Deciphering travel nursing pay and tax rules is one of the most complicated aspects of being a travel nurse or any travel healthcare provider (HCP). Tax homes, tax-free stipends, hourly wages, bonuses, benefits, housing and per diem reimbursements are all vital in understanding your travel nursing pay package and your taxes. With 2022 coming to a close and tax season right around the corner, many travelers have questions that Vivian hopes to answer with some help from a couple of tax professionals.

The holiday gift-giving season is officially here. If you’re scrambling to find the perfect gift for that friend or family member who lives to hunt rocks, you’re not alone. Knowing what to get a rockhound can be challenging when you have no interest in the hobby. Luckily, gifts related to rockhounding are plentiful, available at various price points and suitable for rock and gem enthusiasts of all ages. Here are several ideas if you haven’t found something special for the rock lover(s) in your life.

Feeling Stressed? There May be a Stone for That! Stress is an ongoing problem for many people that can be difficult to solve. Enter seven stunning little stones that are said to possess healing abilities that may help diffuse anxiety by alleviating stress.

If you’re passionate about the work you do as a nurse, but your daily routine has become stale, it might be time to consider whether a travel nurse career is right for you. Travel nurses fill in temporarily when hospitals and other healthcare facilities experience staffing shortages for various reasons. They may work in one community for an extended period or move around to different cities or states every few weeks. Travel nursing can be highly lucrative and professionally rewarding, not to mention you get to travel essentially for free, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for you. We’ll help you answer this question and other frequently asked questions about travel nursing with a little help from an experienced traveler.

A little red hen struts around the pen, clucking away, when suddenly it lets out a weird, warbly cock-a-doodle-doo. Did that chicken just crow? Probably, and it’s not as uncommon as you might think. You may hear a crow from the coop, even without a rooster, if one of your hens undergoes chicken sex reversal and starts to develop male traits. It happens, learn more about it here.

When you’re panning for gold, a primary concern for newbies is whether the glitter in their pan is genuine gold or fool’s gold. Although fool’s gold mimics gold, it’s not really gold. However, it can sometimes be a precursor to finding real gold and it’s pretty, so it’s not necessarily bad to see pyrite even if it’s not very valuable monetarily. If you’ve ever dreamed of striking the mother lode but you’re not 100% sure what gold looks like in its natural state, this guide is for you.

Some chicken behavior can be downright wacky, which is definitely the appeal of backyard poultry for many. Check out some weird things your birds may do.

Hearing loss, cognitive decline and other issues related to the aging process sometimes make it challenging to communicate with elderly patients effectively. Communicating is essential in building a good relationship with your patients, no matter their age. However, it’s imperative to learn suitable techniques to overcome communication challenges if you regularly work with elderly patients. Improve how you communicate and help ensure your elderly patients hear and understand what you’re saying with these 12 tips.

UPDATED 10/5/2022 – After months of deliberation in the White House, nurses may have a new option for seeking debt relief on their student loans. This week, current and former students around the nation celebrated following the announcement that the Biden Administration was going forward with its Student Loan Debt Relief Plan. Although it was a slimmed-down version, the Plan could potentially help millions of student loan borrowers.

Travel nursing offers an excellent opportunity for nurses seeking diverse career opportunities and a bigger paycheck while also exploring new places around the country. If you travel nurse with family members, it also provides a chance for everyone to go on an amazing adventure. Whether you’re traveling with a spouse and/or children, or just some four-legged family members, use these tips to make the most of the experience.

Physician assistants (PAs) are nationally certified, state-licensed advanced practice allied health professionals. As licensed clinicians, they must obtain a license in their state of practice before seeing patients. Before they can earn licensure, PAs undergo rigorous education and training as medical professionals. Once licensed, they may practice in every healthcare setting and specialty. Each state has a PA licensing board and specific laws outlined in its Physician Assistant Practice Act. Because a physician assistant’s scope of practice varies by state, it’s essential that they know and understand the laws governing them in their state(s) of practice.

Nurse practitioners are one type of advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). Each state’s Nurse Practice Act usually defines NP/APRN practice, but its Board of Nursing (BON) governs this practice. Other laws and regulations may also impact NP practice. The scope of practice (SOP) of nurse practitioners can significantly vary by state, making it challenging for NPs who work in more than one or move from one to another. NPs who inadvertently practice outside their scope of practice risk disciplinary action by their state BON, endanger their nursing licenses and could face a malpractice suit. To ensure you don’t do anything that might put you in a bad spot, you must know and understand the scope of practice in the state(s) in which they practice.

Moonstone is one of three birthstones associated with June, along with pearl and alexandrite. It was adopted as the state gem of Florida in 1970 in commemoration of the moon landing and the history-making steps made by Neil Armstrong. Moonstone has been surrounded by myth throughout time. Learn more about this fascinating stone!

Saddling up and going for a ride typically means riding across open fields or along designated horse trails. Nowadays, it's much less common to see horses and their riders on a leisurely ride along a busy highway. However, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t still occur, and it’s not illegal to do so. It’s essential to know the laws in your area and the general etiquette to safely share the road with motorized vehicles.

Travel nurse salaries are typically higher than average staff salaries, but many factors are involved in getting the most compensation. The different components of pay packages can be very confusing, especially for new travelers, but even veteran travel nurses sometimes have difficulty understanding it all. Companies also tend to structure their pay packages slightly differently, compounding the confusion. Hourly wages, tax-free stipends, housing and permanent tax homes, per diem reimbursements, overtime, extra hours, and blended rates are just some of the many terms you’ll hear and need to comprehend when negotiating your travel nursing pay. The following explanations may help you understand travel nursing salaries better.

Allied health travel jobs encompass a slew of medical workers in a wide range of fields, from lab and radiology techs to respiratory and occupational therapists, among many others. While you’re probably used to hearing about travel nurses, allied health workers also have the opportunity to travel, and many do. Some of the best allied health careers are also some of the fastest growing, meaning you’ll be an in-demand healthcare professional no matter where you go. If you’ve ever had questions about travel allied health jobs, this comprehensive FAQ is for you.

Salaries for travel nursing jobs vary greatly based on location, role, experience, and other factors individual facilities might throw in the mix. However, life just keeps getting more expensive. Rising inflation rates and the looming possibility of a recession drive home the importance of earning the highest salary possible. If your current travel salary doesn’t cover everything you’d like, consider these tips for finding high pay travel nursing jobs to help put more money in the bank.

Abnormally hot, dry weather conditions can cause droughts that pose unique challenges for horse owners. Even short-term drought can create a harsh environment that stresses both horses and their pastures. Horses grazing in sparse, drought-stricken pastures can face disastrous results. It’s crucial to be extra attentive to your pastures and your horses during drought conditions. Use these tips to care for your pasture and manage your horses during seasons of drought.

With pail in hand and the ocean waves softly undulating and dousing the sand, beachcombers far and wide scour the shores for various curiosities. Seashells, fossils, driftwood and other natural artifacts are commonly sought treasures, but some searchers seek broken bits of glass. No, they’re not on a clean-up the beach crusade. They’re hunting for sea glass. Created by both man and nature, sea glass is one of the ultimate examples of one person’s trash being another person’s treasure.

Rock collecting for kids is like going on a treasure hunt with the added bonus of playing in the dirt. You never know what you might find! Here’s how to get started. This story about rock collecting for kids previously appeared in the May 2022 issue of Rock & Gem magazine.