The Gypsy Nurse

Step # 22 How to Make the Most of Your Travel Nurse Contract

Posted by
/ December 20, 2012 / 1 Comment
This entry is part 22 of 28 in the series Treatment Plan: Hypertravelosis
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Treatment Plan: Hypertravelosis

You have arrived at the contract location and you have 13 weeks to explore your new area.  Let’s look at things you can do to make the most of your travel nurse contract.

You have 13 weeks!  It sounds like a lot of time…beware, your travel nurse contract will go extremely quick.  Don’t put off exploring the new neighborhood.  The first thing to do is find out where the local events are posted or published.  There are multiple places that I look to find local events and activities.  Most larger cities have a free entertainment magazine of some sort.  These are generally found at convenience stores, grocery stores, local coffee shops, bars or similar places.  Look near the entrance or ask your co-workers.  Another place to look for local events is facebook.  A quick facebook search for the visitors bureau or ‘city events’ should bring up several options of pages that you can ‘like’ and follow for up to date events.

Make the most of your travel nurse contractI’ve mentioned it before, but it’s worth another mention; Meetup.com is a great resource for group activities.  If you like hiking, join a hiking group.  If you’re interested in exploring local bars and happy hours; there is probably a group for it.  Most larger cities also have some sort of ‘new in town’ group, these are especially nice because everyone in the group is looking to explore the area and they generally have multiple types of events/activities.

If you haven’t already checked it out, Support For Homesickness article has some great resources to help you get out and about on a budget.
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Go outside the local area.  Find out what’s around you.  Perhaps there is a unique or interesting town within a days drive.  A national park to explore or an opportunity for a weekend mini-vacation.  Ask your co-workers, the barista at the local coffee shop or the bartender at the hangout bar.  These people are full of information and are generally happy to share. Depending on your scheduling, you could potentially take several ‘weekend’ trips out-of-town.  Schedule them.

Figuring out how to fit some fun into your contract can be a little difficult at first.  The first two weeks on contract are generally pretty chaotic and sometimes a little stressful as you begin to acclimate to the new facility and co-workers.  I’ve found that my contracts generally break down as follows:

  • Week #1 Excitement/Fear/Introductions.
  • Week #2-4 Learning curve.
  • Weeks # 4-6 For me weeks 4-6 are when I begin to fall into a good groove on the job.
  • Weeks #6-10 This is prime time to take in the sights.
  • Weeks #10-13  This is where things can become monotonous for me.  The great thing is that this is also the time that I am working with recruiters and seeking out my next adventure.

You will fall into your own 13 week flow and figure out where you’re most likely to be able to get out and enjoy the area that you’re in.  One final word of caution….Don’t put it off for ‘tomorrow’.  13 Weeks can pass by extremely quickly. Make sure to make the most of your Travel Nurse Contract.

 

 

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TheGypsyNurse

Owner at The Gypsy Nurse
As a travel nursing educator, Candy aka Gypsy Nurse, RN has worked in healthcare for nearly 20 years, working up the ranks from CNA to LPN to RN. For the past eight years, she’s worked as a travel nurse, allowing her to practice and live in 14 states throughout the U.S. She regularly shares advice for those interested in travel nurse jobs on her website at: www.thegypsynurse.com.
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