The Gypsy Nurse Spring Virtual Conference 2022: Navigating the Winding Road of Travel Nursing

The Gypsy Nurse Spring Virtual Conference 2022: Navigating the Winding Road of Travel Nursing

The nursing industry is constantly changing and evolving. Are you prepared? Join TNAA’s prestigious panel of experts as they address pressing questions and concerns related to the travel nurse industry. Presenters include Jill Eliassen (VP of Clinical Services), Chelsie Ellis (Clinical Liaison), Brandy Pinkerton (Travel Nurse Mentor), and Brittany Garcia (Director of Nursing). Have your questions and notebooks ready as they discuss ways to navigate the ever-changing travel nurse environment.

Register for this session today!

About The Presenters:

Jill Eliassen BS, BSN, RN: Vice President of Clinical Services at TNAA

Jill Eliassen proudly serves as vice-chair of NATHO’s clinical executive council and as the vice president of clinical services at TNAA, one of the fastest-growing healthcare traveler agencies in the country. With more than 20 years in the healthcare industry, her professional career includes tenure in bedside nursing at a level-one trauma ICU, service as an RN paralegal, and work in rapid response staffing. 

In 2013, Jill joined TNAA and brought a unique skill set combining one-to-one clinician care, risk mitigation, and policy management. She is responsible for building TNAA’s clinical department to its full functionality and leads a team of more than a dozen people, including clinicians and referencing specialists who support thousands of healthcare travelers. She is involved at every step of an assignment’s creation and placement, ensuring that each assignment meets the facility’s needs and the traveler’s goals. Jill, who also holds a bachelor’s degree in healthcare sciences, joined NATHO in 2015 and was appointed vice-chair in 2021. She is also a member of The Joint Commission. Jill lives in Colorado with her husband, two children, and their dogs. She enjoys beautiful Colorado outdoors as she boats and skis with her family in her free time.

Chelsie Ellis: Clinical Liaison

Chelsie received her BSN from Henderson State University in May 2012. She became a travel nurse in April 2016 and took her 1st assignment in Texas. From then on, there was no turning back! Chelsie worked as MedSurg, Tele, and PCU nurse. She completed 21 assignments, traveled to 12 different states, and worked in 16 cities in her travel career. She enjoys traveling as a snowbird, following the warm weather. Her favorite places to live and work include Arizona, Missouri, and Maryland. She traveled with her best dog companion, Roxie. Chelsie’s advice to new travel nurses is to “Be flexible, don’t chase money, chase adventure instead. Then it will truly be something that you love”! Chelsie retired from traveling and bedside nursing in September 2021. She currently works as a Clinical Liaison with TNAA. What Chelsie enjoys most about this job is the ability to new travelers. She helps encourage them on tough days, set expectations, set goals, and give them an idea of what to expect for their 1st assignment. At this time in her life, Chelsie is settling down but hopes to return to travel again before full retirement.

Brandy Pinkerton: Travel Nurse Mentor

Are you considering taking your nursing career to the next level but don’t know how to take that first step? Life is too short to be burnt out, underpaid, and stagnant. Travel nursing allows you the flexibility and freedom to pursue your passion for nursing while traveling, gaining knowledge, and having epic adventures. You get to explore with a purpose! I’m Brandy, your fellow travel nurse friend, and mentor. I have over 18 years of varied nursing experience, including neonatal and pediatric ICU, critical care float pool, flight nursing, and travel nursing. Since pursuing a career as a travel nurse, I’ve had adventures in Florida, Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, and Montana. I’m an avid traveler, hiker, and outdoor enthusiast. Why did I decide to become a travel nurse? I was burned out in my staff job and needed to renew my passion for nursing. After finding a great company and a trustworthy recruiter, I embarked on my first assignment solo with my two doggies in tow and never looked back! Becoming a travel nurse was the best decision I could have made for myself! While I’m grateful I decided to become a travel nurse, I also know that there are a lot of logistics involved in getting started. That’s why I’m here! When you feel overwhelmed, I’m here to be your travel nurse mentor – to team up with you, hold your hand, and give you the confidence you need for a successful journey. Instead of letting you learn the hard way, I’ll tell you all there is to know about travel nursing so that you can feel prepared to leap into this exciting, rewarding profession! I’m all about working smarter, not harder, and I’m happy to mentor my future travel nurse community.

Brittany Garcia: Director of Nursing

Brittany has been a nurse for ten years, most of her time spent in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Nursing is her second career; her first bachelor’s degree is in Biomedical Sciences, where she helped research ethanol fuel production. Brittany attended the University of Miami’s Accelerated BSN program and began her nursing career in the PICU at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Texas. During her time there, she received her Certified Pediatric Nurse credential. Brittany spent about half of her professional career traveling the country with her family as a TNAA travel nurse and earned her Pediatric Critical Care Certified Nurse credential. While traveling, she had the opportunity to work in some of the most prestigious children’s hospitals like Boston Children’s, Seattle Children’s, Arkansas Children’s, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Along the way, Brittany also gained experience in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Cardiovascular ICU, Pediatric Urgent Care, and General Pediatrics. Brittany’s passion for nursing and travel has most recently led her to a position as TNAA’s Director of Nursing, where she looks forward to being a resource for travel healthcare professionals across the industry. She is also working in the PICU at a local children’s hospital to maintain her skills and relevance to the travelers she collaborates with.

Spring Virtual Conference Giveaways

This year we will have giveaways every day during the conference. 

Here’s how you can win!

Each day The Gypsy Nurse will select three winners from that day’s sessions.

To win a $150 Amazon Gift Card – You must register for at least one session per day and comment and interact during that session while it’s Live.

To win a $100 Amazon Gift Card or a The Gypsy Nurse backpack – You must register for at least one session per day and comment and interact during a session while it’s Live.

To win a $50 Amazon Gift Card or The Gypsy Nurse Tumbler and a $25 Starbucks Gift Card – You have to register for at least one session per day.

Example: If you register for a Tuesday session and comment during the Live session, you will be entered to win a $150 Amazon Gift Card, a $100 Amazon Gift Card, or The Gypsy Nurse Backpack. If you only register for a Tuesday session, you will only be entered to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card or The Gypsy Nurse Tumbler and a $25 Starbucks Gift Card.