Top 10 Tricks to Exploring a New City

As a travel nurse, you often move into a new city - one you may have visited, but do not know that much about. Or you may have chosen to try out a city you've never been to. Either way, here are the top 10 tips and tricks to make sure that you get the most out of your assignment and your traveling experience.

1) Look up the Top Tourist Attractions
While this may seem a bit obvious, it's important to not overlook this - it will ensure you know why it is that people visit the city, what's known about it, and figure out which of those things you'd like to make sure you do. Which brings us to our next tip:

2) Make a Bucket List
Making a bucket list for your assignment combining the different elements of "touristy" things you would like to do with the "local" side of things - restaurants, museums, parks, hikes, or other things that you'd like to try before you leave.
(BONUS TIP: You can create a traditional list that has all of the different things on it and check it off as you go, or you could make it a little more spontaneous by putting each activity on a small piece of paper in a literal bucket - whatever you pull out is what you're doing that day!)

3) Drive to the Hospital
Finding the hospital you'll be working at for your first day and timing yourself is one of the best things you can do to prepare for work.  It ensures that the morning of your orientation, you're not getting yourself lost (or not giving yourself enough time to get there).  You'll feel much more relaxed the morning-of.

4) Meet Your Neighbors
By meeting your neighbors and talking to the locals, you can ask them what their favorite spots in the city are, or get an idea of how bad traffic gets at what time of the day, or just make a new friend to go to get coffee with.  There are so many advantages to talking to the locals so make sure you put this on your to-do list for the first week.

5) Locate the Grocery Store/Gas Station/Etc.
Applications like "AroundMe" and "Local" can help you navigate the city when you first arrive in order to figure out the places you'll need to frequent.

6) Figure out the Events Taking Place Locally
One way to do this is to sign up for Groupon or LivingSocial in your new city.  These resources have deals for some of the biggest events going on locally.  You could also try reading the local paper or going to a coffee shop and seeing what posters and things are advertised - going to events you're interested in will help you quickly find friends interested in the same things.

7) Wander - Get Yourself Lost
Getting yourself lost and figuring out your way back is one of the quickest ways to orient yourself to your new city.  You'll be able to see things that are off the beaten path, probably the places the locals hangout most.  I challenge you to do this for at least an hour before GPS'ing yourself back home.

8) Go to the Surrounding Cities
If you're stationed in a big city - make sure you visit the littler towns on the outskirts of the city.  This will give you more of an insight into the culture and how the locals actually live.  Especially in cities like Las Vegas, almost all of the locals live outside the busy downtown area - don't leave without seeing this.

9) Try Something New Each Week
By trying a new bar, restaurant, hike, coffee shop, have a picnic, etc. you'll get an expedited view of the whole city, while still giving you the other 6 days a week to become a "regular" at your favorite place.

10) Put a Map on your Wall
This is my favorite tip - put a map on your wall in your new apartment and put a colored pin on each place you have been to.  Put a white pin on the places you'd still like to go.  As you explore, your map becomes more and more colorful - the feeling of switching the pins is a mini sense of accomplishment every time!
(BONUS TIP: If you can find a black and white map, sort of like a coloring book page, color in each place you go, bringing the map to life! I did this in England and the map was vibrant with color and an excellent souvenir by the time I moved home!)

11) Find the Farmer's Market(s)
While this isn't an official tip to explore the city - I would argue that nothing will orient you more to the local culture than the farmer's market.  Filled with local foods, farmers, culture, music, and people, the farmer's market will give you a well-rounded perspective of a city in 2 hours or less.

About the Author: In entire my life, I've moved 11 different times - almost every single one to a completely strange city.  In my adult life, I've moved on my own to college in downtown San Diego, Oxford, England and Florence, Italy (to name just the most extreme) and have used these tricks in my own life to feel truly oriented and connected to my new city. 

If you have any tips for travelers you've come across, help another nurse out and please leave them in the comments!  

Pinspiration!

Pinterest has taken the world by storm. It is full of some very smart, crafty, energetic, creative, fit and well-fed people - people more creative than I could ever hope to be. "Pinspiration" has been my excuse for my crazy workouts, unorthodox recipes, and outfit experiments. Way too many of my conversations start with, "Well, I saw this thing on Pinterest..."

 

One of my favorite sections of Pinterest is the "humor" section.  I could peruse through this for days on end, chuckling to myself every time a Grumpy Cat meme or awkward E-Card came up.

