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BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Paula Watkins, RN, CNOR
California Nights
Travel nursing is an opportunity to learn.
As a travel nurse, I'm
convinced I have the
best job imaginable. I
can work anywhere in the
country, as long as I have the
right state licenses, and if I'm
WISH YOU WERE HERE? When I startlucky I'll learn something at
ed the assignment, I didn't know what
to expect. I learned a thing or two.
each stop. Just before the
holidays, I finished a 6-month assignment in Bakersfield, Calif. I'd been
to the state for fun and conferences, but I'd never considered working
there until my agency presented a hospital opportunity. My California
stay was no vacation, but I took a lot away from the experience.
• The sun sets in the west. Everybody knows what sunny California's
like, right? Surf's up, Beach Blanket Bingo, Hollywood, movie stars
and swimming pools. I worked the 3-to-11 shift, like some kind of
vampire. If you've never experienced the adventure of the evening
shift, you may think it sounds like a third-world hospital (as opposed
to 11-to-7, which is truly another planet). The 3-to-11 staff can run a
couple of rooms, and they're not just doing one particular job. They're
multi-taskers who do more with less even more than the day staff.
They don't know what "short-staffed" means. They act like it's normal.
• Old dog, new tricks. I found I actually prefer 3-to-11. I don't much care
for early mornings. I like working with fewer people and using a wide
range of skills. And I just enjoyed the crowd I worked with.
These young men and women (they were all younger than I) were
the most fun and yet most professional people I've worked with in a
