What a surprise and honor to be chosen traveler of the month. First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Donna, my recruiter, and the entire staff of Travel Nurse across America for being the nicest and most professional company I've ever worked for!
When I was 12 I decided to become a nurse for all the wrong reasons. I thought I would look pretty in white, meet a patient who was not only handsome, but a millionaire, and we'd marry and I would never have to work again. And if that didn't work, I would become a nurse on a cruise ship and travel to exotic places. I also had a morbid curiosity with diseases, not necessarily health.
When I graduated from an "apprenticeship" diploma nursing school in the dark ages, I traded my blue student uniform in for green scrubs, and worked with neonates for the next 20 some years. My babies had no bank accounts and no concept of marriage. Now, 45 years later I'm still wearing colored scrubs (not that pretty white uniform I dreamed of), but now I'm an OR nurse and my patients are mostly asleep. So much for my millionaire and my illusions of a life of leisure. However, I do still believe I made a wise decision back when I was 12. Nursing has been a profession I can practice worldwide, and it offers unlimited opportunities for intellectual, emotional and physical growth. The nursing profession also brings together a group of people from diverse backgrounds who can work together as a team, and laugh together at the end of the day (or at least the next day!)
I have gotten to travel throughout my years in nursing, though not on a fancy cruise ship. I've worked in Italy, France and Saudi Arabia, and during the past few years I truly found my niche as a travel nurse. And the benefits are obvious…no hassle with travel or housing arrangements, or even finding a job! Travel Nurse across America handles all the details in the most friendly and professional way. Thanks to my recruiters I've worked in so many wonderful places. They know I'm an avid hiker so they have found me assignments near mountains! My favorite assignment was in Alaska, or was it Colorado? Or perhaps it was New Mexico, or Washington and it's great Cascade Mountains (even if they do let off steam now and then). I’ve enjoyed each assignment and the beautiful locations that have been home to me while working, so it’s probably too difficult to choose a favorite. Each assignment has held something special for me.
In between assignments I get to return to my home in the California coastal redwoods. I also return to my weaving, gardening and long beach walks before my feet get "itchy" again and I'm eager for my next travel assignment!
