Travel Nursing Jobs in New Jersey:
Because The Jersey Shore is a wonderful place to spend the summer, this month’s State Spotlight takes us to New Jersey. Sure, there are plenty of Jersey haters out there and sometimes the state gets a bad rap, but if you really take the time to learn what The Garden State’s all about you’ll be smitten faster than you can say, “Cabs are here!”
Travel Nursing in New Jersey
New Jersey’s a great state for Travel Nurses — with plenty to do in the state/region and lots of great facilities to call home for 13 weeks at a time. The state boasts a wide-ranging network of acute care and specialty hospitals that provide inpatient care for behavioral health, rehab, and long-term acute care. All of New Jersey’s 21 counties have at least one such facility, which means residents have access to great care throughout The Garden State.
New Jersey is home to 112 hospitals, including Hackensack University Medical Center, which U.S. News & World Report ranked as the #1 hospital in New Jersey and which is nationally ranked in four adult specialties. Rounding out the top five hospitals in New Jersey are: Morristown Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, and (tied for fifth) AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center and Valley Hospital.
In 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked New Jersey #14 on their first-ever “Best States” list, based on criteria including economy, education, government, healthcare, crime & corrections, infrastructure, and opportunity. The report recognized New Jersey’s “world-class universities, leading technology and biological science firms and one fast turnpike” and ranked the state second in education and eighth in healthcare.
As for licensing, New Jersey is not a walk through state, nor a compact state, but it is a NURSYS state. Click here for more info on licensing in New Jersey.
To Do & See in New Jersey
The Garden State is a wonderful hodgepodge of rural and urban adventure! Get ready to dig in at your favorite diner, kick back on the boardwalk, crank some Springsteen, and take your place as a total Travel Nurse BOSS.
As you can imagine, summer is the perfect time to enjoy the famous Jersey Shore — which spans 127 miles of coastline, from Sandy Hook to Cape May. Forget the drunken clamor of MTV’s eponymous reality show, because the Jersey Shore’s white sand beaches are an incredible place to soak up a truly awesome beach experience. Imagine your days off chock-full of sun, sand, and surf! The Shore also offers aquatic adventure in the form of barrier islands and bays where you can explore historic lighthouses, quaint fishing villages, and more.
Whether you’re after art, culture, or history, New Jersey’s many museums and historical sites will excite. Some of the best such locations in the state include the New Jersey State Museum, Newark Museum, Liberty Science Center, Montclair Art Museum, the USS New Jersey, Garden State Discovery Museum, the Aviation Hall of Fame, Cape May Lighthouse, Old Barracks Museum, and the Princeton University Art Museum.
If you like your museums a little kooky, there’s also Ripley’s Believe It or Not in Atlantic City or the Silverball Pinball Museum in Asbury Park! Adventure Aquarium and Delaware River Tubing also top many to-do lists for New Jersey. Plus, the state’s got a lot of vineyards popping up such as the popular Beneduce Vineyards, Unionville Vineyards, Heritage Winery, Auburn Road Vineyards, Tomasello Winery, and many more.
Sports fans will love to hit the stands in support of one of Jersey’s pro sports teams, which include the New York Giants, New York Jets, New York Red Bulls, New Jersey Devils, Sky Blue FC, and the New York Riveters.
While New Jersey might not be the first place that pops to mind when it comes to culinary delights, the state has plenty of good eats and great variety. First off, they don’t call it the Garden State for nothing. New Jersey’s third-largest industry is food & agriculture, with 9,000+ farms in-state producing more than 100 kinds of fruits and veggies — most famously, the Jersey tomato.
New Jersey is famous for being the “diner capital of the world” so you’ll be in diner heaven when on assignment there. According to Thrillist, some of the state’s best diners include The Summit Diner, The Pop Shop, Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory, Ponzio’s, Americana, White Mana, and White Rose Diner. Yum!
Other famous New Jersey food experiences include submarine sandwiches, saltwater taffy, Taylor pork rolls, Italian hot dogs, and tomato pie. Wash it all down with a Welch’s Grape Juice, originally conceived in Jersey, or a Boylan’s soda and you’ll be living like a true New Jerseyan! Also, if you’re offered a Sloppy Joe in Jersey don’t expect a Manwich. Jersey-style Sloppy Joes are double-decker deli sandwiches, with multiple types of cold cuts, coleslaw, and Russian dressing on rye.
While New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the union, there’s still plenty of fun to be had in the great outdoors. In addition to the beaches, another excellent choice for outdoor activity is the Pinelands National Reserve in southern New Jersey, which boasts 1.1-million acres! This area has such a unique natural habitat, that in 1983 the United Nations named it an International Biosphere Reserve. Here you’ll find an intriguing blend of flora and fauna, from orchids to carnivorous plants to the Pinelands tree frog and rare pygmy pitch pines. You’ll also find great opportunities for hiking, biking, kayaking, and more with this beautiful, pristine wilderness as your view along the way. Pinelands National Reserve also has some great sites within its boundaries where you can learn about the history and culture of The Garden State.
And don’t forget to check out the 72 miles of The Appalachian Trail that travel through New Jersey!
If you’re more of a city mouse, you’ll love the world-class dining, shopping, entertainment, and casinos located in Jersey’s urban areas like Newark, Jersey City, Trenton, Atlantic City, Hoboken, and more.
Plus, in addition to the state’s many exciting sights and attractions, New Jersey is a fabulous jump-off point for exploring the greater East Coast area. In fact, Jersey’s just minutes away from two of America’s greatest cities — Manhattan on the east and Philadelphia on the west!
New Jersey Fast Facts
State Nickname: The Garden State
Capital: Trenton
Largest City: Newark
National Park Sites: 12
State Parks, State Forests, and State Recreation Areas: 50
State Motto: “Liberty and Prosperity”
State Flower: Purple Violet
State bird: American Goldfinch
New Jersey is the third state and was one of the 13 original colonies.
Bubble wrap, Teflon, Band-Aids, saltwater taffy, barcodes, TV dinners, and the light bulb were all invented in New Jersey.
Street names in the original Monopoly game are all based on actual streets in Atlantic City.
New Jersey is home to approximately 127 miles of coastline.
The Atlantic City Boardwalk is the oldest boardwalk in the U.S. and the longest boardwalk in the entire world!
The first organized baseball game was played in Hoboken in 1846 and, in more sports new, the first professional basketball game was played in Trenton in 1896.
New Jersey is one of only two states that prohibits self-service gas stations. (The other is Oregon.)
In 1933, the first drive-in movie theater opened just outside of Camden, New Jersey.
Famous folks from New Jersey include Bruce Willis, Buzz Aldrin, Judy Blume, Jon Bon Jovi, Kellyanne Conway, David Copperfield, Glenn Danzig, Danny DeVito, Peter Dinklage, Michael Douglas, Allen Ginsburg, Chelsea Handler, Lauryn Hill, Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz, Whitney Houston, Queen Latifah, Jerry Lewis, Ray Liotta, Kurt Loder, George R.R. Martin, Jack Nicholson, Shaquille O’Neal, Bill Parcells, Alice Paul, Joe Pesci, Kelly Ripa, Frank Sinatra, Kevin Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Martha Stewart, Meryl Streep, John Travolta, Fetty Wap, and Wendy Williams.
New Jersey is dubbed “the diner capital of the world” for its sheer number of greasy spoon eateries.
New Jersey was the first state to sign the Bill of Rights.