Sun. Beach. Mountains. Desert. Snow. Heat. Cold. Work? Yes you can have it all in this state. I just finished my first contract ever as a traveling #ER nurse in #California and I, overall, LOVED it.
Insert Tupac soundtrack here.
My 13 week contract began in November, just in time to be away from my family and friends during most of the major holidays. Sad face. My first day arriving to sunny south California I went straight to the #SantaMonicaPier. There was a diverse amount of people, it was 80 degrees, and I was craving
mango with lime and tajin.
I walked the boardwalk with my S.O. enjoying the views of the ocean. We ate, took a bunch of pictures, bought my must-have refrigerator magnet, and found our way to our hotel. From the hotel we decided to make a trial drive to the new hospital I would be working at (I highly suggest this). I wanted to gauge the amount of time I needed to get to work with LA traffic (as a person that lives 5 minutes from the Holland tunnel and drives frequently in NY, NY you ain’t got nothing on this LA traffic).
I started my first #travelassignment at a smaller scale emergency room where it was staffed with mostly travelers. Some travelers had extended their contract past a year, some were mid contract, some started around the same time as I did. All in all the environment was warm and welcoming, fuzzy almost. I was contracted for nights (because I’m a night owl at heart) but had my first shift orientation on days. I never understood this concept in nursing orientation but I just work here…. or there, whatever. I was supposed to have two days of floor orientation before being on my own but on my second shift, surprise, I was on my own. It was fine, I’m confident enough in my own skills and all I needed was the whereabouts of supplies and the seldom “am I allowed to do this here or nah?”. I’ve learned that travel nursing is a constant learn as you go situation and you have to be open and receptive to what the new place allows or doesn’t. In my first few weeks of working, my brain was still wired to “how my old hospital did things” and I realized as I progressed in my contract the information I learned in my prior experiences was now merely a resource for my own information.
Here’s my tidbits of advice:
Have an OPEN mind, things are different everywhere you go and just because things were done one way at one place doesn’t mean they’re the same in other places
ASK QUESTIONS, you may know things regarding your specialty, your job requirements, etc., but you don’t know everything. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I recently learned what Norco was in California because it was the drug of choice for narcotic prescribers. I thought everyone had an accent while saying Narcs (don’t ask) until I asked. Norco is to Vicodin as Metoprolol is to Lopressor. They also didn’t know what K-riders were and thought I made the term up, if only I were that cool.
Keep a small notebook to write numbers, notes, directions down. I bought the cutest set of Rugrats themed 5’ notebooks (I’m a kid at heart, sue me) from Amazon and wrote down all the things I needed for the assignment down to what they require for charting. I know some people use their phones but remember, depending on the hospital they won’t allow you to use your phone.
Find where their drug resource is, emergency departments tend to use the same drugs for certain disease processes but as we all know brands change according to affordability. I ran into medication names I’ve never heard of before until I found the drug resource and bam, it's just sildenafil.
KNOW the hospital policies, if you don’t know where they are, ask! There are some things that are common knowledge like EMTALA and such but there are others that are gray and you need to know the policy. You don’t have to memorize them, just know where they are so you can reference them when and if the time comes.
And, probably most importantly, BE NICE, BE FRIENDLY, BE KIND. No one wants to help someone who has an attitude towards everything, is not receptive, or just isn’t nice. You will guarantee yourself a bad experience with a bad attitude. I know, I know, there are places that are not welcoming to travelers, trust me I’ve worked there, but a place shouldn’t change who you are.
I met some awesome nurses from all over the country in my first travel nurse assignment. I made it a point to learn something from my team members and to take appreciation to different practices for the common purpose of taking care of people. I was able to work and explore California in my 13 week assignment. Would I live in California in the future? I don't know, the homelessness and drug abuse in this state is an epidemic that was really disturbing to live around. I almost felt guilty exploring at times while I passed people sleeping on the streets and tent camps throughout the state. I understand why there is a high rate of homelessness but it's unsettling, even shocking, and I never got over that. I would absolutely go back to visit or maybe work again. For sure.
Comments