Great Faces, Great Places
By Aaron Moore, MSN, RN-BC, travel nurse expert
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Recently, I was at work doing triage in the emergency department. I had a moment between checking in patients to glance at my phone, and noticed a missed call from a number in Lexington, Ky. As I listened to the message, I heard a voice from many years ago. It was that of a girl I knew back when I had a travel nursing job in Baltimore. She was getting married and wanted to invite my wife and I to the wedding!
I’m always honored when someone invites me to a wedding (considering the per plate cost alone…), but I’m even more flattered when it’s a call from an old friend. And this one got me thinking about all the amazing people I met while traveling. There are many my wife and I still keep in touch with, even years after we met!
Travel nursing exposed me to so many different hospitals, policies, procedures and practices--and so many different personalities in nurses, doctors and other medical staff.
Of course, travel nurses often stick together when on assignment. From day one in orientation, we got to know each other, and at most assignments we all ended up at the same bar or restaurant after our first shift together. Fellow travelers are the people you learn to rely on and trust the most. You are likely housed in the same complex or close by each other, and you end up watching each other’s places and pets when you go home to visit.
I also met some great locals through my travel nursing jobs. Travel nurses may not have as much instantly in common with staff as they do with other travelers, but we are all nurses; we all give meds, save lives and change dressings the same way.
I found the easiest way to get to know people was to simply ask them about themselves: “Were you born here? How did you end up in ______?” And, of course, my favorite question: “Where is your favorite local place to eat?” Locals are a great source to help you discover the best places in your temporary hometown.
All in all, traveling has left me with so many memories of great faces and great places. Many of the places I discovered on my travel nursing jobs I have often returned to, or still plan to someday. The experiences left me well-cultured and exposed to so much diversity. And the faces of numerous friends I still remember, as well. I am thankful for those relationships--with people I will never forget, and would have never met if it wasn’t for this great profession of travel nursing.
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