Aequor Healthcare provided this article.
It used to be—before covid—that most of the general public had no idea that being a healthcare traveler was a thing. Then, as you know, the pandemic put the spotlight on the healthcare industry, and travelers were in high demand. Crisis response pay rates were double or triple what was normal, so naturally, many new travelers entered the market, and their presence in hospitals grew, as well as their familiarity with their profession among the general public.
Depending on where you stand, you may have a particular idea about these travelers. Are they just in it for the money? Are they wanderers in it just so they can travel the country? Why do they choose a traveler career, never putting down roots, always on the go?
Through personal interviews with healthcare travelers from all walks of life, we’ve set out on a journey to get to know what a traveler is and who they are, one individual at a time. We hope this new series of articles, Aequor Perspectives, will help you better understand how to navigate life as a healthcare traveler. By sharing their stories, their lessons learned, and strategies for navigating a career as a traveler, maybe you’ll learn something valuable, or maybe you’ll choose to share your own perspective.
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“A Flexible Perspective from an ER RN Traveler”
Meet ER nurse traveler Tess. In her mid-thirties now, she was a respiratory therapist for a few years before going back to school for nursing. She’s been traveling with her partner Andy, also an ER nurse, since 2018, mostly in California and the Pacific Northwest, and she loves it. She loves the flexibility and variety of opportunities that traveling offers. And the ER? Her focus is always on her patients. With so much happening—someone new every half hour or so—she has many opportunities to practice flexibility each day.
It’s hard for Tess to have a bad day for very long when she has to continually refocus her energy on helping someone on their worst day. “When I remember that your worst day is my every day, it changes my perspective. It’s not about me.” This attitude has helped her transition more smoothly from one facility to another. She’s learned that there’s not just one way to do things, and being open to learning a new way has not only broadened her skill set as a nurse but given her the flexibility needed to thrive as a traveler.
Travel nursing kept Tess in this profession. Exhausted, burnt out, and jaded by hospital politics and drama, she was ready to get out of working in health care, but thankfully she opted for a travel assignment, and it saved her.
Laura Walker
Marketing Communication Lead laura.walker@aequorhc.com
We hope you found this article on flexible perspective enjoyable and helpful. Did the information from “A Flexible Perspective from an ER RN Traveler” surprise you? Comment below.
Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. If housing is an issue, we have you covered with our housing page. You can search for what you are looking for.
