Working After a Sabbatical

It was a bit strange to return to my job in Bradenton, FL at first. I felt like I had just lived another life and was returning to my old life. It sort of felt like deja-vu. I was initially nervous about how taking 3 months off of work would impact my skills. I have to admit I was a bit rusty once I started working again. But everything came back to me rather quickly.

The staff was used to me working as speedy Gonzalez and fitting walk-ins easily in between patients. But I did need the first couple of weeks to adjust back to working, and wasn’t as fast as I normally am. A couple of things had changed on the EHR and I needed a few extra minutes to contemplate some HCC codes on my Medicare patients. 

The level of complexity of the patients seemed higher than I remembered. But I think it was because since they opened my schedule last minute, they moved up some new patients that needed to be seen ASAP for serious reasons, such as an osteomyelitis patient needing IV antibiotics through infection disease; or a new patient with a decubitus ulcer, colostomy, and foley cath etc. 

Additionally, all of these patients I was now seeing were new to me. Since I am not familiar with them, I do need to utilize the extra time they are allotted on the schedule with me. It only took me 1-2 weeks to transition back to my normal working self. This was good, as it reassured me not to be worried about taking an extended leave again in the future. 

There continues to be some staffing shortages but I suppose it is like this everywhere. I noticed the other PCPs seemed to be burned out. I don’t blame them because they didn’t just come back from a 3-month vacation as I had (haha). So, I tried to do my best to help them in addition to staying on top of my own schedule. I found myself to have a lot of patience which is expected considering my extended leave. 

Going Back to Bradenton, FL – Again

Ultimately, I decided to return to work in Bradenton, Florida once my 3-month European sabbatical ended. I enjoyed working there in the past and many of my peers were hopeful that I would return once I came back from Europe. It is also just a 3-hour drive to my home in Miami.

This would be convenient since I needed to be in Miami at least once or twice each month for the remainder of the year. I knew the site would be flexible as they have always been in the past, and I asked to have 1 week off each month. In return, I would agree to a 4-month assignment, to make up for all of the time I would be taking off. In addition, I asked for a $10/hour raise. They happily agreed to both of my requests. 

To be honest, I considered taking the remainder of the year off. Just because I have a lot of personal things going on (good things). But I decided against it because I do not want to lose my medical skills since I had already been away from practice for 3 months. 

There was a hiccup with my onboarding during the first week. Since I was gone for over 90 days, HR requested updated titers and a urine drug screen last minute. I completed these the Friday prior to my start date, but the results didn’t come in until the following Thursday. After I showed up to the clinic, HR said they didn’t want me seeing patients until the results were in. 

So, I didn’t end up seeing actual patients until Thursday afternoon. I just went to meetings the other days and caught up with leadership and some coworkers. Fortunately, the site still paid me for the days I didn’t “work” that week, since technically the error was on their end. They have always treated me well and that is why I remain loyal to them. 

It was great to be welcomed back by my co-workers and catch up with them. They reminded me that I bring stability and positivity to the center that impacts the work culture there. It was equally nice to see some of my prior patients who were excited to see that I had returned. 

Reflecting on 10 years of Being a Nurse Practitioner

This month marks me being a Nurse Practitioner for 10 years. When they said time happens quickly as an adult, they were right! I remember graduating Florida State University with my Bachelors of Science in Nursing, and taking my RN license exam one month later. The following day, I went to Haiti volunteer at a clinic there.

I got to see first-hand what nurse practitioners do. How they diagnosed and treated patients. But most importantly how they showed compassion for their patients, and how empowering it felt. I knew in that moment, that I wanted to become a nurse practitioner. 

After I became a family nurse practitioner from the University of Miami (UM), I settled down in Miami and practiced there for 3 years. I self-taught medical Spanish to keep up with my patients there. The first year was a big learning curve – transitioning from a nurse to the one calling the shots. 

Meanwhile, I gave back to my profession. I taught at the RN level in the evenings for a few years. Eventually, I became a preceptor for NP students at UM, and later a clinical professor for NP students as well. 

I had always wanted to do travel nursing, and when I realized I was “bored” in Miami with the same mundane life, I finally decided to pursue locum tenens. At the time, there wasn’t much information about traveling as a nurse practitioner – which is why I created this blog. Over the last 7 years of me traveling as a nurse practitioner, I have grown so much. My skills and medical knowledge has certainly become strong considering my variety of experience. 

I have worked in 9 different states and over 20 different healthcare practices. I have had several mentors of physicians and other nurse practitioners that I’ve followed. I have treated patients of all ages, various cultures and diseases. I have been able to meet up with countless friends and relatives during these adventures. 

I realized that giving up being a locum tenens provider would be hard because wherever you go, everyone is so happy to have you as if you are their “savior”. The staff is happy to have you as they are short-staffed. And the patients are happy to have you as they may have waited even months to get into the clinic to be seen. 

