IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE, NO … IT’S A MOBILE PHONE!
Since travel nurses are out and about so much, they certainly know that the cell phone can be a life-saver. 
(Could you even think about a travel nurse job without one?) You can check out the traffic on the way to work, or verify your bank balance. But did you know that there are a few surprising ways that your cell phone can rise above its everyday role and get you out of some serious jams?
Check out these five extremely useful, but little-known, superpowers of your cell phone:
1. It can make emergency calls when you’re out of network.
The emergency number worldwide for mobile is 112. If you have an emergency, but you’re outside of the coverage area of your mobile network, dial 112 and your phone will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you. This number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.
2. It can rescue you when you lock your keys in the car.
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This cell phone tip may come in handy someday. If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. Yes!
3. It can access hidden battery power!
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#. Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument should show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will be restored the next time you charge your cell phone.
4. It can help you disable a STOLEN mobile phone
To check your mobile phone’s serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: *#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. If your phone is stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won’t get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can’t use or sell it either. If everybody did this, there would be no point in stealing mobile phones.
5. It can call Information with no additional charges.
Some cell phone companies charge $1.00 or more for 411 information calls. Most of us don’t carry a telephone directory around with us, so finding numbers is tricky when we’re on the road. When you want to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800)FREE411, or (800) 373-3411. Yes you will listen to a 10 second ad, but you won’t incur any supplemental charges.
In times when we’re all watching our budgets carefully, these are great ways for travel nurses to save money and get even more value from our mobile phones. Feel free to share these tips with any fellow travelers who might appreciate them.
* Some of the tips mentioned above may not work for your cell phone; as services vary for different cell phone providers.
I Love Travel Nursing 
I tried #3 above for emergency cell phone power. “The feature code you’ve entered is not valid” says my automated Sprint service.
Please correct this information as it may only apply to certain providers.
I tried #4 above to check my phone’s serial # and my automated Sprint service said, “The feature code you’ve entered is not valid.,” and no 15-digit serial number appears on my screen.
Please advise.
Item #1 above. I’m not sure about your provider, but my phone (as is the case with most) won’t work outside the service area. I’ve seen similar postings to 1 through 5 above on other sites.
Yes, we tried #4 at the office with two different cell phones and the serial # showed up. I have ATT and the other cell phone we tested had T-Mobile.
#3 didn’t work for me either, I have ATT. This tip might not be the most reliable.
If tip #5 doesn’t work, there’s another option to get free 411 information; it’s GOOG-411 Google’s new 411 service is free, fast and easy to use. Give it a try now and see how simple it is to find and connect with local businesses for free. But, you may still get charged for your minutes.
Hi JoeLogic, regarding item#1, you have to be outside of your area to test it out. And, since I am not, I can’t give you a firm answer. But I know that when I was in South America, a few months ago, my provider, ATT, was able to stablish service on my cell phone downthere, in case I needed to make a call to the U.S. So, I believe tip #1 can work.
Since we have posted this blog, there were a few controversies. So, some of the tips may work and some may not. To learn more, go to Cell phone superpowers are a super rumor or go to Cell Phone Functions
I still can’t get over the fact that it can unlock your car!
have you tried?