I came across this ebook called Hello Agency Nurse the other day and it made me think about the fact that despite all the great benefits that come with a travel nursing job, it can still make a difficult job tougher if you face resentment and resistance from the permanent nurses you work with at some assignments.
Looking through the preview pages of this book (I did not buy it) it is clear that the author has encountered travel nurses in her hospital that have shaped her opinion of all travel nurses. It is sad that a few bad apples can create an impression of the entire bunch, but that is how stereotypes are formed I guess.
As a travel nurse you will never know what kind of setting you are encountering or what can kind of reception you will receive. So you need to go into every assignment with the right attitude that is appropriate whether you are going into the world’s nurse traveler friendliest hospital or the most difficult.
You can do that by remembering when you interact with your new co-workers that the nurses you are now working with may have worked with bad traveling RNs in the past and are not looking forward to training a new one who will be moving on in 13 weeks and may be stressed and /or overworked themselves. Just keep in mind that you are there to help them and focus on these 13 key areas:
- Learn to embrace challenges
- Commit to being a problem solver
- Stay flexible
- Have a great resume and be able to walk the talk
- Have strong clinical skills
- Stay organized
- Develop great people skills
- Learn to “read” people
- Be assertive without being pushy
- Be a professional
- Be on-time
- Be willing to help
- Go beyond your job description (when appropriate)
By keeping these areas in mind you can tear down a little of the negative stereotypes of travel nurses that are out there on each assignment you work.
Remember a bad experience sticks with people a lot longer than a good one, so if you encounter a nurse who has a preconceived notions about travel nurses, don’t fret, just be awesome.