How to Balance Adventure and Compassion As a Travel Nurse
A travel nurse is a registered nurse who works temporary contracts for hospitals and healthcare centers away from their home base. This career option is not for everyone and requires a lot of flexibility.
Express interest with a staffing agency to be paired with a recruiter. You can then discuss your preferred locations and find the jobs that match your needs.
1. Take Care of Yourself
The adventure of travel nursing can be exciting, but it can also be draining due to the constant relocation and long shifts. It’s essential for travel nurses to practice self-care in order to keep themselves healthy both mentally and physically.
One of the best ways to do this is by staying socially connected with others. This can be done by spending time with locals, making friends with other travel nurses, and keeping in touch with family back home. It’s also important to surround yourself with positive people, as negativity can be contagious and affect your mood.
Another way to take care of yourself is by getting enough sleep. This can be difficult for travel nurses because of their frequent sleeping schedules, but it’s essential that they prioritize sleep to maintain a balanced lifestyle. Lastly, it’s important for travel nurses to get some alone time every day. This could be taking a walk, doing something creative, or just sitting quietly.
2. Spend Time With Your Family
Many travel nurses come into the job with the dream of one day being a full-time family-person while still maintaining their career. It’s certainly not easy, but it’s possible.
Travel nursing often places you far from home, and it may be a long drive or flight to get to your loved ones. That’s why it’s so important to find a balance between work and family life. If you can’t, compassion fatigue can set in.
Whether you’re working at a children’s hospital for the holidays or you’re in the middle of a long-term assignment at a small rural clinic, taking time to spend with your family will make you happy and healthier as a nurse.
It’s also a good idea to talk with your recruiter early about your plans for balancing family and travel nursing. Then, they can help you find assignments and locations that are family-friendly. If your family isn’t on board with the concept of you being a travel nurse, give them time to process it.
3. Make New Friends
Building community is a priority for travel nurses because it keeps them excited to do their jobs and have meaningful experiences on assignment. It can also keep them grounded and rooted to their friends and family back home.
Making new friends as a travel nurse can be challenging, but not impossible. The first step is to meet people with common interests and then expand from there. If you’re into music, check out a local band or attend a live performance. If you’re a dog lover, try heading to a local dog park or joining a pet meetup group. If you’re into sports, find a local league or join an adult recreational class to meet people and burn off some energy.
Many travel nurses will go through an orientation during their first week of work at a hospital. Make sure to introduce yourself to the other travel nurses in your class and exchange numbers. Also, don’t be afraid to reach out to other travel nurses on social media.
4. Take Time Off
Travel nurses often accept assignments far away from their family and friends. While they can talk to those people over the phone, it’s not the same as being able to spend time with them in person. This can lead to a feeling of loneliness.
The flexibility that travel nursing provides means that you can choose where you want to work and when. For example, if you like sunny weather, you can move to Florida for a winter assignment. Or, if you love skiing, you can get a contract in Montana or Wisconsin.
Another perk of travel nursing is that you can take as much time off as you want between assignments. That means you can relax, veg out and recharge. That’s a great way to combat compassion fatigue. Contact Trusted Nurse Staffing to learn more about travel nurse assignments and start your own adventure today! Our team of recruiters care about your career goals and can help you find the perfect travel nurse assignments.
