DEBT FREE!!!! :)

If there is one thing about beng a travel nurse that you should know it's that the pay is AMAZING!!!  But, you have to understand that I uproot my life every 3 months, drive countless hours to get to the next assignment, live out of boxes, be away from my family/friends when important things are going on, make a new set of friends in every new place, so in order to do all these things at least 4 times a year there has to be a little incentive!!!  One thing that this profession has done for me has set me up finanical to the point where I don't feel like I have to pinch every penny.  When I was a staff nurse at a hospital in KC, I would have to be very concious as to what bills were due, when I was getting paid next, how much I could afford to put into savings, etc.  In the 9 months that I have been a travel nurse, I have earned enough money to pay off my car, which was really the only thing that put me in debt because I don't have credit cards...and since the last payment on my car finally cleared my bank I can offically say that I'M DEBT FREE!!!!!!  After taking the Dave Ramsey class a couple years ago with my roommate...all I can think about is shouting it from the mountain tops or maybe calling into his radio station and proclaiming it there too!!!!
Becoming debt free was my first goal as a travel nurse, because I believe that my dad would kill me if I would have blown all my money on things that I didn't need...he knows what I make because he does my finances (yes, I know...I'm 27 and should be doing my own finances, but I'm the favorite so what can I say!!!) and I got a lecture about being fiscally responsible when I was home in Feburary...although I already know that I'm responsible!!! :)  However, I was so excited last week when I made my last car payment that I did go out and buy a nice Michael Kors watch, but SSSHHHHH, don't tell my dad!!!! :)
So, my next finanical goal is to beef up my savings account and have enough money for a nice hefty down payment on a house and to have enough change to furnish it when I am done with being a travel nurse...

Reminiscing DE...

Here I am, sitting on my balcony, drinking a cup of coffee with the waves of the Atlantic Ocean below me and thinking about my time in DE! I have less than a week here, but I am soooo ready to hit I-70, point that Murano to the west and DRIVE!!!  Often times, I go back and compare it to Corpus Christi, I'm not going to lie (and I'm not trying to offend any one in DE) but the two don't even compare!!!  Both places have had their ups and downs, I have learned alot at both jobs, and made great friends, but I was never ready to leave Corpus, but DE, I have been counting down the days for weeks, and this last week is going by ever so slowly.  Now, I truly believe that the reason I am so ready to leave DE is not because I hate it here or haven't enjoyed my time here but because of all the things that are coming up in my life back home...I get to spend a day/night with one of my best friends from college, I get to see one of my friends that I haven't seen/talked to in 3+ years (I'm REALLY excited about this one), my little sister's wedding shower/bachelorette party, the time I get to spend with my little sister in Lincoln, NE, finally meeting my recruiter that has helped me so much on this journey, spending time in my home town with my family and friends, my little sister's wedding....and finally my new assignment that is close to home...so when you compare the last three months to all those things that I get to do in a 2 weeks span, I really don't think it compares!!! 
Do I love the view of the Altantic Ocean that I get to see everyday, the beautiful sunset in the mornings, going to work and learning new things (even if one the PAs makes my blood boil and makes me laugh all in the same 2 mintues I'm talking to him), the people that I have met and spent countless hours with saving lives, shopping, eating, or just chit-chatting with, the outlet malls, the boardwalk, the small little church that I go to (ever since the bus trip with all the old people that go there, they make me feel like I'm a movie star when I walk into the Sunday morning mass celebration!!!)...yes, of courseI love all these things and never would have experienced this place without the profession that I have taken on...but honestly, I don't think I could live this far away from the sense of home that KS brings me, my friends, and my family! 
For any travel nurse that is thinking about taking an assignment in Delaware, I really do want to reassure you that it is a great place to work!  The people here are wonderful, from the locals to the vacationers...people here really do care about a complete stranger!  I had a wonderful experience with the hospital, the staff, and the patients!  Would I come back on a travel assignment...absolutely!!!!  The girl's on my floor are still begging me to sign on full-time!!!!  I am just ready to go home and am looking forward to so many things once I am home!!! 
Tomorrow, I am spending all day with the people that I work with, they have included me in on a Jimmy Buffet Tribute band festival down in Dewey Beach, so I will be spending time drinking, dancing, and listening to Jimmy Buffet all day as I look back on the time I spent in DE and all the great people I have met!!!
Well, I'm off to pack...today is loading the car day...ALL BY MYSELF (I really wish my dad was here)!!!  I am wondering if I would walk the boardwalk a couple times if I could find a hunk to help me!!!!  :)

