Why right now is the perfect time to try travel nursing

Here’s what’s happened since we shared The Tea with you three months ago:

- US COVID-19 cases dipped to their lowest in 11 months
- More than half of US adults have been vaccinated
- Hospital demand across the country is shifting to other needs

The TLDR? Travel nurses are in greater demand than ever before. Curious as to where the most need is and why now might be the best time to try travel nursing? We turned to our Community Ambassador team here at Trusted for their best advice—and insider tips—on what they think every new traveler should take into consideration. Read more

Nurses deserve fashion, too! —

“Fashion is always on the lookout for new markets, and this one is really exciting," said Josie Natori, a designer known for her loungewear and lingerie. Natori is partnering with Care + Ware to design a new line of scrubs based on their best-selling pajamas. Interested in seeing what's the come? You can browse Care + Wear's "health wear" and save using our discount code, TRUSTED30. Offer is active until July 3. Read more

Death rates rising throughout rural America —

Historically, people in rural American have died from chronic health issues, as well as substance abuse, more frequently than those in cities and suburbs. Unfortunately today, this gap is widening even more. A recent study found that the difference in rural and urban death rates had tripled over the past 20 years, mostly in middle-aged white women and men. While access to care seems to be a leading cause for the growing gap, hospital closures and the various impacts of COVID-19 may be contributing. Dr. Haider Warraich, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, believes that the gap is "linked to the overall economic outlook of rural America [and] health behaviors that contribute to poor health, such as poor nutrition, lack of exercise, smoking, substance use, etc." Specifically, deaths from conditions like heart and lung disease, as well as drugs, alcohol, and suicide, have increased markedly. This is a big problem, says Dr. Warraich, and it's something that must be further researched and addressed. Read more

FDA approves new Alzheimer's drug —

A new drug called aducanumab was recently approved by the FDA and may actually be the first approved treatment focused on altering the trajectory of Alzheimer's rather than solely relieving symptoms. However, the decision to approve the drug was contentious, given pushback from some experts who believe there isn't yet enough evidence of the drug's efficacy. Known by its brand name as Aduhelm, it's the first new drug for Alzheimer's in almost 20 years, and it comes with a hefty price tag. Biogen, the manufacturer, expects its list price to be $56,000 per year, not including accompanying diagnostic costs. While the drug has been approved by the FDA, they are still requiring that another clinical trial be conducted concurrently with the drug's release. Read more

The nursing shortage weighs on skilled home care —

Families with children in need of constant medical support have always struggled to find consistent, skilled care, but for some, COVID-19 has made this challenge even more difficult. With nurses stepping back to care for their own kids, taking high-demand hospital or vaccine jobs, or simply leaving the profession, finding home-care support can be nearly impossible. This shortage is causing some families, like Chloe Mead and her husband, Andy Maskin, to take back-and-forth shifts for sometimes 36 hours at a time in order to care for their son, Henry, who has spinal muscular atrophy. Unfortunately, the easing of the pandemic may not necessarily solve their problems, as increasing numbers of nurses are vocal about leaving the profession and we face an impending wave of retirements. Read more

Family NP converts old barn into state-of-the-art family clinic —

A family practice nurse practitioner, Amy Beyer, in Fluvanna Country, Virginia, recently took it upon herself to close the healthcare gap in her area. When she noticed that local healthcare providers had either retired or move away in recent years, she chose to solve that issue by renovating an old barn that came with the property on which she lives. She's now the owner and operator of the brand new Fluvanna Health Clinic, offering primary care, sports and work physicals, telehealth, sick visits, and lab work to local residents. In her own words, she's attempting to "[fill] a void.” So, are renovated barns and full practice authority the future of scalable healthcare? Read more

Coronavirus Updates

Contagious Delta variant is rising in the US —

Another COVID-19 variant, the Delta variant, has made its way into the US. First seen in India, it now accounts for at least 6% of all infections in the US and more than 60% of cases in England. The variant is highly transmissible and may be the cause of nearly a quarter of new cases in western states. Dr. Fauci spoke at the White House on Tuesday, warning that the Delta variant may be linked to more severe infections and a greater risk of hospitalization, and that we must do what we can do curb it immediately. The good news is that vaccines seem to still be effective against the newer variant. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is showing an 88% effectiveness rate versus that of 93% versus the Alpha (original) variant. That said, it only seems to provide about 33% protection after only one dose, further highlighting the importance of receiving both vaccine doses in the case of some vaccines. Read more

A new type of COVID-19 vaccine could soon debut —

As soon as this summer, a new type of COVID-19 vaccine could become available. This new type of vaccine is called a protein subunit vaccine. It's somewhat different than current Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J vaccines but is still based on well-understood technology; and, what's more, it doesn't require any kind of special refrigeration. Essentially, instead of priming your body with a virus look-alike and then instructing it to create its own spike protein, the new vaccine contains the spike protein itself. The idea is to hasten the immunization process as well as enhance the body's natural immune response. Biotech company Novavax is still working on it, but if progress continues, we may see the vaccine used in the coming months. Read more

Upcoming Events

6/14, 3pm PDT: Being Your Authentic Self: Patient Advocacy & Pronouns —

Join us to learn more about gender identity and pronouns to see how we can ensure all patients receive the respect and care that they need when entering a health care setting. We will talk about cultural influences on gender, avoiding assumptions, and how to make your patients feel respected and welcomed. All nurses are invited to this event, just make sure you RSVP!