Hi Friends

This is a page dedicated to my fellow travel nurses or how I prefer to call you my fellow wandering souls.

I’m not sure why you decided to start traveling or why you decided to uproot your life every few months, but here we are.

You may have taken to travel nursing for the money or a hopeful break from burnout as a staff nurse. You may have just wanted to experience other states and cities. We all have our reasons.

My name is Emily. I have worked in a hospital at the bedside for over a decade. I worked two years as a nursing assistant and nine years as a nurse. I have worked in med surg, stepdown units, and ICUs. I have been blessed to work with many truly wonderful souls and amazing nurses that have taught me skills I will never forget.

Sometimes I describe my job as a roller coaster or a love/hate relationship. My favorite poet Janne Robinson has this quote “So, what’s your job? I take slabs of my heart and share them with the world for a living” I connected instantly with this. My first thought was “she must be a nurse!” She is not, but I felt seen in that moment.

I cannot count the times I have been asked this one question “ If you weren’t a nurse, what would you be?”

I never know how to answer this. I am a nurse. It is part of who I am. Simple as that. I love caring for others and I don’t know what else I would want to do. This past year I have taken extended time off to travel between contracts, but I always come back to the bedside. At the end of the day through sweat and occasional tears (mine or the patients), I am a nurse. There is no other occupation for me.

I started travel nursing about a year and a half ago and I have just moved to my third city. Through this page, I will share how to make a new city a temporary home. This page will be a safe space for my fellow wandering souls to land. Especially in the times that loneliness threatens to take over happiness. Let’s travel together!