Each month, the Favorite Travel team will choose a Travel RN to be featured as our “Travel Nurse of the Month.” This month we have a brother duo! We will share photos and our Q & A sessions to help others get an inside look at the life of a Favorite Travel Nurse! Keep reading to learn more about this month’s pick and search our nationwide travel nursing opportunities.
R: My brother Mike was the first of my brothers to become a nurse. His work stories made me feel that I should be doing that kind of work. He is very dedicated to his patients.
B: I chose nursing as my second career because nursing would allow me to travel from state to state. Plus, I wanted to learn and practice the skill set of being able to render medical assistance and in emergencies to be able to save lives.
R: My brother Bryan told me to quit my hospital job and go to Indiana with him for a chance to see snow (we are from Florida).
B: I really enjoyed my traveling experiences from my military days and travel nursing was an opportunity to travel around again. I really enjoy seeing new places and taking part in new experiences.
R: Each destination has unique things to offer. Indiana has hiking trails just for cross country skiing.
B: That’s a tossup, I really enjoyed my Port Richie and Tampa experience. I worked with some incredible people in Port Richie. My team of nurses were top notch, all of whom I would certainly work with again. Tampa was great with plenty to see and plenty to do. Currently I am in Indiana where I wake up to 17-degree snowy mornings. I see snowplows everywhere clearing the roads and it is cold enough that my truck doors get frozen shut, so I must grease the door seals. I absolutely love it! On my days off I have been snow hiking, cross country skiing, snowboarding, and if I can find a rental place, I want to ride a snow mobile around until my face freezes solid.
R: As a travel nurse, I get to see things and go places while maintaining a nice income which keeps my wife happy.
B: I think it is the variety that I appreciate so much in travel nursing. I meet new people, I see new places and I get to experience so much more than if I were stationary in one single location. I do wish I had started travel nursing years ago, but I am making up for it now.
R: During time away from my friends and family I find comfort in my Amazon habit. I really should stop.
B: I would say my phone and my laptop. My phone because that is my camera for all my new experiences plus, I use the heck out of my GPS maps to find all these cool and fun places to go. My laptop because we nurse still have reports to generate and CEU’s to maintain, oh and that is how I watch my Netflix.
R: I am very fortunate to have wonderful siblings (two brothers and a sister). We are all so close. Bryan and I talked for the entire road trip from Florida to Indiana. Never a boring moment I tell you.
B: Having my brother work this travel assignment with me works well. I know he is watching out for me the same way I am watching out for him and it is good I think to have someone around that you can count on if needed. Plus, he used to teach snowboarding in Oregon so that is handy, and he gets my jokes no matter how outdated or Monty Python referenced they are.
R: When the timing is right, a travel nursing job is a great way to add spice to a tiring nursing career. Get a friend and pick a place you want to visit. If it is not right for you then pick a different place next time.
B: I would recommend they just dive in and give it a try. Have your vehicle road worthy and dependable. Other than that, there are Walmart’s everywhere for anything you might think of once you arrive at your new destination.
R: I had to get used to wearing my N95 correctly. I hated it. Now I am so used to it that I wear it in the shower. Not.
B: I have learned that having a good team of coworkers makes an incredible difference in whether the job gets done successfully. I was fortunate enough to have such a group of coworkers while on assignment in Florida and even now that we are all working different assignments, we still communicate and check up on each other seeing how things are going. I think it is the difficult or out of norm assignments that present something of a challenge that can bring a good team together.
R: Bryan will not let me drive his truck, so I must explore each new area on foot. I’ve found some fun stores. By stores I mean Pubs. I am collecting hoodies from places with goofy names like Mishawaka.
B: I enjoy having fun just like anybody else. I facetime with my daughter back home. She misses me but she knows I am off working to make things better for us when the whole COVID crisis is over. I have noticed that I like to be dependable and reliable. I like to ensure that my friends and coworkers are safe and well. Sometimes it means simply putting new windshield wiper blades on their vehicles when we get that Florida hurricane weather, other times it means I am the one pulling their vehicles up the embankment because they did not see the black ice, even though it had been snowing all night long. Big hint there. So now I am making big foot tracks in the snow, hoping to scare somebody, anybody.
R: It is tough to always be the example you want to be. I try and be the one that makes the difference in a person’s day. When that happens, it encourages me to keep trying.
B: And to my fellow health care workers out there working the swab sites, infusion clinics, vaccinating, doing bedside, ER, and anything in between, I say this to all of you…You all ROCK! You all keep on doing what you are doing. You all are making a difference in so many people’s lives. This COVID thing will be over one day and it will be amazing to have been a part of the recovery of pretty much all of America.
Ever wondered what it would be like to explore the country while you are working? Join Favorite, a travel nursing agency and become a travel RN. Experience adventures just like the Wright brothers! If you want to explore more into our healthcare blog please visit our blog.
