My Life Lately (More or Less)

Ok... so this whole travel nursing thing has not exactly turned out as I thought it would. I definitely saw things going a lot differently in my head... First off, I am still unemployed and living in my parents house. Fabulous. Seeing as I have a significant amount of experience in a large teaching hospital on a highly acute ICU, I thought landing a travel assignment would not be a problem. Wrong. The travel nurse companies make it seem like finding a job will be a snap, but the reality is that this is not the case.

Most hospitals who accept travelers will only interview applicants that have previous travel nurse experience and who are currently licensed to work in that state. I have neither of these qualities. That being said, not every state is that easy to get licensed in. For instance, if I were to get licensed in Michigan, it would take 2 months before my license would get approved. That's a long freakin' time. So, in an attempt to make myself more marketable, I applied for my Florida license about 3 weeks ago in hopes that I could start applying for Florida positions. $250 and 2 sets of fingerprints later, I am still waiting. (This license also takes about 6-8 weeks..) My plan was to get an assignment somewhere else (anywhere else) and after my first assignment was complete, would then take a travel assignment in Florida. Well, the first assignment still has yet to come.

Per the advice of my second nurse recruiter (the first nursing company I worked with hasn't really been working out, so I applied with another company), I applied for my Texas license. There have been a ton of job opportunities posted in Texas and it is a relatively quick state to get licensed in, so I figured applying for my license there couldn't hurt. That license cost $215 and I am now waiting for my fingerprint sheets to come in the mail so I can once again get fingerprinted for another license. So, right now, not only am I almost $500 poorer, but I am also STILL without a job. Super Ugh. I have had a few phone interviews, but most hospitals said that I did not have enough experience, even as a charge nurse in a highly acute ICU. To say that this process has been frustrating and discouraging is an understatement. I NEVER thought that I would still be unemployed right now. Yet, here I sit. Blah... At least I am learning to be patient, right?

In other news, a week ago I found out that I got invited to interview for CRNA school in Cincinnati. YAY!! This is the LAST step of what was a long summer of dedication and studying. My interview will be on October 15th and I will have my fingers and toes crossed that I get accepted into the program. I want this so badly!

Also, as my luck would have it, I have met the most incredible person here in Traverse City and it is making my decision to do travel nursing seem much less appealing... He is very fun and awesome and I am a bit smitten. Needless to say, my life has the worst timing, ever. Whether anything comes of TC guy or not, at the very least, I now know that decent, respectful, and confident men still exist out there. That in itself is refreshing enough. And I got to ride on a motorcycle for the first time ever. Huzzah!

So there you have it. That has been my life for the past month. It has been nothing like I had planned, but has been everything that I needed. I am not really sure what my next step is going to be since my whole travel nurse plan isn't really panning out, but I am open to whatever opportunity may come my way. Bring it on world.. At this point I've got nothing to lose!

By the way, Scotland was AWESOME. This was taken before we climbed  ben y vrackie mountain in Pitlochry.

2,759ft above sea level and a 22 mile hike. Great climb!

Rosslyn Chapel 

Taken inside the Paisley Abbey

The High Church of Paisley

We saw lots of rainbows during this hike

Another picture inside the Paisley Abbey