Healthcare Traveler - February 2009 - (Page 54)

On Assignment A DE TA I LED GLI M P SE OF LI F E ON T H E ROA D CAMBRIDGE, MARYL AND to care for patients on her own. “I think it was a very thorough orientation.” Déjà vu What sweetened the deal to return to the same facility even more was the fact that Deb would once again be reporting to the same nurse manager, Cathy. “Also, I have stayed close friends with Ann, one of the staff nurses, all these years,” she adds, “and it is nice to be practicing alongside her again.” Although it is not a large hospital, Deb knows from her previous stint that she is bound to encounter a wide range of patients and illnesses. “I expect to see people across the age spectrum, from pediatrics to geriatrics. However, it is the hospital policy to transfer all obstetrics cases to a sister facility in neighboring Easton, and most traumas are directed to University of Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore. “Interestingly,” she continues, “there is an acute psychiatric care unit at this facility, so we could see some crisis intervention cases come through the ED doors.” It is the ability to concentrate on caring for her patients that satisfies Deb professionally. “The best thing about being a traveler is that I do not feel compelled to get involved with the hospital politics,” she notes. “That removes a lot of negativity from the workplace and frees me up to do what I love, which is being an advocate for my patients. “For example, I remember an elderly woman and her daughter who I cared for during my first contract. She came in as an unstable diabetic, and I spent a lot of time teaching her and her daughter how to better manage the disease. Several days later, I received a letter from the women thanking me for becoming a nurse. I have no idea if I will see her again this time, but to this day I hold onto that letter.” Photo courtesy: Karen Tull Back to the familiar Deb Stewart, RN, loves wherever the mobile lifestyle takes her, even if it is for a repeat performance. Anne Baye Ericksen or this emergency nurse and her husband, Glenn (“Stew”), the mobile lifestyle is all about adventure. They have dedicated the past 5 years to traveling from one location to another, taking in the various communities, peoples, and cultures. “We typically will not go somewhere that is not a new experience for us,” says Deb, who has been practicing for more than 20 years. F Deb simply could not resist returning to the town on the Choptank River, just off the scenic Chesapeake Bay. So when she was broached about a second assignment at Dorchester General Hospital in Cambridge, Maryland, it was a unique situation 54 Healthcare Traveler February 2009 for the couple. However, Deb, who is on her fifth contract through Dayton, Ohio-based Axis Healthcare Staffing, simply could not resist returning to the town on the Choptank River, just off the scenic Chesapeake Bay. “We fell in love with the area when I accepted my first contract here in 2003. And we have always played with the idea of coming back,” Deb explains. She started her current assignment in the Old Line State last month and is scheduled to three 12-hour shifts per week. One of the things this clinician so enjoyed during her last opportunity was the cohesiveness and friendliness of the core staff. “They are very supportive of travelers at this hospital. The doctors and nurses realize the importance of teamwork and try to absorb you into their system right from the get-go, which is why I had no hesitation about coming back.” In fact, she estimates that almost half of those who attended the 2-day orientation with her were mobile clinicians, including two other nurses assigned to the emergency department (ED). Additionally, Deb spent two supervised shifts in the 12-bed ED before she was released Getting the lay of the land (again) When Deb is off-duty, she and Stew like to get out of the house. Previously, they ventured to outlying communities, such www.healthcaretraveler.com http://www.healthcaretraveler.com

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

Healthcare Traveler - February 2009 Editor’s Desk Contents In a Flash Paws for Thought Field Notes Med Ec-cerpts The Economic Meltdown What Really is a “Tax Home”? Beach Therapy Drug Update Professional Update Advice of Counsel Cityscape Advertisers’ Index Name It Contest Rules On Assignment Tax Facts Dot.com Big Deals Allied Corner Going the Distance Classifieds Tales from the Road

Healthcare Traveler - February 2009

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