5 Ways to Use Technology as a Traveling Nurse

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As the shortage of healthcare professionals continues to grow, an increasing number of RNs are exploring the benefits of working as a travel nurse. Although the idea of working away from home for a minimum of 13 weeks might not appeal to everyone, there are nurses who actually welcome the idea of seeing more of the world. Added to that is the ability to make a higher salary and perhaps work in some of the most underserved regions of the world. For whatever reason, there is no doubt that technology has an important role to play.

1. Electronic Health Records

One of the things that many patients notice in recent years is a person that goes into the exam room with a physician who does nothing more than sit there at a laptop typing the whole time. That’s the role of a scribe who takes notes in real time as to the interaction between the doctor and the patient. This is something that a travel nurse can do with a laptop that has a Lenovo nursing sector rating. Some of the features would almost certainly include being thin and lightweight to carry easily while having a super-long battery life.

2. Videoconferencing

Your laptop will also need a graphics card with at least 6 GB of memory, but preferably 8 GB. Memory is crucial for smooth videos and when videoconferencing with the travel nurse service or with a patient’s doctor, there is nothing worse than lags or videos that just hang up. Videoconferencing is an important technology that today’s travel nurses should be well-acquainted with, especially if working in a remote clinic where access to doctor’s is limited to a weekly visit and/or videoconferences with the nursing staff.

3. Access to Online Assignments to Request Placement

Work scheduling software is often a Cloud-based platform that can be accessed as needed from any location with internet access. This type of software updates such things as scheduling and jobs that are available. As a nurse’s tenure at on location draws to a close, they can request further assignment there or seek new locations to serve. This is a technology that comes in quite useful when nurses are on location and potentially thousands of miles from the travel nurse agency they work with.

4. Communications with Family and Friends

While traveling nurses may not have family dependent on them at home, they still want to stay connected to family and friends back home. It’s one thing to be sent to some remote location of the world to fill a void in healthcare but another thing altogether to be cut off from everyone they love.

5. Local Information for Each New Placement

There is one last aspect of technology that makes it possible to transition into life in another area of the world. A laptop makes it possible to find various businesses and services you may need through the use of Google Maps and Google Local. As long as you have internet connectivity and your laptop, you can find any local business or retailer you need with a quick search online.