In conclusion, I have had such an amazing experience being a nurse practitioner for the last 10 years. It has truly become part of my identity. I am glad the profession found me and I am looking forward to continue being a part of it for another 10+ years.

European Sabbatical – Part 3

I wrapped up by 3rd month in Spain a bit earlier than planned. After being there for 10 weeks I was feeling homesick and knew it was time to go home. I completed the trip with a few days in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, with my best friend from high school. It had gotten incredibly hot in Barcelona with record highs of high 90’s. So, it was great to leave the city and relax on the beach in a nearby island. 

The beach reminded me of Florida beaches, with soft sand and warm water. It was so hot that I would have preferred colder water to be honest. Usually I could find this in the morning though. The water was clear and I often saw a bunch of fish swimming around. 

Additionally, I was able to catch up with my extended cousins that live in France. One of them now lives in Barcelona and her sister came to visit with her children while I was there. It was great catching up with them as it has been several years since I last saw them. I hope to see them again next year. 

In conclusion, I really enjoyed my sabbatical in Europe. I think next year I will do one in France. I will probably go in the late spring to avoid hot weather. I also think 3 months is too long for me to be abroad. I will likely spend 4-6 weeks on my next sabbatical. I would choose France because I have a lot of family and friends that live there. I speak the language, love the food, and would love to explore more of the country. 

As my sabbatical was coming to an end, I had to start thinking about real life (haha). I wanted to work somewhere new, in a new state. Ultimately, I realized I needed to stick close to home (Miami). I had so many upcoming events with friends and family, that I would need to be in Miami at least twice a month for the next 4 months. It didn’t make sense to go somewhere far away, where I would have to fly often. 

During the fall months: I have 2 weddings to attend, my sisters baby shower, my cousin’s baptism, and my college reunion. Not to mention it would be Thanksgiving and Christmas, in addition to my birthday, in which I would want to be home. 

Any guesses on where I decided to work?

European Sabbatical – Part 2

I committed to an Airbnb in Barcelona that is literally right in front of Barcelona’s landmark – La Sagrada Familia. I have views of the church in my living room, or I can go to the terrace upstairs to see it. The picture above is one I took from my apartment. I selected a 2-bedroom apartment so I could accommodate visiting friends. My musts were air conditioning and a washer/dryer. Many buildings in Barcelona do not have air conditioning which is torture during summer months. Especially since Europe ended up getting a heat wave this summer. I love the airbnb I chose! It’s super cute, updated, and great location.

Since I booked the Airbnb last minute and during the peak of “revenge summer travel”, it was quite pricey. An unfurnished long-term lease apartment in Barcelona goes for ~$1000/mo for a 2 bedroom. So I was surprised to find what I was looking for on Airbnb (furnished of course) for a whopping $3600/month. Since I was going to be in and out of Barcelona, I tried to see if it made more sense to book an Airbnb 2 weeks at a time. But it was actually the same price as booking a monthly rental, since hosts often give a discount for booking for 30 days at a time. 

I used my chase sapphire preferred card to book the Airbnb. Fortunately, there was a promotion with this chase card that I could redeem Airbnb purchases with my chase points for 1.25 dollar per point. Thus, I ended up redeeming 270,000 of my chase points for a month at this Airbnb (a value of $3600). By using my points, my out of pocket expense for the Airbnb was ultimately zero. I had accumulated a lot of points and miles over the past few years since I barely traveled abroad since the pandemic. 

I got to know the host of the Airbnb pretty well, and turns out he owned the entire building. I let him know when I was going out of town for a week at a time, and he worked out a deal with me. While I was gone, he moved my things to an upstairs studio, while he rented out my 2- bedroom apartment. In return, he paid me $100/night and technically I had free cleanings in between. This benefited him because a lot of tourists were looking for a 2-bedroom apartment for a family of four, so he was able to earn additional profit while I was gone and leaving my apartment empty. I profited $800 with this, bringing down my overall Airbnb monthly cost to $2,800. 

Now on to the fun part. I met with a friend in Croatia, where we spent a week. It was my favorite country that I visited in Europe this summer. Old town Dubrovnik (where they filmed Game of Thrones) was beautiful! I enjoyed climbing the wall and the fort for spectacular views. 

The beaches were also gorgeous! The water was so clear you could see fish swimming underneath you. We rented a boat and explored nearby islands and caves. We went snorkeling and I saw starfish which was neat. I have to add that most of the beaches do not have sand, just rocks. This was a bit of an adjustment for a Florida girl. It was interesting to me that the Europeans felt comfortable lying on a rock after getting out of the water versus us Americans needed lounge chairs. I cut my foot on a rock in the water, so in the future I would bring some water shoes with me. 

We also did a day trip to Montenegro since it is only 2 hours away by car. It’s a cute mountainous country with small cities on the coast. It was very cheap in comparison to Croatia. Yet, I found the people in both places to be incredibly nice. 

