Healthcare Traveler - January 2009 - (Page 12)

Field Notes Being there P E R SP E C T I V E S F RO M E X P E R I E N C E D M O B I L E P RO F E S SI O N A L S The Magazine for Healthcare Travel Professionals www.HealthcareTraveler.com Editorial Advisory Board Members are mobile providers nominated by their respective travel company representatives. As schedules permit, they submit story ideas and/or manuscripts and agree to be interviewed. By discussing issues with our staff, they assist Healthcare Traveler in creating a base of knowledge, experience, and insight for defining and developing editorial content. I t’s never too late to set out on a traveling adventure, especially when your best friend comes along with you. I’ve been practicing as a med/surg and orthopedics nurse for 17 years, and for the past 3 years, my husband, Tom, and I have been on the road. We live in a fifth-wheel trailer, and I complete travel assignments all over the country. Geography is our first consideration when choosing an assignment. Once we know where we want to venture, I just call my recruiter at Wilton, Connecticut-based Onward Healthcare to find a CRYSTAL STRAUB, RN, contract. and husband, Tom, reflect on Occasionally, we head home to New Orleans the mobile lifestyle. where I’m fortunate to have a position waiting for me at Tulane University anytime I want it. My son, Nathan, lives in The Crescent City with his wife and four children. So, sometimes I return there just for a chance to visit. I have five other adult children in the Midwest, and I often accept assignments in places like South Dakota to be near them. Travel nursing gives me the opportunity to be close to all 15 of my grandkids so I can watch them grow. It’s such a blessing. Nursing Members Mary Jo Alessio, RN Supplemental Health Care Teresa (Terri) Allen, RN Onward Healthcare Lora Anderson, RN Banner Health Travelers Virginia Bialk, RN Bridge Staffing Paul Bier, RN Innovative Placements Dayne Bowers, RNC, RN Network Pam Campbell, RN Trustaff Rose Cousineau, RN Medical Express Nigel Day, RN MedCall NorthWest, Inc. Dorothy Del Valle, ADN, RN First Assist Katrina Essenburg, RN Clinical One Christopher Freedman, RN NursesRx Tim Groves, RN American Mobile Healthcare Terry Hall, RN Trinity Healthcare Staffting Group Jennifer Hamrick, RN, CNOR NovaPro Staffing Glenda Hardy, RN PPR Healthcare Staffing Lila Johnson, RN Cross Country TravCorps Karen LaBlanc, RN Aureus Medical Group Christopher LaCounte, RN, CEN, NREMT-P, LP National Healthcare Staffing “It’s so fun sharing all the new experiences, different cultures, and amazing scenery with my husband.” Favorite companion Tom travels with me always. He jokes that my staffing company’s housing stipend pays his salary as my live-in chauffeur. He’s a carpenter, plumber, electrician, and mechanic. So, he never has trouble finding work when we change locations. Sometimes, he works —Crystal Straub, RN at the RV campgrounds where we stay; sometimes, he performs work for people I meet at the hospital. Someone always seems to say, “Gee, I wish I knew someone who could fix my sink and change my brakes.” Tom is great about helping these folks out—often for free. As much as I love traveling, I wouldn’t do it without Tom. I know I’d miss him too much. It’s so fun sharing all the new experiences, different cultures, and amazing scenery with my husband. Of course, I make many friends on the road, too. I’ve found that a 13-week assignment is just perfect for me. It’s enough time to make good friends, but not so long that it’s too difficult to leave. Vicki Lawson, RN Attentive Health Care Yvonne Lawson-Thomas, RN InteliStaf Travel Jean Magnuson, RN Soliant Health Charlotte Mansfield, RN, FNE, SANE Advantage RN Monti (“Micki”) Marsh, RN HRN Services Inc. Joni Parcell, RN Favorite Healthcare Staffing Bill Pletch, RN Professional Nursing Service Rosemary Primeaux, RN Preferred Healthcare Staffing, Inc. Bonnie Richlin, RN Matrix Healthcare Services, Inc. Susan Sabatula, RN The Right Solutions Mandeep Smith, BSN, RN Procare USA Jenny Thompson, RN American Traveler Staffing Professionals Aleksey Yukhvid, RN White Glove Placement, Inc. Allied Health Members Emily R. Brawner, OT American Traveler Staffing Professionals Keith Carregal, PT Sunbelt Staffing Marsha Dexter InteliStaf Travel Josephine Feldman, RT TeamStaff Rx David Garrard, BHS, RRT, RCP, CCEMT-P, PNCCP Cirrus Medical Staffing Right where I’m supposed to be Often, I feel a divine hand in the friendships I make. I remember one woman I worked with on an assignment at Carillion-Roanoke Memorial Hospital in Roanoke, Virginia. We engaged in polite conversation, and she revealed that her son had recently committed suicide. Over the weeks, we became close friends, and I believe that I was sent there specifically to help her through her difficult 12 Healthcare Traveler January 2009 Debora Janzen, RT (R)(T) ATC Travelers Erika Lee, PT Supplemental Health Care Richard Mahnke, PT Soliant Health Dawn Morse, PT Trinity Healthcare Staffing Group Apollone Reid, MPH, PT Destination Healthcare Staffing Joel Sauer, CNMT Favorite Healthcare Staffing Paule Thomas, OT PPR Healthcare Staffing Kurt VanZandt, ASCP, BS On Assignment Patti Witkiewicz, RPT Cross Country TravCorps Jodi Wolfgram, RDMS, RT Aureus Medical Group www.healthcaretraveler.com http://www.HealthcareTraveler.com http://www.healthcaretraveler.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Traveler - January 2009

Healthcare Traveler - January 2009 Editor’s Desk Contents By the Numbers Paws for Thought Field Notes In a Flash Med Ec-cerpts Dream Destinations Nursing from the Heart Drug Update Professional Update Clinical Tips On Assignment Cityscape Name It Advertiser’s Index Contest Rules When In… It’s in the Bag Dot.com Tax Facts Big Deals Starter’s Kit Going the Distance Allied Corner Classifieds Tales from the Road

Healthcare Traveler - January 2009

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