Words of wisdom from a travel nurse
After 7 years of travel nursing, I have decided to hang up the stethoscope and take a corporate job in sunny San Diego. This job has given me the chance to work in 9 states and see 30 countries across 20+ ICU jobs. From working 1 week of rapid responses to a 2-month strike, I have learned a wealth of knowledge in my 9 years of ICU nursing. I want to share a few words of wisdom with all the travelers out there.
1. Explore
Make sure to take time to see the world. Go off to another country, drive to the next city over, walk to the neighborhood bar. Rather than looking up other people’s opinions on Yelp, go find out yourself. Make your own comments on those tacos, check out that wine tour, take a wild weekend trip. Do YOUR own reviews based on YOUR adventures.
2. Maintain Relationships
It’s so easy to disregard people, burn bridges and ghost them. Three months later, you’ll have a whole new group to interact with. Friendship is the best human response that we can exchange. Get to know your co-workers, talk with your neighbors, take a chance with that new guy/girl. Having 5 close friends is better than knowing 5000 people on Facebook. You’ll go farther in life, taking chances on people rather than sitting inside your “safe” box.
3. Disconnect
It’s a bit of irony that I say this but get off of social media. Not like forever, but enough to stop comparing yourself to everyone else. Don’t chase “likes” and internet popularity. Staying “connected” has brought the world to our palm, but it also has disconnected our minds from the world. Read a book, do yoga in the park, or enjoy a sunrise in the mountains. Put the phone away and spend time with people. You’ll never say you regretted going outside and taking a walk instead of laying in bed scrolling through on your phone.
Have you hung up your stethoscope? Do you have advice for other travel nurses? Comment below.
