PERSONAL TRAITS OF TRAVELERS

The traveling nurse profession is full of interesting, curious, adventurous people. Like many groups who share common interests, work experiences and goals, travelers possess certain person traits in common. If you are considering the profession of traveling nurse, carefully consider the following common traits and, if you can honestly say, “That sounds like me!”, then chances are you would fit well into this line of work.

Adaptability

It is essential that travelers be able to quickly and easily adapt to new or unexpected situation. Those who cannot or do not enjoy adapting will not enjoy this profession, since the personal trait of adaptability is the number one most important trait for success as a traveling nurse.  You can be sure you will constantly be faced with new situations where you are fully expected to fit in immediately. You may show up for surgery, and have your scrubs thrown at you, as well as the operation room number and a terse, “Let us know if you need help.” The hospital will be a brand new environment for you. You won’t know where anything is, how to get that patient to recovery, where the lab is located. This is not to say every new situation is full of scary emotional twists and turns, but it can and does happen and you must be able to handle it.

Boredom

Do you enjoy the stability of a routine that hardly changes from day to day? Are you hoping you will be given an assignment where you can stay for a year or more? These things do happen, but overall, travelers crave the excitement of new places and new people. The spirit of adventure becomes addictive after one becomes used to some of the more routine ups and downs, Many travelers actively seek out short assignments so they can build change and the element of surprise into their schedule.

Enthusiasm

Travelers, as a breed, are full of energy and enthusiasm. They want to get going and don’t enjoy sitting around waiting to be told what to do next. They enjoy taking charge, and if something needs doing, they’ll get on it immediately. If they can’t find something to do, they ask around or make work happen so they can be of service and stay active.

No Fear

Very few people are truly fearless, but many people have a higher degree of fear than others.  Those who are afraid to takes risks generally stay home where they feel safe. Those who love adventure and the unknown get out there and bite off a big piece of life. Adapting to the unknown, stepping up to challenges when you cannot know the outcome and exercising your adventurous spirit all take heart and a strong sense of self.

If you can assess yourself honestly and acknowledge that you have at least 3 out of these 4 traits, you will most likely enjoy the lifestyle of a traveling nurse. What if you really want to try this kind of job, but don’t feel you have the adaptability and fearless nature generally required? Should you just forget it? That would be silly. If you want to try it, by all means, try it! You might love it. If you are interested enough in giving it a shot, the follow your own instincts and desires and give it your best. You can’t lose anything and you may be surprised at how much you gain.

Try tailoring the traveling experience to your personality and needs. This is a good, slow way to begin and try it out. Don’t take on lots of short assignments that have you moving frequently from place to place. Take it easy just a bit until you get your feet wet, and look for those assignments where you can stay longer and become acclimated. When interviewing with the agency, ask questions about orientation to determine how much help you’ll get beforehand. And, perhaps the best tip of all, travel to your destination a few days early, so you can become comfortable with your new living arrangements and the area in which you will be working.

Even if you feel as though you will never have the traveling spirit, the experience can be a great teacher and help you to be more well-rounded in the profession. You’ll never know if you can do this until you try it, right? Every time you try something different and learn something new, you grow as a person and as a nurse, and who doesn’t want to do that?