Calling myself an Expert
Ok well calling myself an expert might be a bit of a stretch, but I have done this eight times in about two years, so the feeling is more familiar to me than to most people. It only takes about one week of being a travel nurse to hear just about every question you will ever get asked again since people seem to stick to the same twenty questions no matter which region, culture, or age group you are interacting with. What has been your favorite location so far? How does housing work? Do you get paid more? How do you get insurance? Can you travel anywhere you want? What agency do you use? How did you decide to choose this profession? Where are you going to travel to next? Can you take lots of time off? Is it hard?
Answering the Questions
I have answered these questions on repeat so many times that I sometimes want to pull out a prerecorded audio file of myself answering all these questions and hit play and walk away because I wish there could be some more interesting questions thrown in every once in awhile, but that last question always makes me pause and think. Is it hard? For about the first year or so of traveling, I would respond with a chipper “not really, the fun outweighs the difficult aspects.” Or maybe I would even squeak out a “there are some minor challenges, but I wouldn’t call it hard by any means.”
What I would tell every traveler
But if I have learned one thing on this journey that I wish I could tell every traveler out there, I think it would be that it is OK to admit that the process is hard. Travel nurses by nature are more independent than the average human, but that doesn’t mean that we need to put on an act pretending that we have it all together and that we don’t need any help. This life is hard. Starting over is hard. Making new friends is hard. Not understanding a new hospital’s process is hard. Subjecting yourself to new relationships is hard. Constantly engaging in small talk is hard. Being away from family is hard. Having no control over your shifts is hard. Leaving friends right when you make a connection is hard. Never feeling settled is hard.
It is worth it!
Don’t get me wrong, traveling is absolutely, 100%, without a doubt, better than ice cream worth it. The experience is incomparable to just about any other career option out there and has provided some of the sweetest memories I could have asked for, but I experienced a degree of freedom when I allowed myself to voice the words “yes, it is hard. Constantly being the new one and the one saying goodbye is hard.”
People love to help
Emily Bryant via Instagram @emily_bee2
However, one of the sweetest things I have learned in starting over 8 times in two years is that people love to help, but we oftentimes have to ask. In our independent and sometimes harsh stance, we can take while subjecting ourselves to new experiences, we build up walls around ourselves pretending to be ok and acting as we will just figure this out on our own. Well, let me tell you that just end you up alone in all your endeavors with a bitter outlook on life. In “The Power of Vulnerability,” Brene Brown talks about the freedom and joy that vulnerability can bring to your life by simply allowing people into the real nitty-gritty details of your life, not just the Instagram-worthy moments. People, especially nurses, are wired to want to help. Sometimes it just takes a simple statement that you are lonely and would love to be more involved with people in order for coworkers or strangers to welcome you into their social lives.
She talks about being truly and authentically yourself, no matter what the situation is. Her mantra has been one of the most powerful tools for me in this journey. She recommends that when you walk into a new or uncomfortable place, simply whisper to you on repeat “don’t puff up, don’t shrink down. Be authentically you.” I cannot tell you the power in those words. It is absolutely amazing the peace that saying brings me when I can repeat that in my head while walking into a new assignment.
We hope these tips for being new as a travel nurse help you along your journey! Do you have any tips for being new as a travel nurse? Comment them below.
Calling myself an Expert
Ok well calling myself an expert might be a bit of a stretch, but I have done this eight times in about two years, so the feeling is more familiar to me than to most people. It only takes about one week of being a travel nurse to hear just about every question you will ever get asked again since people seem to stick to the same twenty questions no matter which region, culture, or age group you are interacting with. What has been your favorite location so far? How does housing work? Do you get paid more? How do you get insurance? Can you travel anywhere you want? What agency do you use? How did you decide to choose this profession? Where are you going to travel to next? Can you take lots of time off? Is it hard?
Answering the Questions
I have answered these questions on repeat so many times that I sometimes want to pull out a prerecorded audio file of myself answering all these questions and hit play and walk away because I wish there could be some more interesting questions thrown in every once in a while, but that last question always makes me pause and think. Is it hard? For about the first year or so of traveling, I would respond with a chipper “not really, the fun outweighs the difficult aspects.” Or maybe I would even squeak out a “there are some minor challenges, but I wouldn’t call it hard by any means.”
What I would tell every traveler
But if I have learned one thing on this journey that I wish I could tell every traveler out there, I think it would be that it is OK to admit that the process is hard. Travel nurses by nature are more independent than the average human, but that doesn’t mean that we need to put on an act pretending that we have it all together and that we don’t need any help. This life is hard. Starting over is hard. Making new friends is hard. Not understanding a new hospital’s process is hard. Subjecting yourself to new relationships is hard. Constantly engaging in small talk is hard. Being away from family is hard. Having no control over your shifts is hard. Leaving friends right when you make a connection is hard. Never feeling settled is hard.
It is worth it!
Don’t get me wrong, traveling is absolute, 100%, without a doubt, better than ice cream worth it. The experience is incomparable to just about any other career option out there and has provided some of the sweetest memories I could have asked for, but I experienced a degree of freedom when I allowed myself to voice the words “yes, it is hard. Constantly being the new one and the one saying goodbye is hard.”
People love to help
Emily Bryant via Instagram @emily_bee2
However, one of the sweetest things I have learned in starting over 8 times in two years is that people love to help, but we oftentimes have to ask. In our independent and sometimes harsh stance, we can take while subjecting ourselves to new experiences, we build up walls around ourselves pretending to be ok and acting as we will just figure this out on our own. Well, let me tell you that just end you up alone in all your endeavors with a bitter outlook on life. In “The Power of Vulnerability,” Brene Brown talks about the freedom and joy that vulnerability can bring to your life by simply allowing people into the real nitty-gritty details of your life, not just the Instagram-worthy moments. People, especially nurses, are wired to want to help. Sometimes it just takes a simple statement that you are lonely and would love to be more involved with people in order for coworkers or strangers to welcome you into their social lives.
She talks about being truly and authentically yourself, no matter what the situation is. Her mantra has been one of the most powerful tools for me in this journey. She recommends that when you walk into a new or uncomfortable place, simply whisper to you on repeat “don’t puff up, don’t shrink down. Be authentically you.” I cannot tell you the power in those words. It is absolutely amazing the peace that saying brings me when I can repeat that in my head while walking into a new assignment.
We hope these tips for being new as a travel nurse help you along your journey! Do you have any tips for being new as a travel nurse? Comment them below.
