Your Travel Nurse Home

You now have the keys to your travel nurse home for the next 13 weeks.  I’m going to give you some tips on Settling in and making it feel a bit more like home.

You should have completed the necessary checklist and confirmed that the housing is satisfactory.

Most likely, you have a short weekend in order to get settled in before you report to the job location on Monday.  If you have taken my previous advice on packing, you wont have a lot of unpacking to do.  Everyone has their own process for settling in to a new travel nurse home.  I can’t rest and relax until everything is put away and groceries are in the cabinets.  I will normally unpack and put everything away immediately, grab a bite to eat at a local restaurant and then do my grocery shopping (never shop hungry).  This leaves me one full day to rest and relax before heading to work on Monday.  I’ll let you decide how you want to proceed with the unpacking.

A few things to keep in mind as you are unpacking and settling in:

• Take note of anything that might need maintenance, is broken, or damaged.  Although you have (hopefully) already completed a checklist inspection, some things are found during the unpacking process.
• If any of the furniture is in disrepair, note it and notify the appropriate person.  Sometimes this is the leasing company and other times, furniture is arranged separately though your company.
• Make certain that all locks and keys work.  Check your mailbox, community areas as well as the apartment door(s) and window(s).

A few more items to complete:

Organize a grocery list and don’t forget the following:

• Condiments (ketchup, mustard, etc.)
• Staples (flour, sugar, spices, salt/pepper, etc.)
• Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, etc.)
• Bath products (soap, shampoo, etc.)

Make your apartment a ‘home’

In an effort to make my travel nurse home feel a bit more “homey,” I generally make a stop at the local goodwill or dollar store to pick up a few items. Some items you may want on this list include:

• Candles or a few decorative items
• Seasonal Items
  • Outdoor furniture/chairs (especially nice if you have a patio)
  • Holiday Decorations (if you are spending the holidays on contract)
• Large items that you may not carry with you
  • Broom and Dustpan
  • Trash Containers
  • Large bowls/storage containers
  • Snow Shovel (depending on the location)

If you didn’t find out the following, make sure to drop by the leasing office and ask the following:

• Location of mailboxes (does your key work).
• Location of Trash.
• Pet Policies (if applicable)
• Ask about maintenance after hours contact information.
• Location of Parking, visitor parking, (covered or not, important in areas such as AZ).
• Hours of use for any community areas, laundry, pool, etc.

Is there something that you as an experienced travel nurse have on your ‘settling in’ list?  Is there an item that you always forget?  Mine is salt and pepper!  I always need it, yet it’s the one thing that I consistently forget to pick up on my initial shopping trip. (or I did until I developed a Move-In shopping list!)