By Susan Schneider, contributor
Rhonda Zuppinger, RN, started traveling a little over a year ago after more than twenty years as a staff nurse.
“I met a traveler at the hospital where I was working,” said Zuppinger. “What she had to say really appealed to me. I had been married to a military man and kind of missed a traveling lifestyle. My kids had left the nest, so I was completely free and decided ‘why not?’ ”
Zuppinger is not a lone traveler though. She has her adorable Bichon Frise, Butters, at her side wherever she goes.
“She’s a great little traveler,” said Zuppinger. “I enjoy having her with me. It means I have a companion on the road and someone to explore new places with.”
Zuppinger works for the staffing agency, Nurses RX. She said her recruiter, Olivia Carper, is wonderful to her and has become ‘just like a sister.’
“On my first assignment, which was on the opposite coast of my home in Maryland, Olivia called weekly just to make sure I was doing okay,” said Zuppinger. “It was very comforting.”
That first assignment was in San Diego, a city Zuppinger loves for the great weather and all there is to do. She and Butters particularly enjoyed going to ‘dog beach’ on a regular basis.
Zuppinger worked for hospitals within the Scripps health network and enjoyed it so much she extended multiple times.
She made two good friends right off the bat and said that just sitting in the sunshine on the patio talking with them was one of her favorite pastimes. She still keeps in touch with them both, even though she’s now back in Maryland, on an assignment she took so she could visit family.
Having been a staff nurse for twenty years, Zuppinger said she really appreciates the freedom and flexibility that travel nursing affords.
This became especially important when her son was returning to San Diego after two tours in Iraq.
“I wanted to be in San Diego when he returned,” explained Zuppinger, “Besides wanting to see him, I was helping coordinate some things for him like housing and furniture. But his return date kept getting moved back. I was starting to get nervous about having to leave for the scheduled start date of my new assignment in Maryland, but Olivia told me not to worry.”
Zuppinger’s recruiter stepped in and notified the hospital about the situation. She negotiated another week off for Zuppinger who was then able to greet her son upon his return and help him get situated. The assignment in Maryland was extended on the other end.
Another aspect of traveling that Zuppinger enjoys is the opportunity to see how different procedures are executed in different practice environments.
“It’s really amazing that different areas have different techniques,” said Zuppinger. “There is always more than one way to do things. I enjoy seeing that.”
Zuppinger said that her specialty area, dialysis, is a small community, so that as a travel nurse working in dialysis she feels part of an even more tight knit group. She said travelers give one another tips and referrals about assignments and facilities.
At first concerned that it might be too late to start a new chapter in her career, Zuppinger feels her experience has been a bonus.
“I’m very confident in my skills,” said Zuppinger. “And whereas when I was younger it might have intimidated me to work in a new environment and be told new ways to do things, I am very comfortable saying, “Wait, I’m not familiar with this, please teach me how you want it done and I’ll do it.” I’m not afraid to speak up or ask questions. It’s been great for me and the new people I work with.”
Zuppinger is also finding it a great plus to be able to take time off when she wants to between assignments. At the moment she is preparing for a reunion with her sisters in South Carolina where they’ve rented a condo for a vacation without spouses or kids.
“I’m really excited because it’s the first time we’ve ever done this,” said Zuppinger. “I asked that this extra time off be put in my contract so my next my assignment was just extended on the other end. I love that flexibility.”
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