By Debra Wood, RN, contributor
Seeking the flexibility to easily relocate as her boyfriend is reassigned to different military bases, Francesca Lind, RN, decided to try travel nursing and is having a great time.
“I love it,” Lind said. “The hospital is wonderful. The people I work with are wonderful.”
Lind, 38, spent a year researching different travel nursing companies before signing on with leading staffing company American Mobile Healthcare. She feels grateful that her recruiter worked to find her a med-surg telemetry assignment in North Carolina, near her boyfriend’s base.
Born in Italy, Lind longed to become a cardiovascular surgeon but found the schooling too expensive and became a certified public accountant. She moved to the United States in 1998 and made friends with a woman, attending nursing school, who persuaded Lind to give it a try.
Not sure if she it would be right for her, Lind decided to test the waters first as a licensed practical nurse. She liked it, challenged associate degree courses and graduated as a registered nurse in 2002. She is now working on a bachelor’s-master’s degree bridge program, having set her sights on becoming a nurse practitioner by 2009.
“This is what I am going to be when I grow up, and I’m not quite grown up,” Lind said.
Lind gained experience in cardiac telemetry at Washington state and Texas hospitals. She finds work and personnel cliques the same from facility to facility, but doesn’t let that bother her.
“I’m the kind of person who is very flexible,” Lind said. “I adjust easily to any kind of environment. I’m very rarely cranky, and when I go to work, I’m always happy.”
That spirit has allowed her to make friends wherever she goes. People gravitate to her cheerfulness and can-do approach to life.
“They made me feel like one on them, and that was important,” Lind said. “I am learning new things and sharing things that I know, and I feel very complete.”
Lind often signs up for extra full or short shifts, racking up as many as 54 hours in one week, which helps the pocketbook. Since shopping is a favored activity, the extra funds have come in handy.
A history buff and art aficionado, Lind enjoys touring galleries, museums, old houses and battlefields. She appreciates being able to see the sights while staying at a rent-free, beautifully furnished apartment, in a nice complex with friendly neighbors.
Lind also reads while on the road, taking time to pour through a new hospital’s policy and procedure manuals before going to work. She also completes any of the hospital’s continuing education requirements, even though travelers are exempt.
“I like to keep myself updated and informed,” Lind said.
Lind encourages other nurses to try traveling, especially anyone without commitments tying them to one place.
“Enjoy your life, because it is too short. Travel. Meet new people. See new places,” she advised. “Be positive. Turn negatives to positive. That’s when we learn.”
© 2007. AMN Healthcare, Inc. All Rights Reserved.