Thanks to Travel Nursing, This Adventurous RN Can Make Her Dreams Come True

By Susan Schneider, contributor

Katharine Parrish, RN, speaks in a no-nonsense, but spirited voice. It is clear that she is a woman undaunted by change and challenge. When she wants something, she just does it.

A nurse for 11 years, Parrish lives north of Asheville, North Carolina, on a 20-acre farm. She raises Standard Poodles and German Warmbloods, a large breed of horse.

Parrish has only been a traveler for a few months, but said she can already see how the change in status will benefit her lifestyle and her ability to make her dreams come true.

While Parrish had always wanted to try travel nursing, with all her commitments she couldn’t figure out how it would ever happen.

“I knew travel nursing provided a lot of advantages over staff nursing, like great pay and benefits and more control over your time and I’d always wanted to try it. But there was no way I could leave my home. ” explained Parrish, “Then one day I heard about an opportunity for a travel nurse at a hospital about an hour away that sounded really great, so I jumped on it.”

Parrish signed on with the staffing company NursesRX, with a recruiter recommended to her by a friend.

“I’m so glad I got up and did it,” said Parrish. “I’m already planning on extending when this assignment is up.”

Besides the fact that she gets to learn new skills and meet new people, Parrish is delighted with the increased compensation travel nursing provides.

“I make substantially more,” said Parrish. “So much so that I’m going to start building my dream house soon on some property I own. I’ve always wanted a round, environmentally friendly home, called a Del Tec. They are incredibly energy efficient and I just love them. Now I feel comfortable moving forward with that dream.”

Parrish is also dreaming of another trip to India. She’s been there twice in the last five years, the first time to participate in a horse trip across the deserts of Rajasthan in the Republic of India.

This was an adventure that began when Parrish saw a poster in her local feed store. It featured a beautifully red harnessed and tasseled Marwari horse, a breed revered in India as a descendant of the mighty war horses that served the ruling families and warriors in feudal times.

The feed store clerk told Parrish that friends of hers had gone on the trip and found it to be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

That’s all the action-oriented Parrish needed to hear. She contacted the tour group, met a group of women from North Carolina who were going and set off for the great sands of the Rajasthan. “Once there, I met a wonderful Muslim couple who own an exporting business.” said Parrish. “They live across from the place where I stayed and we became fast friends. They invited me for a return visit, which I did the next year. Then, the husband, who travels to the states frequently on business, came here to see my ranch in North Carolina. I had a dinner party for him and invited all my horse trek friends. It was great fun.”

Parrish thought she’d have to put more travel adventures on hold for awhile due to time restrictions and financial constraints. But travel nursing has changed that thinking.

“As a travel nurse, I have a lot more flexibility,” said Parrish, “Taking time off to travel will be easier. Plus, I make more money, so I have more to spend on the things in life that mean the most to me.”

“Pay is much higher for travelers, it’s just fantastic.” said Parrish. “And, I’m enjoying the newness of change without having to give up what I have at home. I’m learning new skills, meeting new people. It’s really the best of both worlds.”

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