What if I go to an Assignment and I Just Don’t Fit in?

It’s always scary going to a new place and to adjust to a new work environment where you’re surrounded by people you don’t know. However, from my experience as a travel nurse, it usually didn’t take long to find people that I felt comfortable with who helped me get up to speed quickly.

However, if you continue to feel that the assignment is not a good fit for you, it isn’t that bad because you know that you will only be there for three months. Knowing that you can leave after three months is a lot more tolerable than being miserable at a place where you are a permanent employee. I know many nurses that are unhappy at their workplace and continue to work there anyway. It’s not a good feeling because it seems that it will never end. As a travel nurse, it is easy to tolerate just about anything because you know that it is temporary.

From my experiences, I found that most places were pretty nice. If you are really worried about fitting in and being part of the team, you might want to ask during your hospital interview how often the facility uses travelers. If the hospital frequently uses travel nurses, the permanent staff will be much more accustomed to accepting new staff members and helping you to fit in.

Feel Like You're in a Rut? Travel Nursing Could be the Answer

Travel nursing is definitely a great way to get out of a rut. As a travel nurse, you will be on the road to a world of new adventures and opportunities, and will get to see places you never imagined . With travel nursing, everything changes. Your work place, technology, culture, living space, colleagues, daily routine, activities—even your drive to work— all change at the same time. It’s exhilarating and definitely a good way to open yourself up to new experiences, if that’s what you want.

If you’re ready for a change and want to experience something new, travel nursing might be just what you need. Personally, I love the challenge of adapting to new situations. When you work as a travel nurse, your days off are never boring as there is so much waiting for you to explore. Every area offers different things to do. For example, some areas are really good for camping and hiking, while other places, especially the larger cities, offer an unlimited number of excellent restaurants and cultural attractions. It’s up to you to decide what interests you and where you want to go. Most people experience a newfound sense of freedom and adventure when traveling that you just can’t get in a “normal” profession. Nursing offers so many wonderful and unique opportunities and, at times, it’s easy to forget that we have so many options available to us when we get stuck in a rut.

Is Travel Nursing Best Suited to Any Specialty?

Nurses are in demand across the country and that includes travel nurses in practicalluy every specialty, including areas such as the ICU, ER, OR, telemetry, labor and delivery, progressive or step-down care, the neonatal unit, pediatrics, post-anesthesia care, med-surg and oncology. Dialysis is also a specialty that has seemed to flourish over the last few years. The nurses that sometimes have more of a challenge finding assignments are psychiatric nurses and LPNs. Most travel nursing companies do not travel CNAs.

Every specialty has its own specific nuances that are performed slightly differently at each facility you go to. I don’t think one specialty is really better suited or easier to travel in than the other.

It is important for any nurse who is considering working as a traveler to have thorough knowledge of their specialty. A year’s experience is the absolute minimum, although many travel nursing agencies prefer that you have 18 months to two year’s experience in your specialty before you take your career on the road. Your most recent experience needs to be in an acute-care hospital, so if you have been away from patient care for a while, it is important that you spend a year working in a hospital before you consider travel nursing.

While working as a travel nurse, you usually need to work within your specialty. However, depending on how well your skills cross into other specialties, you may be asked to float within the facility you are assigned to.