 

I'm here today to brighten your day with some Nursing Humor that I've saved up.  If you Follow me on Pinterest, rest assured there's more where this came from.

 

Here's some of the highlights I've found in the last week or so:

Have you seen

This one is for my night nurses!

Amen.

#NursingProblems

 

Do you run across any nursing humor that you'd like to share? Follow us on Pinterest and we'll follow you back, or just leave your thoughts in the comments to brighten someone's day!

Inspirational Travel Quotes

Traveling is both a privilege and life adventure that nurses have access to unlike almost any other profession.  Here are some quotes that are meant to help inspire you to take advantage of the opportunities your career can offer.

• "If I don't get on that boat, I know exactly what I'm going home to.  If I do, my future is unwritten."

• "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."

• "Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

• "Life is a book. Those who don't travel read only one page."

• "We travel not to escape life, but so that life does not escape us."

• "Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer."

• "Don't let your dreams be dreams."

If you have any favorite travel quotes, leave them in the comments!

First Day Travel Nurse Checklist

Travel nursing comes with a lot of planning and attempting to think ahead, so this quick little list is a way to make the planning process just a little easier.

This list includes a general idea of the things to know before your first day of work (often orientation) to make sure you are ready to go:

• Where you're going: Hospital name, address, phone number, directions, Unit location, etc.
• Manager/Supervisor Name
• Dress code (Scrub color?)
• Testing - your orientation (depending on the hospital) may ask you to take a knowledge-based, skills-based exam during orientation.
• Parking information

This list includes the general things to bring with you on your first day:

• Driver's License
• BLS, and any other specialty-specific certifications
• A notebook and pen
• Any medications you take that could show up on a drug test.

Remember to leave your house with plenty of time to reach the hospital, because traffic in a new city will be a new experience for you, there's no way to know how well (or poorly) it will go.  Avoid the stresses of running late, and just leave early!

Congratulations on a new assignment and I wish you safe travels!

10 Things You Didn't Know About Yourself

We all have random facts in our heads that bounce around and make us feel just a little bit smarter.  Today's post is about adding some fun facts about your own body to that list!

1. Everyone's "tongue print" is different.  Just like your fingerprint is unique to you, everyone has a one-of-a-kind tongue print!

2. You get a new stomach lining every few days - if you didn't your stomach acids would digest your stomach!

3. Sleep is more critical to your life than eating!  You could last weeks without food, but you will die after 11 days without sleep.

4. When you blush, your stomach lining also turns red.

5. Astronauts cannot cry tears in outer space - they don't flow without gravity!

6. The left side of the human brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa for the right side of the brain. 

7. Natural blondes have almost 30% more hairs than anyone else. Redheads have the fewest.

8. The sense of taste is the weakest of all 5 senses.

9. When you hum, the noise comes out your nose.  Try humming while plugging your nose!

10. Your brain cannot feel pain - it processes the pain signals from all other places in the body, but the brain itself cannot feel it!

What is the Hybrid Program?

Source Healthcare Staffing offers three types of nurse staffing arrangements.  There are typical travel nursing contracts, per diem contracts, and our Hybrid Program.

The Hybrid program here at Source Healthcare blends some of the best parts of Travel and Per Diem nursing.  I'm here to explain it so you understand both what it is that makes Source different and what we can do for you.

So as I said before, the program was designed to give you the best of both worlds.  You get to travel to a new location, experience a new way of life - or you can "travel" (stay relatively close to home) if that's better for you - and a lot of times you also choose your schedule.  You give us 5 days of availability and we schedule you for 3 or 4 (or more - however many you'd like).  

The way the program works is we house you in a convenient location in the center of several hospitals.  You work with our staffing department to set your schedule each week. This gives you a broad range of experiences with different people, doctors, patients, and hospitals, which will look great on a resume down the road.

We offer assignments for whatever length you desire! Our assignment length can be anywhere from 4 to 52 weeks. It's done through a contract that is secure to give you peace of mind and the hours you deserve. 

Our nurses through the travel program get the same amenities as a travel nurse.  Along with the ones listed here there are extra shift bonuses, health benefits and both relocation and licensing assistance.

The Hybrid program allows us the ability to staff nurses with only a year of experience, while most staffing agencies need a 3-year minimum amount of experience. 

