Have you ever considered becoming a travel nurse? It is a great experience to meet new people, see different facilities and visit different areas of the country. You are there long enough to live like a local and really get to experience the all the area has to offer. For us, it is an opportunity to work part time while we travel on our sailboat. It’s a chance to care for patients without getting embroiled in hospital politics or departmental disputes. You can “be Switzerland” and remain neutral. Yet management often appreciates your input. Travelers have the unique opportunity to see a department from the outside looking in and have the experience of seeing many different ways to approach issues.
Sometimes it is a hassle. We changed companies for this contract because we were being really picky about where we wanted to work. Seeking Kokomo does NOT do winter and we had already spent considerable time on the west coast of Florida in our previous jobs, so we wanted to experience the Atlantic coast. Our previous recruiter didn’t have any opportunities here, so we found a different travel company to get where we wanted to go.
Time-specific Requirements
Our past month has been occupied by onboarding requirements, in addition to celebrating the holidays and enjoying a wonderful, long overdue visit from my son. Our first challenge after accepting the position was getting a drug screen completed within five days of the offer. Not usually a problem except that we were in Marathon Florida and the closest facility where we could go to complete it was in Miami. That was a two-day trip for us in the boat over Thanksgiving weekend plus a half-hour bicycle ride through Miami. Life is easier—but not nearly as much fun—with a car!
The Paperwork Pile
Our next project involved submitting all our paperwork. The agency needs copies of all certifications, including BLS, ACLS and PALS cards, TNCC certificate and nursing license. My recommendation is keeping all work-related documents in one place. I have a binder with all my certifications and credentials, which makes it easy to find and keep track of expiration dates. We also needed another physical exam, as this agency requires one within six months of employment and our previous exam was just over six months ago. Frustrating!! We had to find a local physician to get that completed.
Online Education
Finally, we had to complete about eight hours of online training before starting work. Some was valuable, some boring but necessary. I realize some courses, such as EMTALA training, are regulatory requirements. However, there were many modules that were simply an exercise in frustration. Several courses repeated the same content. How annoying! I got it the first time! We took a course on computer documentation which we were both very familiar with. Why re-educate on something I already know? I firmly believe educators should recognize experience and knowledge and not force students to complete required training on a subject they know well. Give me a challenge test or competency validation instead. Think outside the box.
I also had online courses on three different IV pumps and two different medication dispensing systems. How much of that is actually going to be retained three weeks later when I start work? A simple hands-on demonstration and opportunity to practice would take ten minutes or less and be better retained when I am going to be using them on a regular basis. Assume I already know how to use an IV pump and simply teach me the quirks of this one. They all basically work the same. Even a new graduate nurse has experience with pumps!
Time to Rest and Recharge
We celebrated the dawn of a new decade last night and are looking forward to what that will hold for us. I am contemplating what new challenges and learning opportunities I will tackle this year. Boat repair projects are certainly topping my list, as well as learning Spanish. Always challenge your mind with new learning opportunities. It wards off dementia and helps prevent burnout. What learning opportunities are you going to embrace in 2020?
