In fact, the American Hospital Association (AHA) recently reported that nine out of ten U.S. hospitals have made financial cutbacks since the start of 2009, and almost half of them have had to reduce staff.

Want to stay above the budget-cutting fray? If you are a nurse, a great way to make yourself (as) immune (as possible) to the bottom line is to work as a travel nurse. Traveling around the country may not work for every nurse in every situation, but if you think a bit of adventure and a lot of opportunity is up your alley, the Onward Healthcare blog has three great suggestions for landing a job:

1. Be flexible

What’s most important to you? Destination or salary? If you are a stickler for one, then be a bit more flexible on the other.

2. Be Licensed

Keep your current licensure up-to-date, and work toward additional ones at each new position.

3. Be positive

The impression you make on your current assignment will impact your ability to land your next job. So keep that impression professional, competent and positive. Be the nurse that everyone loves to work with!

Also be sure to check out Onward’s awesome list of 101 Travel Nursing Links. While we didn’t make their list (maybe next year!), we think that our blog post profiling Travel Nursing Jobs is pretty darn helpful, too!

What’s the solution? According to the Time reporter, it’s as “simple” as an employment-emergency bill, which will:

guarantee jobless workers a basic set of rights for two to three years: health care, access to retraining, subsidized mentoring for careers in high-end manufacturing or health services.

One thing I did notice was that the article once again pointed to recession-proof/growth industries as education, health care and other service industires. It’s the same areas we have been touting for months here. (Just a reminder, the JobMonkey is a great source of information on these growth careers, including our extension section on nursing jobs, teaching ESL jobs, and green jobs.)

Okay, now, politics aside (is that possible these days), what do you think? Go read the article on Time Magazine, and then share your opinions with us!

As I’ve long been harping on here at the JobMonkey, the earliest growth will be in one of four fields: health care, education, government employment, and green business. In fact, these four fields have been some of the most stable over the past 8 months of the recession, posting positive growth numbers over a number of months despite record-high layoffs in nearly every other field.

Here are some of the highlights from BWeek’s article on landing one of these “jobs of tomorrow”.

Healthcare

• New report by President’s Council of Economic Advisors says that healthcare will be largest source of U.S. job growth over the next seven years (through 2016)
• 3 million new jobs will be added annually, including hundreds of thousands of nursing job opportunities
• For students, internships at a hospital or other health-care related organization are a great way to establish some credibility; for current job-seekers, a volunteer position is a great way to augment your resume and get your foot in the door.

Education

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is set to invest $90 billion in education, with half going to local school districts
• Students can gain classroom experience by working as a teacher’s aide or substitute teacher — neither of which require a college degree
• Seniors and current job-seekers should consider Teach for America

Green Collar Jobs

• Job growth within the green collar job industry is expected to exceed 50% by 2016 — four times the growth for all other sectors combined (yes, combined!)
• Billions in federal dollars being invested in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy research
• For students, industry-specific internships demonstrate genuine interest in the field

Federal Government Jobs

• Hundreds of thousands of federal government employees are expected to retire over the next five years
• Stimulus Plan will add 200,000 additional employees at Social Security Administration, the Veterans Affairs Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Defense Department and more
• Federal government jobs cover a range of 900 different occupations

Be sure to check out the rest of the Business Week article here. It really is a wealth of advice for landing a job in these turbulent times.

The privately funded initiative provides tuition and living stipend to nurses going back to school for a MA or PhD in nursing. The catch is that recipients must commit to being nursing instructors at one of eight New Jersey schools for at least three years after they graduate.

According to a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the nursing shortage problem is not due to a  lack of interested nursing students, but rather a lack of nursing faculty. The article quotes Linda Aiken, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania who studies the nursing shortage, as saying that approximately 50,000 qualified applicants to nursing programs are turned down.

With a more robust faculty, more nurses could be trained every year.

The state of Pennsylvania responded to the nursing faculty crisis in 2004 with the Independence Blue Cross Nurse Scholars program, which provides grants to graduate students planning to become nursing educators. The program is set to continue through 2011.

So why do nurses need a push to enter academia? One reason is the nursing salary. According to the Inquirer article, nurses in clinical settings can earn $50,000 a year more than those in faculty positions.

If you are interested in going back to school to become a nurse (faculty or otherwise), I recently came across this list of nursing scholarships that you might want to check out.

1. 12-hr Shift RN Weekender, Cleveland, OH

The Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH is looking for a Registered Nurse to pick up 12-hour weekend shifts. This individual will serve under the general supervision of the Nurse Manager and be responsible for providing professional nursing care and other related duties as assigned.

