I graduated with my BSN from UVA in 2015, I wanted to work in critical care and I took an ICU job in Atlanta, Georgia as a new graduate. I signed a 2-year Residency Contract to work at an academic teaching facility in the perimeter. I can honestly say that the first year of being an RN was the single hardest year of my life. I was working mostly nightshifts<\/a> and struggling to make new friends in an unfamiliar city.<\/p>\n I heard about being a travel nurse from an acquaintance and was curious to learn more after a coworker of mine left to travel in New Orleans. I finally committed to the decision to travel while on a section hike of the Appalachian Trail (which starts in northern Georgia). I knew I had climbed and explored most of the mountains in Georgia, my body wanted more. I also recognized that with my CCRN and advancing in the hospital lattice that I was hitting my maximum potential as a staff RN: my mind wanted more. I told my nurse manager that I wanted to pursue travel Nursing in my yearly evaluation: he offered nothing but support, encouragement, and wisdom. I knew that I when worked as a travel nurse, it would be on my own terms: I was exhausted from bending to constant rules and feeling overworked and under-explored. My partner at the time strongly discouraged me from becoming a travel nurse. He wondered what I could possibly be missing from our comfortable life. I wondered how he could be comfortable with so much of the world waiting to be explored. I jokingly tell my friends now that \u201cI lost 200 pounds of dead weight that year\u201d.<\/p>\n I first dropped down to \u2018per diem\u2019 at my job on Dec 4th, 2017. I officially quit after working only 2 per diem shifts in Jan 2018. For the entire month of December, I waited a stressful and anxiety-ridden days working with multiple travel nurse agencies, meticulously scanning the web to find my first travel assignment. I wanted to work in Washington State mostly because my only travel nurse friend from Nursing school, was currently there on assignment. It felt good to have a friend talk me through the process. My profile was finally submitted to a critical care unit in Seattle, and I chewed off my nails waiting as I impatiently waited for a call from the unit manager. I knew things moved quickly in the industry<\/a> and kept my cell and list of interview questions and detailed answers with me at all times. Maybe they would call me today, maybe they would never.<\/p>\n When the management team did call me, I was an instant fit for the unit. However there was confusion, and in my excitement to find a critical care position in Seattle, I had been \u201cdual submitted\u201d to this ICU by two different agencies. Recruiters feelings were hurt and bruised. I ended up having to switch travel recruiters because of such a poor experience with my first one, who verbally scolded me for this \u201cnewbie\u201d mistake. I finally signed the contract with the one agency and booked a ticket to Seattle, WA. I landed on New Year’s Eve 2018 and was welcomed by fireworks shooting off over Gas Works Park. My assignment was incredible!! I was welcomed into an amazing unit and Nursing team and also a breathtakingly beautiful city.<\/p>\n I worked very hard during my 13 weeks, I strove to be an asset to an already standout team. On my days off I spent every free moment exploring the PNW and the Cascade and Olympic Mountain ranges. From touring the Spaceneedle to snowshoeing, every day was a new adventure. My contract wrapped up on April 7th. I began working with recruiters again, setting my sights on California. I had worked for months to get my RN license and wanted to explore the Golden Coast. I started speaking to new recruiters, and new agencies, explaining to them precisely what I wanted (ICU dayshift in California). I worked with a total of 5 agencies during this time. Each recruiter told me I had a \u201ctall order\u201d, or \u201cchallenging request\u201d or was \u201cbeing difficult\u201d. One told me to call him back when I had decided to \u201cfinally settle on something reasonable\u201d. It took two painful months for me to establish an ICU contact in San Francisco. During this time of distress and uncertainty, I traveled to locations I had only dreamed of visiting. It was how I cope with the stress of being 24, unemployed and uninsured. I lived with my phone at my hip with the volume on loud, just in case a manager called me during my travels.<\/p>\n