By Roxanne Nelson, RN, NurseZone contributor
After working as a nurse for 33 years, Kathleen Myers, RN, decided to try something new. She accepted an eight-week stint at a hospital in Mesa, Arizona, and headed off on her very first assignment as a travel nurse.
“It was such a positive experience,” said Myers, who hopes to go on other travel assignments in the near future. “Everything worked out above and beyond my expectations.”
The El Paso, Texas, nurse had already sampled a cornucopia of nursing positions, including 15 years in the OR, occupational health, and a variety of management positions. But while the idea of taking a travel assignment had intrigued her for a while, she wasn’t interested in being away from home for the usual 13-week—or longer—assignments offered by most agencies.
However, dissatisfaction with working conditions at local facilities prompted Myers to give more thought to going the traveler route, and searching the Internet one evening, she discovered just what she was looking for.
Not wanted to leave her home for an extended period of time, Myers happened upon travel staffing agency NurseChoice, which seemed to offer exactly what she was looking for.
“They offered very short-term assignments, and you could start almost immediately,” explained Myers. “And benefits begin on the very first day that you work for them. You can’t beat that.”
NurseChoice is somewhat unique in that their typical assignments range from four to eight weeks. For nurses like Myers, who have a firm home base and family, and don’t wish to be away for months at a time, an agency offering short-term assignments fills an important niche.
Myers found the staff at her new job very receptive to travelers, and that made for an extremely positive experience. “They were very, very accommodating,” she said, “and really appreciated the fact that I was there to fill in some holes in staffing.”
Working in the ER, Myers was recruited to help fill in for two nurses who had taken a sudden leave of absence. There were also other travelers working at the facility, so the regular staff was used to them.
“Travel nursing gives nurses an opportunity to look at other areas and see what’s going on,” said Myers. “You don’t get involved in all of the politics, and while some staff nurses may not be receptive to travelers, I think most of them really appreciate having the help. They certainly did in my experience.”
Myers was also pleased with the other aspects of the job. She enjoyed the location immensely, and since it wasn’t all that far from El Paso, she was able to hop aboard a plane and visit her husband on one occasion during the assignment.
“The apartment was only about four minutes from the hospital,” she said, “And it was beautiful corporate-type housing. I had everything I needed right there—pots, pans, sheets, towels. All I had to bring was some clothes and myself.”
It was also really interesting to see how patients received her, Myers pointed out. “I told them I was a traveler, and the reception was wonderful. They really appreciated that I had come here to help out.”
For right now, Myers is working locally, due to some personal commitments. But she is looking forward to getting back on the road as a traveler. And she would definitely choose to go with NurseChoice again.
“Aside from the short assignments,” she said, “They were just really supportive and always there for me, if any problems came up. The company also has a lot of perks, like free online continuing education, health insurance which starts the first day on the job, and they’re really selective about which hospitals they send travelers to.”
Myers would recommend traveling to young nurses who want to widen their experiences, or just see the country. Working conditions are different around the country, she said, and it’s a good way to see the job market—and nursing—in a broader context.
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