To qualify, you must have your current license as a Registered Nurse in the State of Ohio and one year of nursing experience.

2. Staff Nurse RN Job, Pediatric Specialty, St. Louis, MO

The Inpatient Neuroscience Unit of the St. Louis Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, MO is seeking a staff nurse to coordinate and lead the patient care team in the assessment, development, implementation, and evaluation of care for this pediatric specialty unit. The ideal candidate will be a graduate of an Accredited Registered Nursing (RN) Program (or anticipates graduation within 12 months or less), will have current RN licensure in Missouri or Illinois, will have Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification, and will have basic computer skills.

3. Nurse Anesthetist Job, Birmingham, AL

The University of Alabama Hospital is seeking a nurse anesthetist to provide anesthesia under the direction of an anesthesiologist for diverse surgical procedures and diagnostic tests, or cardio-thoracic surgical procedures and cardiac catheterizations. The ideal candidate will be an Alabama Certified Registered Nurse with his or her anesthetist license. (Tip: If you are looking for a high paying nursing job, nurse anesthetists are some of the highest paid in the field. It does require additional training and the aptitude to work in a high pressure surgical ward, but the rewards — financial and otherwise — are great.)

If serving the greater good is important to you — and job security is pretty significant as well — then nursing is a great career choice. Here’s a look at four of the highest in-demand nursing positions.

1. Nurse Anesthetist
Nurse anesthetists are some of the highest paid in the nursing area, thanks to their advanced degrees, and high level of autonomy and responsibility. Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) may practice in hospitals, dental offices, ambulatory surgical centers, military facilities and any other place anesthesia is administered. To become a CRNA, you must first obtain your Bachelors degree in Nursing and then a Masters degree in Nurse Anesthesia. A national certification must be passed, and then CRNAs have to undergo recertification every two years.

2. School Nurses
Unlike high paid CRNAs, school nurses earn slightly below the average salary for an RN. But they work 9-month schedules and are finished by mid-afternoon, making the job perfect for parents with young children at home. The primary responsibility of a school nurse is to advance health education, including protecting student and staff safety and promoting healthy living. Additional job duties include assessing injuries and illnesses, administering medication, and assisting in crisis intervention.

3. Hospice Nurses
Hospice nurses provide comprehensive physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual care to terminally ill patients and their families. This highly demanding work pays slightly higher than the average home health care position. Hospice nurses typically work on a team with other health care professionals, including social workers, clergy and meal providers, all of whom together provide a support system to one another.

4. Nurse Executives
One of the highest earning nursing jobs, nurse executives often earn $100,000 plus salaries. Their jobs are largely administrative, providing nursing consultation within various settings such as to the insurance industry, hospitals, and nursing unions. Nurse executives are typically involved in setting and implementing policy, with the potential to affect broad changes in health care settings. A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree is required for these positions, although most nurse executives hold a Master’s degree or even PhD in nursing as well. Many also have MBAs or Masters degrees in Public Policy.

Are you interesting in becoming a nurse? Be sure to learn more about this life-saving and -changing profession from the JobMonkey’s Guide to Nursing Jobs.

That’s when I post three hot new job openings from our job database at the JobMonkey Job Center.

There are a ton of great new job leads over at the Job Center right now, including many exciting nursing positions. If you are interested in learning more about the nursing profession, and particularly about opportunities for traveling nurses, be sure to check out JobMonkey’s Guide to Nursing Jobs.

1. Nurse Clinician Job, Duke University Health System, Durham, NC
Duke University is seeking a nurse clinician to coordinate plans for the professional development of the nursing staff and to practice specialized patient care. The ideal candidate will hold a Bachelors of Science in Nursing, an Associate Degree in Nursing or a Nursing Diploma program, as well as State of North Carolina RN licensure.  Additionally, the candidate must have at least three years of registered nursing (RN) experience.

2. Camp Nursing Jobs, Shaffer’s High Sierra Camp, Tahoe National Forest, CA
Shaffer’s High Sierra Camp is seeking a number of licensed registered nurses for its summer camp. The job duties will include monitoring the health care of campers; implementing the camp’s health screening for arriving campers; providing first aid to campers as necessary; maintaining the camp’s health records; arranging for emergency medical care; and implementing the camp health care plan. The ideal candidate will have current CPR and first aid certifications, be trained in universal precautions for infection control, have experience working with children in a wilderness setting.

3. Registered Nurse for Cardiovascular Intensive Care, University Medical Center, Tucson, AZ
Tucson’s University Medical Center is seeking an RN for its Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit to provide basic nursing care to patients. The ideal candidate will be licensed to practice professional nursing in the state of Arizona, have at least one year of recent acute care experience required, and preferably have one year cardiac care or telemetry experience.

