Gypsy Nursing

Shortly after I got back from Haiti, Sofia convinced me to look into travel nursing.  In college I had given it some thought, but NEVER thought I'd have the guts to actually go through with it.  Once I realized I could survive Haiti, I figured a hospital in the States probably would be manageable.  We pretty much decided in January (shortly after we got back from a riot filled Haiti trip) that we'd start traveling.  By February, our applications were sent in, we quit our jobs, and were waiting anxiously to hear from our recruiter.  Sofia and I quickly came up with a little list of places we thought would be neat to see and began our insanely fun journey.  As with any crazy transition, I was a bit on the nervous side - I mean I used to get anxious sleeping over friends' houses, how was I going to handle three months in a new state, new job, new apartment? 

It wasn't long until we each had a brief phone interview from a hospital out in San Francisco - we were going to California!  Go big or go home, right?  So now we knew where we were headed, how were we going to get there?  I hate to admit my materialistic side, but I just have to say, I thoroughly enjoy cruising around in my Jeep Wrangler.  The second I step in it, I am in a good mood.  I knew that no matter what, that good ol Jeep would be making the long road trip to CA.  I have since upgraded a little bit, but here's the original "Max."

Thank goodness my Dad is the ultimate car packer, he somehow helped fit three months worth of "stuff" for two 20-something year old girls.  Sure, we didn't have the best visibility through the back and side windows...actually we had no visibility - but the nondriver became the much needed backup navigator.  Sorry Sof that we were so squished, and the ride was a bit bumpy - but thanks for not making me part with Max.  :) 

Hey - it made for some pretty good stories right?  And the zipper windows are clutch when keys get magically locked inside.

Nursing Application: Tape fixes everything!  

Here are a few shots from the road - palm trees, fake buildings along the highway, dust storms - ya know the norm.

My favorite though...while Sofia was navigating through the borderline tornado weather in the great state of TN I said, "Haha, look over there, doesn't it look like there's a guy huddled in the bed of that truck...wait a second - it is a guy!!!"

Sofia introduced me to a lot of firsts:

 

 I still can't believe some of the places we've been and landscapes we've seen. 

 The people we've met along the way have definitely helped me realize that this was the best career move I have made yet.

It's easy to say I've learned a lot about nursing, I mean adapting to multiple hospitals doesn't give you much of a choice.  But more importantly, I have learned quite a bit about what makes me tick.  It's been a fun ride so far and I can't wait to see what's in store for me next.



Turtle Power!