By Melissa Wirkus, staff writer
For Betty Reed, RN, every assignment brings new adventure and new friends.
Since 2004, this adventurous OR nurse specializing in pediatric surgery has been all over the U.S. on assignments with leading travel staffing company American Mobile Healthcare. Reed enjoys the adventure and unknown that comes with traveling, as she gets to know the cultures and people of every place she visits.
Always on the move, Reed is currently on assignment in Sitka, Alaska.
Just by looking out the window from her home in Sitka, Reed has an uninterrupted view of the arctic’s natural landscape.
“Sitka is absolutely incredibly beautiful,” she said. “The ocean is in front of us and the mountains are behind us.”
The town has proved to be Reed’s own personal zoo where she has seen eagles, ravens, otters and sea lions in their natural habitats. “I’m getting excited for the herring to come in mid-March,” she said. “But I have not seen the whale yet.”
Few would be brave enough to choose an assignment in one of the coldest destinations on earth, but Reed insists the weather is just fine.
Besides enjoying the wildlife and Native cultures of Alaska, Reed is an avid photographer and loves spending time with her friends.
“Going to different cities and experiencing different lifestyles has been my favorite part of traveling,” Reed said. “Seeing different cultures and different ways of life has been amazing.”
With a home base in Grand Junction, Tennessee, the spirited nurse originally began traveling to relieve her “traveling itch” which makes it hard for her to stay in one place for an extended period of time.
“I did not want to have to be tied down to one facility,” Reed said. “I wanted to be able to go to one hospital to the next and not be tied down to one area.”
Reed has been to just about every corner of the country and every place she visits holds a special place in her heart.
“I’ve been to Indiana, Virginia, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas and Alaska,” Reed said. “These places are all favorites of mine but my most favorite place to work is in Little Rock, Arkansas at the Children’s Hospital.”
Although Reed travels for the excitement and fresh experiences, she also credits her traveling adventures for helping her discover her true passion.
“Finding out how much I love pediatric surgery has been the most rewarding part of my travels,” she said. “If it were not for traveling I would not have realized how much my work means to me.”
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