CITY GIRL to FARM GIRL

Today, is the offical day that declared I will be spending the summer in the same state as my family and friends...actually just an hour away from my home town!!! 

I told me recruiter about a month ago that I wanted to be close to home for my next assignment and she asked me how close and I said that I would would take an assignment that is as far away as 5 hours from my mom and dad, and I was thinking that was close!  So, on Tuesday when I got a text from her asking if I was at work and then another one that said "Would you consider going to Hays?" I couldn't call her back fast enough!!!  I was so excited!!! 

However, I have had some doubts that I wasn't going to get the job, since we have been working on this assignment in this hospital for 4 days, when they FINALLY called for an interview.  The other hospitals that I have submitted my profile to have called me within hours of recieving my profile.  Hays, just must be on the slower end of things, but I was so happy when they called today and offered me the job for a 13 week assignment!!! 

Hays, KS is my old stomping ground when I went to college!  I graduated from Fort Hays State University in 2006 and I never thought that I would be back in Hays to work, even if it is for a travel assignment!  I have painted that town with 4 years of my life and made many of my friends that are still fabulous friends today while going to school there!!  It isn't the city that I love, but I love the town nonetheless!!!

I have to say one more thing before I finish this entry...I have the best family ever!!!  After I interviewed with the nurse manager of the ICU, I turned right around and called my aunt Diane!  She lives in a smaller town about 15 miles from Hays, so I asked her if I could stay at their farm during the days that I work, and she didn't even hesitate when she said yes!!!  So, yes...I am really going from ocean view to dirt road view...or even better CITY GIRL to FARM GIRL!!!!!!!

Quiet....

If you are a nurse or are in the medical field, you all know that QUIET is not the word of choice when things at the hospital are unusually not chaotic!!! Once that word is said all hell breaks lose and no one can stay caught up, but this weekend QUIET described the CVICU to a tee!!!  We had two patients on Saturday, one of which went home, and just one patient last night!  Now, I have NEVER been in an ICU, of any sort, and been the only staff person there....and that was last night! I guess there is a first for everything! There came a time when I was wishing something would happen, so that I would have something to do or someone to talk to!!!  Surprisingly enough, I was able to stay awake throughout the night and I scored some CEU credits!!!!
I had some drama this last week with my ACLS certifcation...for those of you that don't know, ACLS stands for Advanced Cardiac Life Support...pretty much when you are in a code blue situtation you are able to run a code and give meds until a doctor can get to you and the patient.  Because you have to recertify every two years, I have taken this class many times.  My certification is due to expire at the end of May so I signed up for a class here at the hospital I am working at.  Well, I knew in the back of my mind that it was odd, as a travel nurse, that I wasn't required to pay for it, but I just thought maaybe this hospital goes above and beyond for their travelers...well I was wrong!  As I was driving to the class that morning...the thought did cross my mind that I should have gotten a packet with a pre-test in it, but I wasn't worried about it.  So, I went to the class and told the instructor that I didn't recieve a packet or anything...and from then on I think it was "Let's make Allison feel two feet tall day."  I have never in my life been talked down to like the lady in the education departmenr talked to me that day, the way she looked at me, the way she moved her head when she was talking to me, the tone of her voice; she acted like I had just commited a federal crime...it was all I could do just to walk away.  Need less to say, I paid for the class online and took it online.  With some of the things she was saying to me that morning, made me realize that I DO NOT miss the politics that goes along with being a staff nurse in a hospital...it's definitely not about what we can do to help you out and make your life/job easier. 

