Baby born on Bangkok street after earthquake evacuation

NurseCafe here, brewing up nursing insights that'll keep you going longer than those compression socks you swear by.

In today’s email:

• Tips for Per Diem: How to increase your income with per diem assignments.

• Baby born on streets of Bangkok: Medical staff safely delivers baby after earthquake.

• AI for reviewing resumes: AI continues to be used more frequently with resume pre-screening.

• Around the web: To share or not to share. That is the question.

P.S: If you want to read any previous editions of NurseCafe you can on our website and if you were forwarded this email you can subscribe here.

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Maximizing Your Income as a Per Diem Nurse: Smart Strategies for Success

Per diem nursing offers a unique opportunity to boost your income while maintaining career flexibility. These proven strategies can help you take your income to the next level.

1. Target High-Demand Times and Places

• Position yourself to work during holiday periods and school breaks when staff nurses typically take vacations

• Increase your availability during flu season when hospital census numbers climb

• Identify facilities in your area with chronic staffing challenges and focus your efforts there

2. Diversify Your Workplace Options

• Apply for per diem shifts at multiple healthcare facilities in your region

• Connect with hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and staffing agencies to expand your network

• Having relationships with several facilities ensures a steady stream of work opportunities

3. Be the "Go-To" Per Diem Nurse

• Quickly respond to shift requests and build a reputation for reliability

• Say "yes" to less popular shifts, which often come with premium pay rates

• Demonstrate exceptional skills and a positive attitude to become the per diem nurse managers call first

4. Hunt for Bonus Opportunities

• Look for positions offering extra pay for working minimum hours

• Explore facilities that provide incentives for covering hard-to-fill shifts

• Take advantage of referral bonuses by bringing in qualified colleagues

• Don't overlook sign-on and retention bonuses that can substantially increase your earnings

By strategically applying these approaches, you can enjoy both the freedom of per diem nursing and a significantly enhanced income.

AROUND THE WEB

🍰 To share or not to share: When food is brought for the regular unit to share, are you giving some to the float nurse?

🐈️ Vintage style: Today, I learned that even in the past, we used to dress up our cats in cute little outfits for photos.

🧑‍⚕️ Pope credits Nurses: Pope Francis credits nurses for saving his life. “Try Everything… Don’t Give Up”

AI is becoming widely adopted by recruiters

Ghibli-style images have flooded social media as users enjoy "Ghiblifying" their own photos into images that look like they came from a Miyazaki film. The process is relatively simple, requiring users to upload an image to GPT-4o and prompt it with something like "Reproduce in the style of Studio Ghibli."

While this highlights the fun side of AI, employers are finding more ways to implement the use of AI. One of the first to see widespread use begins before you are even hired.

The need for such tools has grown as recruiters receive an average of about 250 applications for each general vacancy, making manual screening extremely time-consuming—potentially taking up to 23 hours per position. This has led many companies to adopt AI-based resume screening tools specifically designed to identify the right candidates more efficiently.

Medical staff ensures a safe birth after an earthquake

In a remarkable display of medical dedication amid a crisis, a woman gave birth to a baby boy on a Bangkok street shortly after being evacuated from a hospital during the Myanmar earthquake emergency. The woman was in surgery when the powerful tremors struck on Friday, forcing hospital staff to evacuate the building quickly. Medical teams carried her out on a stretcher and, surrounded by healthcare professionals, she delivered her baby outdoors as aftershocks continued to threaten the area.

Video of others being evacuated was posted to Instagram.

The dramatic birth occurred as both King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital and BNH Hospital moved patients to safety in nearby parks. Despite the chaotic circumstances, the hospital staff demonstrated extraordinary commitment, continuing to provide care to vulnerable patients in stretchers and wheelchairs who had been rapidly relocated outdoors for their protection.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription." — Val Saintsbury

That’s it for this week’s newsletter. If you have any feedback or story you would like covered, reply to this email. We read every response. 🤓 

See you next Monday! ☕️