You can learn more about nursing careers on JobMonkey. We’ve got a whole content section devoted to the topic. Find out about the many different types of nurses,

When you’re done looking over that information be sure to check our new nursing job board, which is full of job postings.

Just this week, I fielded two separate questions about how to find work in America when you are not an American citizen. I am going to feature one of the letters here today — but please know that the advice about work visas applies to any non-citizen interested in working in the United States.

Dear JobMonkey,

I have completed MBBS MD Physicians degree with honours. I am looking for a travel nurse job. I am ready to work from April ’til the end of August. I am doing a Masters in Radiology at the moment. I can speak Hindi, Urdu, English and Russian languages very fluently.

Thanks,
Dr. Hafiz

Dear Dr. Hafiz,

Thanks for your letter. It seems as though you are quite an accomplished academic! You mentioned that you are looking for a travel nurse job, which is a great way to earn some money on a short-term basis.

And given America’s ongoing nursing shortage (yes, despite the recession, the U.S. is still currently short tens of thousands of nurses!), you have chosen a great field.

I see that you hold an MD, which clearly qualifies you to work in the medical profession, but do you also hold a nursing degree? I ask because most travel nursing agencies require their clients to not only hold a degree in nursing, but also to have RN certification. If you do not have either, you may need to spend a few months working toward certification, which an agency can help you figure out.

Given your British spelling of “honours,” I am guessing that you are not a U.S. citizen. If I’m wrong, great… you shouldn’t have any problem finding a short-term assignment. But if my assumption is correct, then you will also need to make sure that you have the appropriate visas to be able to work in the United States.

Even if you are pursuing your Masters of Radiology here in the U.S. and you therefore already have a student visa, you must still procure a work visa in order to legally earn income in America. Again, the travel nursing agency can help you sort through the paperwork on this.

As far as finding an agency to work with, just run a quick Google search. There are hundreds of agencies out there, so be sure to do your due diligence. Check with the Better Business Bureau to be certain that the agency is legit. And be sure to ask upfront whether the agency will be able to help you procure your work visa and possibly your nursing certification (if you, in fact, need that).

Sometimes agencies charge a flat fee, but more common is assessing a percentage of the contract from both the employer and the nurse. Be prepared that these fees will eat into your salary somewhat. But given your short time frame and possible red tape hang-ups, I think you are better off utilizing the services of an agency than trying to find a travel nursing assignment on your own.

Here are a few more resources to get you going in your search:

>> Information on foreign worker visas from JobMonkey

>> An article from CNN Money, reporting that foreign worker visa applications are down this year — which could spell good news for you and others looking to get an H-1B application (work permit) in 2009

>> More information on how to petition for the HB-1 Visa from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website

>> Tons of information on travel nurses (AKA licensed nurses who travel around the United States taking on temporary and typically high-paid nursing jobs)

Good luck to you, Dr. Hafiz. I hope you are able to find the right fit — and quick!

1) Security
Jobs with the Defense Department and America’s Homeland Security are on the rise. According to a 2007 report, there will be more 80,000 new jobs in these fields in the next two years. If you include local crime fighting in these figures, I’m guessing the numbers will be even higher — much higher — since the recently passed Stimulus Bill includes billions in funding for law enforcement.

>> Want to learn more? Check out JobMonkey’s section on US Federal Government Jobs.

2) Solar & Wind Energy
With the new administration’s focus on clean energy alternatives, green jobs in energy production are growing by leaps and bounds. Green industries currently account for about 8.5 million American jobs, according to the American Solar Energy Society. With the Stimulus Bill’s $70 billion for green energy, there could be another three to five million new green jobs created over the next decade.

>> Want to learn more? Check out JobMonkey’s section on Green Industry Careers.

3) Health Care & Nursing
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, half of the thirty fastest growing careers are in health care. Medical assistants, physical and occupational therapists, home health aides and medical record technicians are all hot careers. So is nursing. In fact, the nationwide nursing shortage is forcing states like California to lure RNs with signing bonuses, relocation reimbursements and flexible schedules.

>> Want to learn more? Check out JobMonkey’s section on RN Jobs.

4) Education
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 2.8 million new teachers will be needed over the next eight years. Senior level educators are also in need, including principals, headmasters and other school officials.

>> Want to learn more? Check out JobMonkey’s sections on Teaching English as a Second Language and Teaching Jobs Abroad.

I hope this list of four recession-proof careers gives you a little optimism in this rather doom-and-gloom economy. To see the full list of ten careers that are still hiring, be sure to check out the Newsweek article.