What is your specialty?  Operating Room  How long have you been a travel nurse?  Almost 4 years

<div>
 
 What is your specialty?&nbsp; 
 Operating Room
 

 
 How long have you been a travel nurse?&nbsp; 
 Almost 4 years
 

 
 What made you decide to become a travel nurse?&nbsp; 
 I had my 4 children at quite a young age, and I was a single mother for the
 majority of the time raising them. When I was a new nurse in my early 20s, a
 travel nurse came to work at the hospital where I was working as a staff
 nurse and told me about her travels. I always kept it in the back of my mind
 that when the kids were on their own I would try it. When the time came, I
 asked the kids what they thought and they said go for it. They visit me
 wherever I go, and I even work close to them if they are traveling for work
 as well. I think that travel nursing benefits entire families, as your
 family can visit and see places that they might not normally be able to. In
 a million years, I would have never expected to have seen and done what I
 have over the past 4 years as a travel nurse.
 

 
 What has been one of your favorite experiences as a travel
 nurse?&nbsp; 
 My absolute favorite thing is meeting new people and seeing &quot;how the
 locals live.&rdquo; It is an amazing cultural and social experience.
 

 
 What has been one of your least favorite experiences as a travel
 nurse?&nbsp; 
 Sometimes packing up and living out of a suitcase can be challenging.
 

 
 Do you have any weird, funny, or crazy stories that happened on
 assignment&nbsp; 
 My youngest son flew out to visit in Northern California and we decided to
 drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. We were driving through a small town
 called Morro Bay, when my son yells, &quot;Stop the car.&rdquo;
 

 
 He hops out of the car and runs into what appears to be an art festival in
 the center of town. I pull over and wait for the crazy kid to come back. It
 seems he had spotted artwork he recognized, and sure enough, the artist
 displaying it was the same person he had met a week earlier at an art
 festival our hometown of Fort Lauderdale, FL. Needless to say, the artist
 was in shock, as were we!
 

 
 Will you ever consider staff nursing and what specifically would make you
 choose a full-time, permanent assignment? 
 I cannot imagine ever being a staff nurse again, honestly.
 

 
 What have been some of your favorite travel nurse assignment
 locations? 
 I have loved every location! I am from Florida, but loved my assignment in
 Miami, 38 miles from home. I have also traveled to California and New York
 and they are definitely 2 states with endless adventures. I have just
 started a contract on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, and I can already
 tell that it will be an exciting and unique experience.
 

 
 What are your travel essentials when you go on assignment? 
 I like to cook, so my cooking basics mean a lot. I also have to have my
 hiking shoes. Traveling keeps you humble, though. I recently did a 3-week
 contract in NYC and took only a suitcase. I decided to stay in the northeast
 for another 2 months, so I still have to live out of the suitcase even
 longer than expected! I&#39;ll survive.
 

 
 Do you have any pets and do you bring them with you when you travel on
 assignment?&nbsp; 
 No, but I have many traveler friends who travel with pets. I just finished
 raising 4 kids and we always had a zoo, so I like just taking care of myself
 for now. I would not rule out getting a dog in the future. I also pet sit
 for friends and coworkers.
 

 
 Are there any online resources (blogs/websites/apps, etc.) that you find
 especially useful as a travel nurse?&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 I used to belong to many Facebook groups for &quot;gypsy&quot; nurses, but I
 started my own group that is strictly for Operating Room nurses and techs
 who travel and I feel that we are a great support to each other. Being on
 the road can also be difficult. I am a huge user of apps, so these are my
 must-haves: to keep an eye on what jobs are happening out there, I use
 Indeed and the Cross Country Jobs apps. To look for housing, I have many
 sites, but I like the Air bnb app as well as Hot Pads. I am a Yelper, so I
 like that app for reviews of restaurants and other services/companies/etc.
 When either searching for housing or arriving at a new place, I use Around
 Me and WalkScore. For exercise/hiking, I love Map My Walk and All Trails. Of
 course, I cannot live without Google maps, Waze and The Weather Channel. For
 flights, car rentals, etc., I like Kayak and Expedia. I belong to 2 hotel
 groups, IHG and Marriott International, and I stay primarily at their
 facilities and earn points through them for free stays. I could not live
 without my Starbucks app, but I usually consider going there a treat. I have
 become a fan of SeatGeek, which is an app that finds tickets to concerts and
 sporting events, sometimes below face value. And of course, my favorite app,
 Instagram, where you can follow me @kellygurl64. I not only document my
 travels in photos, but also get ideas from other &quot;grammers&quot; about
 places to see and things to do.
 

 
 What is some advice or are there any tips you would give to someone else
 wanting to try travel nursing?&nbsp; 
 So here I will offer a few simple tips:
 

 <ol>
 <li>
 Master your specialty. When you are confident, decide where you want to go
 and obtain that state license. If you just want to try one contract, take
 the first contract in your home state.
 </li>
 <li>
 Take your 1st contract with a larger company, like Cross Country. They
 have the most jobs available, great health insurance and benefits and
 provide a lot of support.
 </li>
 <li>
 If you are overwhelmed, take the housing provided. It&rsquo;s great to
 find your own housing and collect the stipend, but sometimes that can be
 stressful. Finding your own housing can be something you learn after you
 decide if travel nursing is for you. If you happen to find housing on the
 1st contract, all the better!
 </li>
 <li>
 Find out what your take-home pay will be. Know what you need to make each
 week to be able to pay your bills and have some fun. You may have to sign
 up with a few companies to see what pay differences will be. I think 3
 companies and recruiters is a good place to start, and eventually the
 right fit will emerge. Don&#39;t forget to ask what you will be paid to
 get to and from the contract and figure out if this will cover your travel
 costs and see if it is worth it to you. I have paid out of my savings to
 get to where I wanted to travel, even if my company did not cover the full
 amount).
 </li>
 <li>
 Do not submit for a job unless you fully plan to interview. Do not commit
 to a job during the interview. Always thank the interviewer and let them
 know that you will think about the conversation and let your recruiter
 know should they offer the job on the phone.
 </li>
 </ol>

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 >
 Get started on your very own travel adventure just like Kelly. Search
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 >open travel assignments</a
 >, or call us at 800.530.6125 and mention code LLTT when you speak with a
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</div>

An Interview with Travel Nurse, Kelly Hogan