We returned to Barcelona to meet up with other friends. I showed them around and we appreciated the diverse eating options in Barcelona. In Croatia, our only options had been Italian or Seafood haha. 

Meanwhile, jobs back home were already asking me if I decided what my plan would be when I returned. I told them I would let them know in mid-August. I was still on vacation mode and not even thinking about the idea of working at that time.

The Top Business Credit Card

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I have several top Business credit cards, but if I had to choose one, I would choose the Chase Ink Unlimited Card. It comes with a 75k Chase points sign up bonus after spending $7500 in the first 3 months. It also comes with 0% APR for the first 12 months. This is nice if you need to carry business related expenses over a month, and the balance won’t show up on your credit report since it’s a business card.

You can earn 1.5 points per $1 spent on all purchases ongoing. And it comes with no annual fee, meaning I can hold this card forever. Unfortunately, it does come with a foreign transaction fee. So it wouldn’t be ideal to travel abroad with.

And in order to transfer the points to airlines and hotels, you would need to also hold another chase credit card with an annual fee such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserved, or the Chase Ink Preferred Business card. If not, the points would only be worth $750 cash value, versus as points they can easily be worth double that.

I love have chasing points because I use them often to fly on American Airlines (through the British Airways partner), and to transfer to Hyatt hotels at a great rate. Most recently, I cashed out some of my Chase points to stay in an Airbnb for a month in Europe. Chase had a promotion that depending on which cards you have, you can pay yourself back for Airbnb purchases at 1.25-1.5 points per $1.

If you are interested in this card, please click on the link on the top to apply for it and support this site!

European Sabbatical – Part 1

I have just completed my first month living in Europe. I spent half the time living in Barcelona. I went exploring, relaxing, and met up with relatives and friends. I had been to Barcelona before but there is so much to do here that I still had a lot on my to visit. So far, the highlights have been going through Gaudi’s work at Casa Mila and of course seeing La Sagrada Familia from all parts of the city. I have enjoyed walking everywhere and access to public transportation. I walk at least 10 miles every day. The people have been friendly and sangria tasty. It’s been hot, so I did go to the beach here. The water was clear and refreshing. However, it doesn’t compare to the Florida beaches 😉

The second part of the month I spent traveling to Eastern Europe with one of my best friends from home. We started in Budapest which I instantly loved. There is so much to do there, plenty of history, and the people are so nice. My favorite part was going to the Fisherman’s Bastion with beautiful views of the city. I also loved the Szechenyi Thermal Baths. They have over 20 different public baths and pools of all different temperatures. 

We then took the train to Vienna. I really enjoyed the train experience. It was smooth, quick, and cheap. From all of the Eastern European countries we visited, Vienna probably had the best food. I liked the Wiener Schnitzel, which is breaded veal with a layer of cranberry sauce on top. Even the apple strudel was delicious, and I am normally not a fan of apple desserts. My favorite part was going to the Belvedere Museum to see the Klimt paintings and of course there was a surprise painting of Napoleon 😉

Next, we went to Prague. We heard a lot of good things about Prague. I now understand why. It’s a beautiful medieval town. There isn’t much to do there but is a nice place to walk around. Afterwards, we went to Krakow, Poland. The people there are a bit colder than the previous countries. I can’t blame them considering all they have gone through between World War II and being invaded by the Soviet Union soon after. 

We did a day trip to Auschwitz which was definitely eye opening. It was really sad and I felt weird being there. It was interesting to see the size of the camps – way bigger than I could have imagined. They still have tons of the prisoners hair there. Apparently, the Nazi’s kept it to sell to textile companies to make clothes. I didn’t take a picture because it’s gross. They still had thousands of people’s shoes, glasses, and suitcases. 

The Nazi’s decided to put the main concentration camp in Poland, because at that time they had the most amount of Jewish people (3 million). Nowadays, there is only 7,000 Jewish people in Poland which is mind boggling. Keep in mind, it wasn’t only Jewish people that were sent to these camps. Many erudites, politicians, and sympathetic Catholics were also sent to these camps.

I ended my travels in Lisbon, Portugal, meeting up with high school friends that live in Europe. I was very curious about Portugal since they have a lot of American expats. Now I know why many Americans choose to move there. The weather is great – low 70’s/high 60’s. It reminds me of California (meanwhile the rest of Europe has been really hot). It is very diverse – more so than most of Europe. We saw plenty of black people, Hispanics, Asians, etc. It is cheap for a western European country. For instance, a 15-minute taxi was only $5. Lisbon reminded me of San Francisco, with its abundance of hills, being on the coast, and trolley system. I hope to someday return to explore the coastal cities of Portugal. 

Now I am back in Barcelona to take a 2-week hiatus before my next travel adventures. Traveling can be exhausting so I am glad to take a break before my next visitors arrive. I’ll be sure to catch up on sleep and some alone time. 

My first week being here, I oddly missed work. Now that I have been here for almost 6 weeks, I no longer miss work. I think the longer you are away from it, the harder it is to go back to it.