UPDATE: I got an email earlier this week asking me if travel nurses ever used RVs on assignments. “Do they still get housing reimbursement?” The answers are YES and YES. Here is a real-life travel nurse story from a couple of years ago. Thought you may find it interesting.
Living in an RV is easier when traveling, advised Stephanie May, MSN, RN. “When you’re packed and ready you just move your RV to the next park and you’re home.” Safety issues are important to this lifestyle and are met through prior research before heading to the next park “where you’re the only one with a key to your home,” she remarked. “Cleanliness is important to me and with having my own place I never have to worry.”
En route to new hospital assignments, May’s husband, Billy tows their RV and sets it up in parks within a 10-20 minute commute to work. As she travels in all seasons, May drives her car until winter when she uses the couple’s SUV for transportation. “It snowed pretty deep during assignments in WV and KY,” she pointed out. In the near future, Billy plans to join her, and accompanied by their Yorkie mix, a dog named Buster; they plan to travel across the United States.
Waterfalls, Small Towns and the Grand Ole Opry
Waterfalls
May enjoys nature walks and has visited several natural parks. “Among my favorite sight- seeing views are waterfalls, like Valley Falls and Blackwater Falls in West Virginia and Muddy Creek Falls in Maryland,” she said. “To me, 
waterfalls are one of the ways God shows His power and artistry.”
Located in Valley Falls State Park, Valley Falls has two, 10- foot high drops that flow into the Tygart River. Blackwater Falls, set in Blackwater State Park, is the he highest above ground falls in VA with a drop of about 62- feet, according to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
Muddy Creek Falls is located in Maryland’s Swallow Falls State Park and is a 53- foot waterfall, the tallest, single drop waterfall in Maryland, as reported by Deep Creek Hospitality.com
Small towns
“Walking through small towns is like getting a glimpse of America,” May recalled. “I enjoy going to craft fairs because they’re a current w ay to see regional handiwork made by folks who live in many places in our country. It’s pleasant being able to step back in time to view snapshots of American history.”
The Grand Ole Opry
This past July the Mays attended the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN. “It was a neat radio show concert experience and I recommend taking the backstage tour,” May said. Home of American Music, the Opry is Nashville’s number-one attraction.
A Travel Nursing Perspective
Employed by Fusion Medical Staffing, LLC May has completed six assignments within the past two years. Currently 
she’s on contract at the 247-bed Tennova Clarksville Hospital in Clarksville, TN. A critical care nurse, she works nights in the Intensive care (ICU). “As a travel nurse I’ve have had the privilege to care for numerous patients,” she said. “One was a young girl who was suffering from Guillian-Barre Syndrome with upper and lower extremity paralysis. I admired her strength and determination to get well, even though she was facing a long road to recovery; I enjoy the challenge of taking care of critically ill patients and this girl holds a special place in my heart.”
Advice from a Pro
Travel nurses need to know how to do their jobs and feel confident while completing tasks assigned to them, as most hospitals provide only one day of orientation for travel nurses, May pointed out. “I worked for Carillion Clinic in Southwest Virginia for 12-years before I decided to embark on a travel nursing career. Although hospitals have differences in policies and procedures, the nursing role is the same wherever you’re assigned.”
May advised keeping updated about travel nursing by tapping into on-line nursing resources that provide open forums where you can ask questions and get a variety of answers and suggestions. “Find out more about phone apps too,” she said. “I use a Tiny Scan Pro that turns my phone into a scanner that makes submitting time cards by email easy.”
“Travel nurses are professional tourists who get to go where they want to go and get paid while doing it,” May concluded.
If you would like to talk to Conrad persoanlly and ask questions about travel nursing, feel free to email him at conrad@travelnursingUSA.com.
Share Your Comments & Feedback: