Joshua C, a MedSurg Oncology Traveler, gets the most out of working on the Jersey Shore
A good word of advice from Joshua - “when you’re on assignment close to the beach, you take advantage of the beach!” The versatility of having a schedule that allows for exploration and taking in the surrounding area(s) happens to be one of the many perks of the travel life. We caught up with Joshua C, a MedSurg Onocology traveler in NJ to hear about his current assignment and how he makes the most of life in the area.
How long have you been with Spire?
About a year ago, I met Dom through social media - she actually reached out on a facebook group and mentioned that she is also from New Jersey. I was excited to hear more from her. We connected from the get-go. Right away, I could tell she was really genuine and that she had my needs and aspirations in mind. Plus, knowing that she was local made me feel at ease. Working with someone who can empathize or sympathize with your current surroundings is a big plus. Suffice it to say, this was a way more refreshing experience than what I had experienced in the past.
Prior to Spire, I was at a different facility in New Jersey — closer to Pennsylvania, working on their internal travel team. I was there for about a year and knew I wanted to find something a little closer to home. Again, knowing that Dom knew the geography better than someone on the other side of the country was a huge boost. I felt really confident working with her the entire time — and still do!
Tell us about your current assignment/area of work
I’m currently at a trauma center near Jersey Shore. It’s a high-capacity facility with close to 400 beds. I’m working MedSurg/Oncology and float just about everywhere in the facility. It has been a great experience thus far. It has taught me a lot — being at a large facility like this. It’s the largest one I’ve been at thus far in my career. Not only is this a large facility, but a new area of work for me. It has been refreshing after coming from ICU and critical care.
The staff is amazing and they have been super welcoming to me. They even threw me a birthday party the other day! Since I’m on my third contract with them, I’ve gotten to know most everyone I work with pretty well. I really enjoy working with the entire team and I know they appreciate my skillset. It’s funny, but I may actually on the older side — there are a lot of younger folks here. The good side of this is that I get to be a mentor to some of them and, since I have an ICU background, I get to help others learn a lot.
I’ve also met a lot of other travelers at this facility — it’s a very travel nurse/tech friendly hospital. Even though I’m a traveler, I don’t feel any different. You get to be yourself and focus on good care.
I honestly really like working here. Everyone has been so great, the facility is modern, everything is clean, and its a really good environment overall.
What is it that you have experienced in your local area that you would want to share?
I think, when it comes to being on a travel assignment, you have to take advantage of the area you are in. Here, you are so close to the beach. If you are in NJ, you HAVE you to make it to the beaches. There are so many to experience… I mean, you’re basically AT the beach where I am, so it is really nice.
