Happy Valentine’s Day!

TruNews

2/14/2008

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Beginning this month, trustaff will be donating and accepting ink and toner cartridges for the purposes of a fundraising program entitled Recycle4kids.org. Instead of filling local landfills with these potentially toxic items, Recycle4kids.org accepts empty ink and toner cartridges and recycles them. The funds received from the recycling process are then donated to local charities and community programs benefiting children in the area. If you know of businesses or private individuals who would like to donate their used cartridges, please visit www.recycle4kids.org or stop by our offices at 4270 Glendale Milford Road in Blue Ash, Ohio and we will be happy to forward your contributions.

With tax time around the corner, W-2’s have been sent out around the country and many travel nurses are beginning to wonder about how working in a new state will affect their taxes. Many travel nurses may be familiar with the somewhat complicated process of filing out of state, and fewer still may be able to cite exactly the difference between domicile and resident or even define reciprocity. However, it may be hard for many to get the full benefit from their taxes or be fully aware of each states taxes and how it interacts with paying taxes in their home state. For those travelers who are looking for help when it comes to tax time, there is an easier way.

In the February issue of Healthcare Traveler Magazine, a feature entitled Hands-on Tax Prep details some of the difficulties traveling nurses and allied healthcare professionals are facing when in comes to facing their taxes. The article highlights some of the basic terms and complications encountered by travelers when it comes to filing taxes out of state while correctly managing their taxes back home. The article also mentions Dan Kobaly, an enrolled agent and founder of www.kobally.com, a website specializing in helping travel nurses to navigate multiple state taxes and to get the most from their returns.

January was another successful month for trustaff and our clients, and we would like to recognize many of the trustaff team that contributed to this accomplishment. First and foremost, we would like to thank all of our travel nurses and allied healthcare professionals for their hard work and dedication on their assignments. We would also like to thank our recruiters and internal support staff for their efforts in helping our travelers, arranging their assignments, helping with timesheets and payroll, and upholding the quality service we strive to offer to each of our clients and travlers.

Trustaff would also like to congratulate Kim Bowling as trustaff’s January Employee of the Month. Recent changes in our payroll department have been difficult for our travelers, but thanks to Kim and everyone in the payroll and accounting departments, the transition has been much easier. Kim has displayed outstanding efforts in her position and earned the admiration of her coworkers and manager, Dianne Beiersdorfer: “We told Kim in her interview that 60 hour weeks were not the norm… then we switched to ADP. Kim has been a trooper getting through this payroll conversion. Although it has been difficult on her and her family, she has been committed to helping us get through this transition successfully. Even with all the extra work and frustrations, Kim can manage to keep her head up and a smile on her face.”

Many of our other departments also went beyond expectations to help achieve the success we all shared this month. Trustaff would like to spotlight Steve Schlegel from the Marketing and Lead Generation Department, Julie Schoenberger from our Travel and Housing Department, and Amanda Lohman from our Admin Team. Thank you everyone, for your dedication to making it another very successful month at trustaff!

Happy New Year!

1/21/2008

TruNews

As part of the New Year, trustaff is updating the TruGear catalogue to include new items and ways to spend TruBucks on everything from hats, fleeces, shirts, and active wear, to polo shirts and long sleeve t-shirts for casual wear. More information on TruGear will be coming soon.

With the beginning of a New Year, many people resolve to change their daily routines or habits to become more health conscious. While healthcare professionals spend a great deal of their time caring for the well-being of patients, after clocking out from a long shift, looking after their own health can seem like a full time job of its own. Gyms, workout classes, even a half hour jog can seem like a grueling chore, especially after spending all day on your feet. Not for Mitchel McGehee.

A former paramedic, Mitchel became tired of his physically tasking occupation which had inevitably led to back problems and surgery. Looking to better his career and income, Mitchel became a CVT and saw a great opportunity in travel nursing. After talking to trustaff recruiter Chris Walton, Mitchel became a travel nurse and began accepting assignments across the country.

Shortly after becoming a trustaff traveler, Mitchel began looking into exercising, but it wasn’t until he began his second assignment with trustaff until he began to really enjoy fitness as a part of his daily life. After joining the cath lab co-ed softball team and working out at local gyms on a regular basis, it wasn’t long until Mitchel introduced his new found passion with his family. Nearing the end of his second assignment with trustaff, Mitchel has dropped almost 65 pounds and feeling better than he has in a long time.

In January of this year, Mitchel’s story of his enthusiasm for fitness found its way into the most recent edition of Healthcare Traveler as part of their feature “Finding Fitness”. For more details on Mitchel’s story and how other travelers found ways to enjoy habits for a healthier lifestyle, pick up the January 2008 issue of Healthcare Traveler.

Also featured in the January issue of Healthcare Traveler is Pam Campbell, a trustaff traveler, who found a special town in west-central Ohio. The city of Troy, Ohio, is home to the Upper Valley Medical Center (UVMC) where Pam extended her assignment to twelve months. Pam worked the third shift of the PCU and ICU where she became closer to patients and other traveling nurses.

While Pam has not always been a traveler, it helped renew her passion for her career. “I started traveling seven years ago, after a friend who had been on the road shared her stories with me,” ^[1] says Pam. “Prior to that, I had been stuck in a rut and almost lost my love for nursing. I definitely recommend healthcare travel to any professional who is able to do it.” ^[1]

For the complete article of Pam’s story, check out “On Assignment”, a feature in the January 2008 issue of Healthcare Traveler. If you are interested in more information about travel nursing, or are looking to become a travel nurse, call trustaff toll free at 877.880.0346 today.

Thank you for reading another edition of TruNews and we wish everyone a happy New Year!

^[1] Healthcare Traveler Magazine, January 2008, p.45, published by Advanstar