a great way to get involved with some of the causes that are near and dear to your heart, meet new friends, and really feel like you’re making a tangible impact in your community (outside of your day-to-day, of course). It can also be a chance for you to share some of your passions with family and friends, since many organizations work with medical as well as non-medical volunteers. There are endless opportunities depending on what you’re interested in diving into, as well as many locations—local, domestic, or international—so it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. Here's your guide! Read more

How Americans are staying positive in 2020 —

With so many challenges in 2020, it can be hard to stay positive. However, a recent survey checked in with Americans to see what they're doing to help stay optimistic. So, how are Americans staying positive these days? By setting a goal to make at least one other person smile (50% of respondents), laughing once a day (33%), streaming their favorite movies while indulging in their favorite snacks (50%), having solo dance parties (20%), and even singing in the shower (25%)! Moreover, people across the country are donating time and money to their communities more than ever, resulting in about 66% of participants believing that their communities are closer than ever before. Even though we may not see the light at the end of the tunnel quite yet in the US, little things each day can help to keep us moving forward until then. Read more

How to become a travel nurse —

So, you want to be a travel nurse? Well, we certainly understand why. There are many benefits to packing your scrubs and hitting the road. Travel nursing allows nurses to explore new cities, gain experience in new care settings and hospitals, and typically pays more than staff nursing jobs. Even with these clear benefits, it can be still intimidating knowing where and how to begin your travel nursing adventure. We recently held an event entitled, “So You Want to Be a Travel Nurse?,” where we had three experienced travel nurses to cover all of the topics you need to know to get started. Read more

Coronavirus Updates

Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine goes live in the UK next week —

The United Kingdom has become the first Western country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been approved by Britain's medical regulators, citing a 95% effectiveness rate. Elderly people in care homes, as well as care-home staff, are at the top of the recipient list, while individuals over 80 and wider healthcare staff are close second. While nearly the first million doses of the vaccine will arrive and begin distribution next week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson urges the public to continue safety precautions, as it will take some time before a significant portion of the population is vaccinated. Read more

CDC recommends healthcare workers are first to receive COVID-19 vaccine —

On Tuesday, a CDC panel formally recommend that the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines be given the frontline healthcare workers as well as long-term care facility residents first. This group entails about 23 million Americans and disproportionately includes women, people of color, and low-wage workers. While supplying the first vaccines to frontline workers is self-explanatory, long-term care facility residents—while only 1% of the total US population—make up more than 40% of COVID-19 deaths. Ultimately, once a vaccine is approved for emergency use, federal and state-level governments will have the final say on who will receive the vaccine first. Read more

President-elect Joe Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board brings on veteran nurse —

Seattle nurse Jane Hopkins, RNMH, joins Biden's COVID-19 Advisory Board this week, as one of three new members. Hopkins' career has focused on mental health, and she is currently a member of Washington State's COVID-19 Task Force, among other formal organizations. Last week, a petition to add a nurse to the task force went viral. Whether an outcome of that effort or not, adding a nurse to the task force is a big no-brainer—and a "Finally!"—to nurses everywhere. Read more

Fitbit: a tool in the arsenal of early COVID-19 detection? —

Fitbit recently shared an update on its timely efforts to create an algorithm that can be employed via its wearable devices to detect COVID-19 before symptoms occur. Researchers found apparent variation in respiration and heart rates in the days leading up to showing symptoms. So far, the data reveals that it may be possible for the algorithm to detect up to 21% of cases the day before symptoms show. While still awaiting peer review, these findings give hope of a new form of early detection. Read more

Upcoming Events

🎁 5 Days of Giveaways: Mon, Dec 7 – Fri, Dec 11 —

We’re celebrating the end of 2020 and spreading a little holiday cheer with 5 days of fan-freakin’-tastic giveaways, just for nurses. We have more than $3,000 worth of amazing gear and goodies to give away. Bookmark the page linked below and get ready to enter each day from Monday, December 7 – Friday, December 11! View the Giveaway!