I switch back to day shift tomorrow morning...and only have 3 weeks left of this contract!!!  I am so excited to hit the road and begin my journey back to western KS with my first stop being one of my favorite cities with my favorite people...KANSAS CITY!!!!  WHOOP WHOOP!!!! :)

My Recruiter: Ashley

I wouldn't be where I am in my career if it wasn't for my recruiter Ashley!  a couple weeks ago she asked me to write her a reference letter to send out to new nurses that she gets after the first time that she talks to them...when I first saw reference letter in the email my heart dropped...I truly thought that she was going to say that she had applied for a different job.  I know that if that would have been the case, I don't know that I would continue on my journey as a travel nurse.  THANK GOODNESS it was the complete opposite!!  I have only known Ashley for about a year and I have never met her, but she has become a close friend and I talk to her many times in one week! 
I am going to copy the letter I wrote for her on this entry.  Maybe it will help some of you grasp how much she really has done for me and how much I appreicate her!!! 

When my life took a turn that I wasn’t expecting and I needed a huge change to start over, I met a girl that was a travel nurse at the hospital I was working at. After an in depth conversation with her about the career as travel nurse, she gave me her card with a number on the back that would soon change my life. After debating back and forth as to whether or not travel nursing would be the career for me, I decided to call the number on the back of that card to just see what it was about. Little did I know that the nice, bubbly voice on the other end of the phone was one that I would eventually talk to about not only about my nursing career and about finding the next job, but about my personal life as well. The first time I talked to Ashley Miller, it was like talking to one of my friends that I had known for years. She related to me and what I was going through at that time in my life, and she encouraged me not to run from unpleasant things, but to be a travel nurse because I truly wanted to be. The first conversation we had lasted about 45 minutes, and to my surprise it was mostly about me: what I do, what my hobbies were, what interests me, what made me happy, and what I wanted to make of a travel nurse career. Ashley was more that efficient in explaining her role and the agency that would soon make me a travel nurse.

From the beginning, Ashley has been more to me than just my recruiter, she has been my friend. There are times that I talk to her more in one week than I talk to some of my closest friends. One thing that is important for a nurse/recruiter relationship is having a recruiter that you can trust. You have to keep in mind that ultimately this person has your livelihood in their hands. They are the ones that work endlessly to find you a job, make sure that the job will suite your personality and skills, actually submit you to a job, and then anxiously wait with you for your interview. I trust Ashley more than ever, she is true to her word and I have never been disappointed with the timeline of submitting for a job that she lays out for me. She is honest with me when she thinks that I would be bored with a certain job or area or when she thinks that I need to submit my resume to a job.
There was a time when I was looking into other companies, just to have a wider variety of jobs and more opportunities. I was open with Ashley about it, and she was very accepting about it. However, she promised me that she wasn’t going to lose me to another company and she would have me a great job by the end of that week, and Ashley was true to her word! She landed me a job on the east coast in the specialty that I love!
As I look back on my career as a travel nurse, Ashley always pops in my mind! I wouldn’t be where I am with my career if it wasn’t for her time, friendship, work ethic, and positive attitude. She has proven time after time that I more than a business associate, but her friend that she cares about. I would recommend Ashley to anybody that I come in contact with that is considering a career in travel nursing.
If you are reading this letter, you have already had a conversation with Ashley; I can reassure you that she is the recruiter to go with. I gave her a chance to make my career one that I have always dreamed of, and she succeeded!!!
~Allison Chaput, travel nurse with Medical Solutions

I was going to steal a picture of her off her facebook, but I'm not sure which one she would like the best...so I decided to wait until we can take a picture together!!!  I'm hoping that I will finally get to met this bubbly voice that I talk to all the time when I am in Lincoln for a week with my little sister during my time off between assignments!!!