What makes a good or bad travel nurse? I cannot count how many travel nurses have complained to me, “Why did my contract not get extended?” Despite other travelers being extended and the unit being on fire every shift, some travelers get dropped like hot potatoes after their contract is complete. Below are some travel nurse tips to avoid losing or hating your job!
1. Laziness
Teamwork is the backbone of the nursing profession, and we all need to work together to keep our patients safe. Nursing is hard enough without dealing with lazy coworkers, especially travelers. Some staff nurses negatively perceive travel nurses, and laziness is a big reason. Just because you’re experienced and (hopefully well-paid) does not mean you are above a staff nurse! Being lazy is a great way to have your coworkers hate you.
My tip: Work hard with a good attitude even when it sucks. No one is ever thrilled to help change a soiled bed or grab endless items for unprepared coworkers, but a strong work ethic will get you far! Check on your fellow nurses, offer to help with turns, and be kind no matter what; these are the same people you’ll depend on when you get a new admission! 😉
Sometimes laziness is simply a symptom of burnout. Nursing is hard, and travel nursing comes with unique difficulties. As a new travel nurse, learning what self-care looks like in your new career is important!
For help with this, try my specific article, “3 Practical Ways to Care for Yourself as a Travel Nurse”.
2. Inflexibility
Hospitals hire travel nurses because they are short-staffed and need experienced, flexible nurses to help with a shortage. Travel nurses should be able to function with minimal orientation to a new unit and serve as an asset, NOT a burden. Expect to float often, have your patient assignment changed on a dime, or have an inconvenient schedule. Nurses that complain about everything quickly annoy their coworkers, which is a HUGE reason travelers don’t get extended! This is not an encouragement to accept poor or unfair working conditions but a call to fulfill what we’re hired for: to be a temporary staffing solution.
My tip: Be aware that your skill set is likely more diverse than many other nurses on your unit. You are better equipped to float to a new unit because jumping straight in is what we do! Be willing to change patient assignments if you need to, as long as the new assignment is safe for you to care for. Show kindness towards stressed charge nurses and agree to float with grace. For very specific ways to remain adaptable, click here.
3. Refusal to Learn
EVERY hospital is going to be different from where you came from! Each facility will have individual policies, practices, and unit cultures, even if it is in the same system and only a block down the street. There are many IV pumps, ventilators, arterial line setups, bed functions, tube feeding, and monitor setups. Refusal to learn new machines and follow new policies will destroy your ability to continue travel nursing! Charting systems can be challenging to learn, and well-seasoned travel nurses definitely have personal preferences, but not following hospital policy with your charting will get you fired quickly.
I remember a travel nurse named Michael (name changed for privacy) that I worked with frequently when he first started at my assignment. He was always missing when our patients were crashing and NEVER offered to help a single person during his shift. Even weeks after arriving, he had been labeled a “terrible traveler,” and everyone avoided working with him.
One night I was helping Michael with his patient, and he confided in me that he’d never used our charting system before. This grown man was terrified that someone would ask him to do something he didn’t know how to do, so he avoided everyone and everything!
Unfortunately, his contract was not extended, and most staff members were relieved that he was gone. If Michael had proactively asked for help with the charting system and admitted that he needed help, we would’ve been happy to teach him!
My tip: Ask people to teach you how to use unfamiliar devices. Explaining that you’ve never used something before and proactively looking for education will earn you some lenience with your coworkers! Traveling is a great time to build your skills and learn machines, systems, and procedures that you haven’t seen before. Don’t be a Michael!
4. Flaunting the Perks
This one is hard. Travel nursing isn’t easy, but it can be a dream come true for many of us! I’m happy to avoid the drama and logistics of being staff. I’m thrilled to see my hefty paycheck every Friday morning. I’m grateful for the scheduling flexibility that travel nursing offers me, and I can’t imagine returning staff somewhere! However, flaunting the perks of travel nursing is a great way to lose favor with your unit managers. If someone asks me specific questions about travel nursing, I’m happy to oblige, but raving about why everyone should be a travel nurse isn’t helpful in most scenarios.
My tip: Just be humble, stay out of drama, and collect that paycheck every week!
If you’re looking for more information, check out my article, “Five Interesting Lessons Travel Nursing Has Taught Me!”