I once thought that travel nursing
was something I could never do. I suppose there is no rational
reason why I had come to that conclusion, but after my family
had grown and left the home, I realized I had more time on my
hands. Frankly, I was getting bored and wanted to spice things
up, become more adventurous.
Then one day, a friend pulled me aside and talked to me about
travel nursing. Though I had never thought about it before, I
knew it was something I should at least consider.
Having run the typical rat race and having not achieved some
goals I had envisioned, I was quickly drawn to the financial benefits
of travel nursing. After all, if the definition of insanity is
doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result
each time, $18 an hour was proving truly insane. So with this
goal in mind, I made a decision, albeit hesitantly, to venture
down the road I thought I could never take. After talking with
several travel nursing agencies I took an assignment with FASTAFF.
With a pay rate of up $40 per hour, guaranteed overtime and fully
paid travel and housing, traveling with FASTAFF has proven to
be a very wise decision. And my recruiter has been terrific!
My first assignment was at a hospital in Washington, D.C. This
hospital was buckling under the nursing shortage and there were
several travelers working there at the time I arrived. My first
day at the new job was very challenging. As I walked into the
OR department, my new supervisor wore a frustrated and anxious
look on her face. Suffice it to say, the first words out of her
mouth were not, "Good morning," or "Welcome."
Her first words to me were, "Do you scrub hearts?" I
replied, "Yes." She hugged me and said, "Welcome
aboard." And so began my traveling career.
Through the last few years as a travel RN, I've learned so much
more than I ever thought I would, things I probably never would
have known if I had not taken a chance.
One of the biggest and best experiences has been learning more
about myself and the kind of work I'm capable of. I've remembered
what it was like to begin the day upbeat, to be ready for anything,
to make the best of situations as they are, and to carry the poise
and confidence to work through difficult or awkward situations,
adding a little flair while I'm at it.
Had it not been for travel nursing, I would not have had the
opportunity to live and work in places such as New York City,
San Francisco, St. Thomas, Hawaii and many more, too numerous
to mention. And it is exciting to think that there are so many
more yet to be explored. I've experienced people, lifestyles and
even cultures vastly different from my own, and the wisdom I've
gained is irreplaceable.
All this began three brief years ago after a simple talk to a
friend and working with my recruiter. At my request, last year
my FASTAFF recruiter kept me on the road eleven months out of
the year, and got me some of the best assignments ever. I'm so
thankful for that opportunity, both experientially and financially.
I can truly say that travel nursing has been one of the best experiences
of my life. And now, when anyone asks me what I do for a living,
I can proudly reply, "I'm a travel nurse, and I love it!"
Cynthia Hobrock has been a nurse for more than 27 years. For
the last three years, she has been a travel CVOR nurse for FASTAFF.
Recently FASTAFF
was awarded the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations Certification for Healthcare Staffing Services.
FASTAFF
nurses are of the highest caliber as the preceeding story attests!