Access Nurses Weekly- Living the Big City Life as a Travel Nurse
Volume 10 Number 9 - July 27th
Working as a travel nurse allows RNs the opportunity to hit the road and explore and work in cities and towns all across the U.S.
Amanda L., Vanessa R. and Sara A. decided to take on a big city. And they love every minute of it. Amanda, a Med Surg RN, and Vanessa, an oncology RN, are on assignment in New York City, and Sara, a Med Surg/Telemetry RN, just completed an assignment in San Francisco.
“I love change and experiencing different cultures,” said Vanessa, who’s been a travel nurse for four years. “My favorite is having everything at my finger tips as far as every culture of food, museums, central park and of course shopping.”
Sara loved her assignment so much that she plans to try a city like Boston in the fall because she likes the “hustle and bustle” of the big city assignments. She’s been planning on working as a travel nurse since she was in nursing school.
Amanda has wanted to move to New York all her life. “New York City is so exciting and has so much to offer. I am never bored and I am exposed to culture that small cities can’t provide.” Amanda enjoys going for walks with her dog in Central Park, visiting museums, dining in a variety of restaurants and shopping in the Big Apple.
The excitement and active city life certainly spill over into the work atmosphere for these traveling RNs. They all commented on their challenging and hectic units.
“People from all over come here to get the opinions of the best doctors for their specific cancer,” said Vanessa, who’s seen patients from all over the world, from California to Turkey and Singapore. “It is a very busy place and the busiest outpatient chemotherapy unit I have ever worked on, but one of my best experiences as a nurse.”
Amanda, Vanessa and Sara all worked with Access Nurses, a travel nurse staffing company, for their big city assignments. “When I tell people about my set up here in NYC, they want to get a job with Access Nurses,” said Vanessa.
Working with a travel company gives nurses the opportunity to live in a city that they may have always dreamed of, but couldn’t because of obstacles like finances. “I wanted to move to NYC all of my life, but knew I couldn’t afford the rent,” said Amanda. “Travel nursing allowed me to move since Access Nurses pays my rent and utilities.”
When relocating to a big city, it’s important to remember there will be some adjustments to consider, like big crowds, more costly lifestyle and convenient public transportation. The RNs are big fans of the public transportation in their assignment cities because it’s much more common and convenient. A bit of advice: “Just know where you are going and don’t panic when you get lost,” said Sara.
Big Cities to See
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, located in the eastern portion of the state, is Massachusetts capital and most populous city. Walking along the streets of Boston is like walking through history - with the antique street lanterns and historic architecture.
Things to Do:
Take a walking tour of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride
Have a drink at Cheers bar (the location of the popular TV show)
Catch a Red Sox game at at Fenway Park
Window shop at Faneuil Hall, a waterfront mall.
Play chess in Harvard Square
New York City, New York
Look no further than New York City as the ultimate travel destination. From world-famous tourist attractions, to quaint charm of Greenwich Village and the culture of Queens. Also, there is an endless option of shopping boutiques, restaurants and museums.
Things to Do:
Eat a hotdog from a street vendor.
Take a stroll through Central Park.
Buy a knock-off designer bag in China Town.
Go to a pub in East Village.
See a Broadway show.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco is a highly eclectic city, made up of individually-unique districts, from the hippie town of Haight-Ashbury to the thriving downtown business district and Embarcadero.
Things to Do:
Watch street performers at Fisherman’s Wharf
Hit up a trendy bar downtown.
Catch a show at Fillmore.
Go for a walk in Golden Gate Park
Visit Haight and Ashbury, where Grateful Dead and Janice Joplin thrived.
Contact your recruiter or call Access Nurses at 1-866-687-7390 to inquire about the following jobs!
Salt Lake City, Utah
Med Surg
Positions: One
Shift: Days/nights rotation
Start Date: ASAP
Brigham, Utah
OR
Positions: One
Shift: Variable days
Start Date: ASAP
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Telemetry
Positions: Two
Shift: 12-hour rotating or nights
Start Date: ASAP
Denver, Colorado
L&D
Positions: One
Shift: 12-hour nights
Start Date: ASAP
Frisco, Colorado
OR Tech
Positions: Three
Shift: Any
Start Date: October 6
Panama City, Florida
Med Surg
Positions: 10
Shift: Days and nights
Start Date: Now through December
Santa Barbara, California
CCU
Positions: One
Shift: Nights
Start Date: ASAP
Sacramento, California
Postpartum
Positions: One
Shift: 12-hour nights
Start Date: ASAP
Denver, Colorado
Cath Lab
Positions: One
Shift: Variable days plus on call
Start Date: ASAP
Nationwide
Dialysis
Positions: 20
Shift: 8 & 10-hour days and nights
Start Date: ASAP
Anchorage, Alaska
ICU and L&D
Positions: Three
Shift: 12-hour nights and rotations
Start Date: ASAP
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Featured Forum Topic
Housing Advice
I was talking with my recruiter about an assignment I’m interested in taking and the housing situation. She said that apartments are limited in the area because it’s a small city, so they’ll put me up in a hotel instead. Living in a hotel? Has anyone else ever done this while working as a travel nurse? I’d love to hear the pros and cons.