A New Year, a New You in Nursing
When every new year rolls around, we have a chance to make a resolution or two. In fact, my gym is already packed with people trying to “make a change.” Thankfully, in February or March they will weed themselves out and I will once again have access to any weights I want and won’t have to wait in line for the treadmill.
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But I want to go another direction than weight loss or getting in shape. I want to talk about your career. We all got into nursing for different reasons, and in the end we are all here to take care of the patients. But we can choose how and where we do that. We can choose whether to keep doing the same thing in the same place, or to try something that expands our personal and professional horizons.
I got into nursing with the promise of “seeing the country.” In fact, I was recruited to the field by a college advisor who had traveled. Don was his name and the travel nursing career he described sounded way better than the paramedic/fire career I was about to start.
So, without any research into travel nursing, I bit--hook, line and sinker. Two years later I had an associate’s degree and was applying for ICU positions to get the best possible experience to make myself look good for potential travel nurse jobs. But I soon grew complacent about my goal; I loved my job, my co-workers and had a chance to work on the hospital’s helicopter. Life was looking pretty good.
Then my wife reminded me of my dream to travel. My fear of change stood in the way for a while, but then one night at Red Lobster, of all places, we had a long talk. As I set a personal record downing their all-you-can-eat shrimp, I started to think about what I really wanted out of my nursing career.
One month later, I was interviewing for travel nursing jobs. Although the change was scary I couldn’t wait to get moving with the dream I had set in place four years previously. I learned to deal with frequent change, the logistics of moving our stuff all over the country, learning new charting systems and making new friends--but it all seemed to work out. My wife and I were having a great time exploring new places, and every time I got a new assignment it became easier and my confidence in myself and my nursing skills increased.
I achieved the goal I had set for myself, and once it got rolling I didn’t want to stop. Travel nursing was the third best decision of my life (wife and kids take first and second!). The choice to leave the safe harbor and venture out made for the most awesome adventure I could imagine.
So, in this new year of 2016, challenge yourself with a career change. Travel nursing may seem scary but it won’t let you down. Fill out an application, talk to a recruiter and give it the old college try--you won’t regret it. You’ll soon see how awesome it is and think, “That blogger guy was right!”
Resolve to make a real change in your life and career: try travel nursing in 2016!
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