Spire Nurse Stories - Natalie's Story: From Staff Nurse to a Full-Time (Local) Traveler
We work with incredible people - Labor and Delivery Nurses, ER Nurses, Allied Techs, Respiratory Therapists, and the list goes on and on. Healthcare professionals who have seen different parts of the country through different facilities and hospitals — and they all have incredible stories of how their careers have taken shape.
We’d like you to meet Natalie. She started her career as a staff ER Nurse in New Jersey.
“I worked as a staff nurse for over 4 years and wanted to try something different. The thought of being a local travel nurse wasn’t something I had considered before connecting with a recruiter. Seeing how I could hold a flexible schedule, make great pay, and work in a facility that is only 25 minutes from home made me think that it could be the right move forward.”
Natalie’s experience may look a little different to some of those newer to the idea of travel nursing. You may think “all travel nurses fly or drive from city to city on assignments,” however, the opportunities to be a local traveler are abundant.
“I love the convenience of being local,” says Natalie. “There is plenty of flexibility in my schedule, I have a really good rate for my weekly workload, and I’ve enjoyed becoming a part of the team. I’ve actually re-upped my assignment at the same facility for the fourth time since I started with Spire almost a year ago.”
This brings about something we want to dispel when it comes to travelers working in a hospital or any medical facility — Just because you are a traveler does not mean that you immediately subscribe to a different level of work or involvement. There are plenty of “horror” stories you’ve heard of travelers being treated poorly by staff or even treating their assignments as utterly temporary — thus, the “bare minimum” tends to be their approach.
“My approach has always been different. Just because I’m a traveler doesn’t mean that I have to approach my work any differently. I’m part of the team and show up every day as such when I’m in that ER,” says Natalie. “I honestly present myself and think of myself as staff before I’d think of separating myself from the team in any way. I want to help things move along and not just be a person on the floor. You have to jump in and be an equal. You all have the same goal in mind — and that’s taking care of people and saving lives.”
We asked Natalie: “What would be the main piece of advice you’d give a new travel nurse or someone who is considering becoming a full-time traveler?”
“Give any assignment a look if it’s in a place you’d live for the duration of at least two assignments. This will give you the opportunity to get a feel for the location, facility, people, and flow of different times of the year.”
Working with a recruiter who will help you understand and plan around the assignment will always be your best bet. You want to work with a recruiter who can consistently deliver the following:
Know the assignment and EXACTLY what is expected of you.
Have the full pay breakdown and what is included/not included
Make sure your recruiter can help you plan and work towards having the best possible scenario to re-up your assignment at that facility
Suffice it to say, we’re so lucky to work with Natalie. Her story, and many others, are what we love to hear and help develop as our travelers continue to build a career for years to come.