30 Travel Nursing Assignments and Counting. Wow!

To mark her 30th assignment, this ICU nurse shares her adventures -- from visiting the Navajo Nation, to helicopter transport, to eating shrimp with her Grand-daddy.

When I began my travel nursing journey -- I had no idea that I would still be on the road nearly 30 assignments and eight years later. But it’s been one heck of a ride! My assignment in North Carolina had me the closest to home that I’ve worked since I laced up my traveling shoes. I’m actually working a mere 90 minutes from my old stomping grounds.

Just last week I ran into two former coworkers—one is a traveler like myself, working at the same facility, and the other is someone I’ve known since high school! We were in management together at my last permanent job, and he now works for the facility's transport service. We happened to be transporting a patient together, and I was able to reassure our very-scared-to-fly passenger, “I’ve known this guy since he was fourteen. See all that gray hair? If he’s kept himself out of harm’s way that long, he can keep you safe for a 20 minute helicopter ride.” Oddly enough, it worked! I’ve been nursing way too long not to get creative with whatever resources I have available. Who knew it would be childhood friendships?

In fact, my grandparents used to live only a short drive from the hospital where I'm now working. As a little girl, when I spent time with them, we often came to here for seafood because Granddaddy Willard was “craving shrimp.” As I later discovered, my grandparents knew that I was a kid who just loved shrimp. I was an adult before I realized that Grandpa often “changed his mind” after we got to the restaurant and ordered flounder instead -- while I tucked into my big plate of shrimp. Now that they’ve both been gone for so many years, it’s special to drive past that old restaurant site on my way to work. It’s a memory that always makes me smile.

As a travel nurse, I’ve been to the Painted Desert in the northwest corner of the Navajo Nation. I’ve worked along the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, the busy I40 corridor between Nashville and Memphis, and multiple travel assignments in Northern Virginia region just west of DC. I’ve worked busy teaching hospitals and tiny community access hospitals. I’ve been in metropolitan areas and I’ve been in areas with nearly no cell service.

But until my 30th assignment, I’ve never been somewhere where folks recognize my accent and find comfort food at the same places that I do -- though there was a great debate a few shifts ago as to whether it’s “chicken and pastry” or “chicken and dumplings!” Here, they want to know “who my people” are and if by chance we’re related somehow. And oddly enough, we just might be!

Traveling is an amazing way of life, but it can be a lonely place for someone who values family and home as much as I do. After all, “family and home” are two of my biggest reasons for traveling. The financial and tax benefits to what I do have allowed my husband to restructure his career, so we can provide better support for our parents as they age. I don’t regret my decision to hit the road for a moment, in spite of a few moments of homesickness here and there.

But that’s why my recruiter since day one and American Traveler have been such a key part of my journey. I have had some amazing experiences, and I hope to have more. I’ve seen the Northern Lights dance across the sky. I’ve seen moose walk down the highway beside me on my way to work. I’ve seen Rolling Thunder in DC for Memorial Day. I’ve walked outside of Graceland and seen Memphis at its best. I’ve been to the Grand Canyon and to Monument Valley. There are pictures of me sitting on top of “the horseshoe” and inside Antelope Canyon. I’ve learned how to say “Grandpa” in Navajo. I’ve seen a traditional Navajo ceremony for healing done inside the hospital over that same Grandpa’s bed. The list is endless.

When I was battling a bit of burnout and needed a little taste of home, my wonderful team at American Traveler found me an assignment where my roots are, where every restaurant serves tea sweet and is offended if you ask for it otherwise. Where nobody hears my accent and asks, “You’re not from here, are you?” In just a few weeks, it will be time to stretch out the radius again. Time to make new memories, see new things, and go new places. But for now, a little renewal is a beautiful thing. Self care is critical. We preach it to our patients and families all the time. So for now, I’m soaking up this time in North Carolina, basking in the land of sweet tea and biscuits, restoring my soul with family -- and vinegar based BBQ sauce. And yes, a few plates of shrimp, in memory of my Granddaddy.

Needless to say, Stephanie is one of our favorite travelers, and we are so thankful that she has shared her journey with us.