Maui & More: RN Gets Immersed in Travel Nursing
South Carolina nurse now lists Hawaii, California and Oregon among her favorite places
By Megan Murdock Krischke, contributor
After working for nearly a decade as a nurse, Heather Dennis, RN, was finally able to pursue her dream of a travel nursing career in November 2015. This talented nurse traveler has experience in med–surg, pulmonary and step down units, and is currently on assignment in Maui, Hawaii, in a telemetry nursing unit.
“I’ve wanted to work as a traveler since I graduated and finally had the opportunity,” Dennis explained. “I loved the idea of getting to see the whole country while working. You can’t fully experience a new place in a week, but when you stay for three months, you get to become part of a place and it gets to become part of you.”
Telemetry nursing is her passion. “I love seeing these patients that were too tired or weak to walk more than two times around the block, then they come in and get stents placed in their heart, or new vessels in an open heart surgery, and they’re like a whole new person again.”
Dennis prioritizes location over specialty, so she sometimes chooses assignments that are not in a telemetry unit. She works travel RN jobs with American Mobile, a leading nurse staffing agency that helps her with job placements and relocation, including licensing assistance, free housing, travel reimbursements and more.
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Dennis travels with her boyfriend, who is free of geographic constraints because he is on full disability resulting from his military service. He loves to travel with Dennis and sometimes picks up odd jobs in her assignment locations.
“He thinks it is fun to experience things together and has shared in meeting new people and doing fun things.”
Creating memories in new places
This native of South Carolina has been creating lasting memories during her travel RN assignments, including previous stints in San Francisco and Berkeley, Calif., and Eugene, Ore. She also buys a Christmas ornament in each location to keep as a memento.
“Alaska is on my bucket list--but I don’t want to be there in the winter. I’d also like to go to Flagstaff or Phoenix, Ariz., and perhaps Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket in the summer,” she stated.
“Maui has been my favorite location so far,” Dennis raved. “The weather is beautiful. It is amazing that on a day off I don’t have to spend money to have fun--I can just jump in the ocean and swim with sea turtles.”
She has found the people in Maui to be friendly, and the scenery beyond compare. “One of my favorite things I’ve done here is drive the road to Hana. It is the location where Jurassic Park was filmed--a rainforest with waterfalls everywhere.”
Making the most of each travel RN job
When on assignment in California, Dennis and her boyfriend visited Sonoma, Napa, Monterey and Caramel by the Sea. They did all the classic tourist things in San Francisco--riding a cable car, going to Pier 39 to see sea lions and visiting Alcatraz. She has also enjoyed meeting new people during her travels, including two friends who have already visited her in Maui.
She expects to keep working travel nursing jobs for another year or so, which is something she reports has already made her a better nurse.
“Working as a traveler has definitely made me a more well-rounded and adaptable nurse. After two days of orientation, you jump in and it is sink or swim,” Dennis noted. “However, the staff at all the hospitals I’ve worked in have been friendly and helpful.” Going into each job with an open mind and a willing attitude help staff respond in kind, she has found.
“It isn’t easy to pack up and move every three months,” she said. “But working as a traveler truly gives you the freedom to travel the country and make new friends everywhere you go. The pros definitely outweigh the cons.”
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