Travel Nursing as a Relocation Tool

Our society is so mobile nowadays that more than likely most of us have moved at least a few times in our life. However, I am sure many of us can also think of times that we didn’t move because we weren’t sure of what to expect.

Is it really too rainy in Seattle for me? Is New York too busy and crowded? Would I be able to handle living in snow? Am I too liberal to live in more conservative areas? Would I be able to handle the humid summers in Texas or the Carolinas? These questions might be similar to ones that have run through your mind at some stage or another.

Sometimes the unanswered questions can keep us from making a move because we just don’t have the first-hand experience to make a decision. Travel nursing is great for answering these questions. It allows you to try out an area for three months and to experience it for yourself, without making any commitments.

If you have been wondering what it would be like to move to a new area, I suggest trying it out through travel nursing. Take an assignment in Maine in the winter or Texas in the summer, and see if you can deal with it. You might be surprised. It might be different to what you imagined.

Don’t let unanswered questions or assumptions about a place keep you from making a move. Get on the road and experience it for yourself. If you like it there, shop around for a house or a place to live while you are on assignment. Get a feel for the pay range in your specialty and figure out what you would be able to afford. Get to know the town and the areas that are best suited to your lifestyle. If you’re not sure where you want to work, you can even take travel nursing assignments at a few different facilities in the region and see which one you like the most. It’s a great way to test the waters before making a permanent move.

My Orientation Experience in Hawaii

For all you travelers out there who go through numerous orientations, I thought I would share my latest story with you about my orientation in Hawaii.

I started a new job in Hawaii—a place that takes some adjusting to if you come from anywhere else in the world, where things are dictated by the clock. In Hawaii, everything gets done on their own timetable. If you have an appointment, you will typically have to wait a while for anyone to show up. Somehow, it all works out, though.

I arrived at my appointment with Human Resources, on time, of course. I was told that the person I had an appointment with just went to lunch and she would be back in about half an hour.

While waiting, I decided to go to the cafeteria to get something to drink. To my astonishment, there was hardly any food in the cafeteria. When I looked at the menu, I noticed it only offered two items. When I inquired, I discovered that the cafeteria only opened for an hour in the morning for breakfast, two hours for lunch and one hour for dinner. During that time, there were only two menu items to choose from and there weren’t any snacks to buy or anything you could get after hours. What an eye opener that was!

When I got back to Human Resources, I had to wait while the secretary finished up her personal call. Once she got off the phone, she proceeded to tell me about her personal situation before asking me what I was there for. I wasn’t too taken aback because I knew that Hawaiians are much more open than “mainlanders” about their personal problems. Also, most Hawaiians work at least two jobs to be able to afford living there, so their work is their life.

I finally met with my HR contact and she proceeded to tell me everything I needed to know, including where to park. The parking lot was a mile away and she told me that a shuttle would come by every 20 minutes to take you to the hospital. She said it would pick me up under the tree. At first, I thought she was kidding, but she wasn’t. When I went to check out the parking lot, I noticed it had several trees and I wasn’t sure which one was the pick up area.

I have adjusted and gotten used to the way things are done here. It’s not as bad as it seemed at first. Looking back, though, my orientation was amusing and out of the ordinary. Do you have any interesting stories to share about your orientation?

I Want to Work at Reputable Facilities as a Travel Nurse. Do You Have Any Suggestions?

I have a little two-sided advice for travelers who are looking to work at the most prestigious facilities in order to advance their reputation while traveling. First of all, if you want to know what hospitals are considered reputable, you can go to the U.S. News and World Report.

Many of these top-rate facilities may have good reputations in the medical community for various reasons, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are best in the eyes of a traveler.

If you want to improve your reputation, performing well on your job and having a good attitude will propel your reputation as a traveler more so than where you work. Better yet, do excellent work at a reputable facility and you might have a winning combination.

Before working at any facility as a traveler, you may want to go to NurseConnect.com to find out what travelers say about working at various hospitals. This might help give you a better picture of what you want to do and where you want to go.