Many thanks and congrats to the September 2019 Traveler of the Month, Michelle R., and also our Rising Star winner, Christopher M.!
Traveler of the Month Michelle is a critical access BSN/RN who loves to float between OB, MS, and ER. She’s been in nursing for 10 years and working in travel healthcare for nearly four years.
Michelle works with Career Consultant Ashley Klein and is currently on assignment in Libby, Montana.
“Libby has an amazing hospital with a wonderful staff,” she says. “They all work well together and welcome travelers with open arms. The bonus is the area is so beautiful.”
Michelle is all about getting out and adventuring. (See the end of this post for more of her amazing photos!)
“I have a 2015 Harley Freewheeler Trike,” she says. “I open water dive with my husband, Tom, and our favorite place to dive is Freeport, Bahamas, but we’ve also dived in Roatan and Cancun.”
Michelle travels with her 3-year-old Miniature Schnauzer, Floki — yes, from the TV show “Vikings,” she says — and hubby Tom loves to come visit her on contract, especially if there’s fly fishing involved.
“My husband has five years and then he will retire from law enforcement and start traveling with me full time,” says Michelle.
When it comes to her favorite things about travel nursing, Michelle is all about variety and learning.
“I love the variety of places I can travel and learning new things at each travel assignment,” she says. “It has made me a better and more confident nurse.”
Michelle offered up some fabulous tips for new and aspiring travel healthcare professionals:
“Don’t start traveling too soon. Give yourself a chance to develop your skills. We don’t get orientation as a traveler so you must be confident in your skills. You worked too hard to get your RN, why risk it?
“Reach out to travelers who have been doing it a long time and ask many, many questions before you decide to start traveling. We are an ‘at will’ employee. Things change with a blink of an eye.”
“Go to TravCon in Vegas. It’s in September and it is worth the money. They have re-certification courses, CEUs, and many, many wonderful lectures. You will learn a lot. You will also be able to talk to many companies and recruiters to see who fits you best as a traveler. All of our needs are different so one company doesn’t fit all.”
Thank you for your awesome work, wise advice, and zest for life, Michelle!
Rising Star Christopher is a sterile processing tech who was most recently on assignment at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. He’s been working with Career Consultant Branden Thomas since July 2019, and Branden had really great things to say about Christopher’s talent, skill, and work ethic.
“Christopher works extremely hard and has received positive feedback from the facility,” says Branden. “In fact, they brought him on perm because of his stellar performance.”
Thanks for being such a great traveler and we wish you the best in your new adventure, Christopher!
Congratulations again to the Medical Solutions September 2019 Traveler of the Month and Rising Star. Michelle and Christopher, thank you both so much for your incredible work!
Could you be the next Medical Solutions Traveler of the Month or Rising Star? Travelers who receive a perfect hospital evaluation are eligible to win these monthly awards — with Rising Star going to newer Medical Solutions Travelers. Click here to learn more and to see if you could be the next winner of a $100 Visa or Amazon gift card as recognition for a job well done!