What do you need to do?
To take advantage of this opportunity and get yourself placed, here's the list of steps you need to take:

1. Fill out our application on our website
2. Complete a Phone Interview - usually within the week of your application submission.
3. Get compliant - this is about a 2-week process, but once it's done - it's done and doesn't need to be repeated, allowing you the freedom to travel with us in the future.
4. Get going! 

Choosing this program allows you to travel and choose between either a tax-free housing stipend (to find your own living situation), or living arrangements that are prepared and ready for you when you get there!

Some ideas of how to take advantage of this opportunity:

• Schedule your shifts in a chunk. This type of scheduling gives you a 3 or 4 day weekend to go home or to spend sight-seeing if you wish!
• Travel somewhere you've always wanted to see! Do you love California? What about Colorado? Try living it up in Vegas! There are so many options you can explore so make sure to pick one you'll remember forever!
• Travel with your friends! Do you have any co-workers that you'd love to explore America with? Take them with you! You can do an extended vacation together with us!

If you have any more questions please feel free to leave them in the comments or email ddeutsch@sourcehcs.com

Tips to Improve Sleep

Sleeping is one of those things that you as a nurse may have come to terms with the fact that it's something you will have to live without.
 
I'm here to help you realize that nursing and sleep are no longer oxymorons, but can become compliments to one another.  It seems only natural that you should be able to come home from an exhausting 12-hour shift and just fall right asleep, right? Well for some it is not so simple, and I'm here to show you how to bridge the gap between awake and anxious to asleep and peaceful.
 

 
Take a warm shower before bed.
Taking a warm shower can make you feel sleepy and snuggly warm right before you fall asleep.  Better yet? Take a shower with the lights off and light a few candles.  The warm glow of the candles will make you feel so cozy, you'll think you're already asleep!

 
Put down the cell phone.
Your cell phone is nothing but a mental stimulation device once you've laid down.  I've definitely been a victim of this temptation, laying there for hours pinning things with my Pinterest app, wondering why I cannot fall asleep.  The lights in your phone and all the information processing it takes to scan through things on your phone will keep you up all night.  If you find this urge too tempting to put down, try getting an alarm clock. Use this alarm clock to wake you up in the morning, and plug your phone into another room! I know it sounds impossible, but you'll be thankful when you miss the phone buzzes of text messages, phone calls and emails that normally disrupt your sleep.

 
Turn on a fan
The fan will not only help keep your temperature stable all night, but it will also be a great white noise to keep snoring, outdoor noises, or anything else that would jolt you awake somewhat "drowned out" so that you can sleep peacefully.
 
Turn down the temperature
If you're one of those people that likes to be hot as you fall asleep, unfortunately this may be having a negative effect on your sleeping pattern. Your body is more calm and restful as you sleep in lower temperatures.  So keep that fan on, turn down the heat, and bundle in blankets. Your sleep patterns will thank you!
 

 

Avoid heavy foods and liquids before bed
Try having a light dinner and promise yourself a huge breakfast.  Eating your biggest meal of the day gives you the longest time to digest it, leaving your body light and ready for resting at the end of the night.  Having a huge meal before dinner is only exhausting because of how hard your body has to work to digest it.  The harder your body is working, the longer you will be awake.  Liquids are somewhat self-explanatory, but obviously a bulging bladder and multiple trips to the bathroom are not condusive to a solid sleep schedule!
 
Is your mind thinking a million different (somewhat irrational) thoughts right as you try to sleep?
I suffered with this for a really long time, when I realized that all my thoughts were things that I could not do anything about at that exact moment and they could almost always be put off until later.  Write these thoughts down! Keep a pad of paper by your bed and jot down the things that are on your mind, and you'll be amazed at how quickly your thoughts calm.  You can rest assured that you will sleep without forgetting your important thoughts - they'll be right there waiting for you in the morning.

 
Taking a long time to sleep?
If it has been 20 to 30 minutes since you laid down and you cannot fall asleep, as counterintuitive as it sounds - get up and read for a few minutes. Get out of bed.  Your body is associating the bed with a restless feeling, when it should be associated with sleep and relaxation.  Avoid television, computers, your cell phone, anything digital that could be stimulating to your brain - all you'll do is wake it up further.  Go sit in the living room with quiet music, read a few pages of your favorite book, write in a journal, anything quiet that will calm your mind.

Do you use any other tips or tricks to get yourself to fall asleep? Leave them in the comments below to help another nurse out!