Spire Nurse Stories: Meet Jade - A Travel Nurse of 12+ Years
We’d like you to meet Jade — A Travel Nurse based in Amarillo, TX. Her career as a travel nurse started over 12 years ago. Not during the pandemic. Not recently. She has been at this for some time and she’s seen more of our country in different areas of focus than most have seen in longer healthcare careers. She has seen many different areas of healthcare - working as an Air Evac Flight Nurse (see the awesome helicopter photo in the slideshow below!), in the ICU, as an EMT in an ambulance, Recovery, Trauma Surgery, and more.
“When I started out as a traveler it was a different world than it is now. The pay wasn’t great. The hours were wild. My priority was taking care of my family and working anywhere I could within a 4-6-hour driving radius of home,” said Jade. “Working anywhere I could on weekends, nights, and holidays was what I did for years. Most of my assignments were in an ICU, but I’ve worked in a lot of different areas in so many hospitals and facilities. So many great teams and people who were good to me. It helped me keep going.”
Some of the travel nurse stories you’ll hear about (or see on social media) may have an “adventure is out there” type of feel — and that’s a good thing! However, the aspects of travel healthcare being first and foremost a career doesn’t always take the spotlight. It’s the livelihood. It’s a career choice that doesn’t always have a linear path and pretty photos of sunsets in the mountains or beachside hangouts. Some of the incredibly talented nurses we work with travel for their careers because they are really, really good at it — and they have families to provide for.
“I hit a point where I knew I was done seeing the country on every assignment. The travel bug was starting to wear off and I wanted to have some regularity. I worked everywhere close to home, in NYC during the height of COVID, and more. When a colleague mentioned Spire, I wanted to check them out and see what it may look like for my career. So I got in touch with Jeff and that was two years ago.”
Learning from the travelers we work with has been monumentally important. Jade, and so many other professionals, help us tailor our approach and give good counsel on making the travel nurse atmosphere better for new travelers — and a brighter future for any healthcare professional. Thusly, Jade has a few points of advice for anyone looking to start their career as a traveler, or those who recently stepped into the field:
“Hire a CPA or a damn-good accountant.” When it comes to managing finances, don’t leave anything to chance — and certainly work towards being informed. Work with a recruiter who will offer guidance and/or direct help.
“Have ample experience in the area you’re going to work in so you can focus on functioning within the unit.” When you step onto the floor, you don’t want to be a bottleneck or the person slowing the team down. Do your homework, put in the time, and be a contributor from day 1.
“Know how to pack your bag for any part of the country.” Honestly. Don’t think you know what you need. Plan, plan, plan. Take the extra socks and gloves or sunscreen. You never know when you’ll need it. (Look for a follow-up blog with Jade on this!)
“Professional adventures have led me to realms of personal and career satisfaction I never thought possible. You just have to give the journey a shot.” - Jade