Day one of contract two

There's something extra special about a first day-- and I'm not just saying that because it was a tradition in my family to get ice cream on the first day of school every year (although, that may have sooooomething to do with it). First day, fresh start, new chapter, clean slate, whatever you wanna call it.. it feels good. I know I haven't yet officially written about contract one-- the first first day-- and I will, but for now, I'm excited about how starting this second contract truly makes me feel like a real live big girl travel nurse.

(last day.. not first day.. of my first contract.. but I liked this pic and I make the rules so..)

My first contract was in Cary, North Carolina, which is right outside of Raleigh/Durham, and let me tell you.. I had a blast. (I know I just said I wasn't gonna write about it, so I'll just continue with this little teaser for now) I loved the area, met some really great people, reconnected with some old friends, and learned a TON. The job itself had it's moments to say the least.. but that's kinda healthcare as a whole these days. As much as I could have "extended indefinitely," as my manager so hopefully asked of me, that would have defeated the purpose of traveling.. of exploring and discovering all of these new places and pieces of myself and the nurse and human I am and can be.

If you didn't already know, most travel nurse contracts are 13 weeks long (with some shorter ones being published these days as more and more hospitals are in crisis mode). "Travel nurses" are also often called "agency nurses" because technically we are employed by an agency, not by a hospital. We work with a recruiter who submits us to job postings and gets us connected with a hospital or specific unit where we work for the 13 weeks. Frequently, you can extend and sometimes can negotiate whatever length of contract works for you and the hospital. On my first contract, I extended for 4 weeks so that I could strategically take off Christmas and New Years (and a little before Christmas so I could venture off to a destination wedding in Puerto Rico!!!); but as those 4 weeks (that became 6 weeks) off came to a close, I was left itching to get back into a routine and back into working, meeting people, caring for others, challenging myself, and feeling like I had a purpose. I recognize that I am so much more than just a nurse, but so much of me is a nurse.. and so much of being a nurse is so hard right now-- but you don't need to be a nurse, or even know a nurse, to empathize with that.. so much of just being a human is so hard right now.

It's not news that the news and social media are saturated with posts about employee shortages, lack of supplies and resources, and general burnout and fatigue of, well, everyone, but this is especially true of healthcare workers. So, if you're feeling that, I feel ya. I'm sorry if you came to this blog thinking that you'd just see all the beautiful sunsets, tasty foods, and positive Al spin on life, but, the disclaimer on the homepage diiiid tell you that this would just be a catchall for what I'm feeling and thinking, so here we are.

I spent a lot of the time off between these two contracts stressed to the MAX and stressed about a lot of different things. On top of being stressed about getting this contract number two squared away (a majority of which happened while I was on that fun little trip out of the continental US... in Puerto Rico! I'm lounging on the beach after our morning coffee and I get a phone call that just shows a phone number and "Phoenix, AZ" across the screen. I immediately hop up and and start jogging up the steps to the resort while answering so my voice doesn't get drowned out by the waves and when I make sure that the manager can hear me, she asks if I can hear her jealousy! Ha!).. but anyway.. on top of that stress, I don't do goodbyes. I'll do a "see you later" or even a "goodnight," but not a goodbye. A goodbye feels too permanent. I meet way too many great people throughout my life to think about never seeing them again. Or never seeing a place again for that matter. And while I know that that idea and goodbye are not synonymous, I can't fight the feeling like they're at least very similar. That being said, leaving North Carolina was really hard. I think that will always be the most difficult part of travel nursing. While I will always be simultaneously excited for the next thing, and while this blog is intended to help me cherish all of the memories I will make along the way, I can't help but always dread the leaving part.

I guess here is where the 'positive Al spin on life' does come back into play, as I remind myself that I just started this new contract, I have plenty of time before I have to stress and dread leaving here! I have so many new places to explore, people to meet, food to eat, drinks to enjoy, hikes to take, photos to capture.. the list goes on. I also have a lot more to learn. I learned a ton about myself during my time in North Carolina thanks to the job, the area, the people, all of it. Nursing itself is not for the faint of heart, but travel nursing definitely takes a special and strong individual. It is becoming incredibly popular these days, but is very much not for everyone. I'm happy to come to the conclusion though that it is for me, at least for now. I'll just have to work on getting better at the whole "see you later" thing. I'm excited to see where this adventure takes me and I'm excited to have you here with me as I start writing this next chapter (disclaimer though, this is truly just a metaphor, I'm still just informally throwing words into this blog.. not trying to become a novelist too!! haha!).

(okay this one does follow the rules; day one of contract two hehehe)

I'm proud of who I have become, and if you're reading this, I'm grateful you're here.. and I'm proud of you too. Before you go (don't worry, just a see you soon, never a goodbye), do me this one favor

..drop your shoulders down

..lift your chin up

..take a deep breath with me (****slowly in, and slowly out****)

.. and cheers to day one.. let's do the damn thing!