Traveling NP

My 3-month assignment in Jacksonville, FL has come to an end. I had a great experience and wouldn’t mind returning there in the future. The staff is so sweet and fun there, I will surely miss everyone. The owners of the company came to visit the clinic in March. I hadn’t seen them in years but they were very kind as always. They hugged me as if I am family and thanked me for continuing to help over the years. They joked that every clinic leader thinks they can convince me to stay permanently but they always bet that I will continue being a free spirit. 

Each week, the clinic has a “VIP of the week” for an employee that goes above and beyond. My last week they announced me as the “VIP of the week”. They acknowledged me and how appreciative they were of me every day during our morning huddle that week. Some of the employees said they are truly in aww of me and feel inspired. 

Since it is a pretty new clinic (open for only about one year-ish), the staff said they learned so much from me, and how things should be done. A lot of them individually said they would miss me so much and didn’t want me to leave. It made me feel good that I can make such an impact on people in just a mere 3 months. 

They treated me to lunch on my last day, and surprised me with a cake, balloons, and cute card. One of the staff made me a Cuban flan and another one even gave me a $50 gift card which I thought was so sweet. Even the patients were so kind, they brought me donuts, cakes, and cards on my last week as well. 

Interestingly, I was asked to help again in Bradenton when I finished my assignment in Jacksonville. I told them no, that I had just worked in the best place ever and could never go back there until the work culture improved. 

Side note, I caught up with a handful of friends from college during my time in Jacksonville, which was awesome! This is one of my favorite parts of being a traveling nurse practitioner. I get to see people I know but haven’t seen in years. 

For those of you not familiar with the importance of a CAQH profile, be sure to read the article I wrote for NPschools.com:

https://www.npschools.com/blog/creating-a-caqh-profile

Check out this article I wrote for NPschools.com on how to write an excellent NP resume.

https://www.npschools.com/blog/np-resume

I wanted to share my very first podcast interview with you guys! It was done with LocumStory.com. It’s brief, less than 15 minutes long, so you can listen quickly on your way to work. I talk about why being a traveling nurse practitioner is the best life and tips on how to get started.

You can listen to it via the link below or though spotify.

Check out an article I wrote for NPschools.com about working in rural health as a nurse practitioner:

https://www.npschools.com/blog/rural-healthcare

Check out an article I wrote for NPschools.com about the pros and cons of working as a W2 employee vs 1099 Contractor.

https://www.npschools.com/blog/taxes-for-nurse-practitioners

1. Jacksonville Beach – This is a fun area. Although the beach water isn’t as nice and turquoise blue as the gulf coast of Florida, the water is clear and warm in summer months. There are often waves large enough for surfing. Besides the beach they have a popular fishing pier. And there are plenty of restaurants and bars in the area to enjoy as well. 

2. Huguenot Memorial Park –  This is the only beach you can drive on the sand with 4-wheel drive vehicles, which can be fun. They have an area for birdwatching too. 

3. Riverwalk – This is a boardwalk along St. Johns River. It’s a nice place to take a long stroll. You have a nice view of downtown Jacksonville and the blue bridge. On Saturdays, they have the Riverside Arts Market under the I-95 bridge. 

4. Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island – Fernandina Beach is located on Amelia Island. You can stroll on Center Street and visit the Artrageous Artwalk. A must see is the Historic District of Amelia Island. It’s a nationally preserved area with lots of shops and restaurants. Fort Clinch State Park is a small fort that was built during the American Civil War, but never finished.  It’s a nice hidden gem. This is probably my favorite place to visit in Jacksonville!

5. Day Trip to St Augustine, FL – St. Augustine is a 30-60min drive from Jacksonville depending on where you are staying. It is well known for its Fort: Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. It is well restored and maintained by the National Park Service. The view from the gun deck is spectacular. They have educational explanations of life and defense at the fort. The St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum is also worth visiting. You can climb all the way to the top of the lighthouse. You can also walk along St. George street and they offer ghost walking tours. 

Some readers have asked how I am able to take time off during an assignment. I usually provide the dates I need off prior to starting so that it is in the agreement. If I am not sure of the exact dates yet, I will just tell them I need a week off in the month of February and will let them know the exact time as soon as possible. If I want to take some additional time off that I didn’t let them know in advance, I just give them a one month notice and have them block my schedule. It’s usually not that complicated. 

I took a week and a half off in the middle of my current assignment to meet up with my boyfriend in Spain. We had an amazing time together – the weather was perfect. A little cold but sunny so it didn’t feel that bad. We went to Madrid since it was his first time, and ended the trip in Barcelona – where we initially met last summer. I was thrilled to go back to all of my favorite places in Barcelona. 

When I was in Bradenton, there was a physician that worked with me that is at least 70 years old. He was so in awe of my European sabbatical last summer. He was forever talking about it and saying that he wished he could do that. He had retired twice before but ended up being bored and going back to work. He is originally from Greece and said he would love to spend a summer there. 

I told him that actually he could take a sabbatical as well. I told him the company he worked for has a sabbatical program for providers. He said he has never heard about it and I told him they don’t advertise it. The only reason I knew about it was because they have tried to convince me to go permanent with them before, using the sabbatical as an enticement. I encouraged him to take the sabbatical as soon as possible while he is in good health and can travel to Greece for an extended period of time. 

Fast forward to now, and he messaged me letting me know that his sabbatical for this summer was approved! He is taking 3 months off to spend the summer in Greece. I am so happy for him and glad I was able to influence him living life to its fullest. 

Now, I am trying to figure out if I will move on to another assignment or take some time off. I feel like I would love to have a break, but at the same time, it can be hard to say ‘no’ when you are constantly needed. Can anyone else relate?

FurnishedFinder.com is a popular website used by travel nurses to find housing. As a travel nurse, you are typically provided a housing stipend so you want to find the most affordable housing, to pocket as much money as you can from the stipend. Some travel nurses prefer to just rent a room for a few hundred dollars a month instead of an entire apartment for over a thousand or more per month. 

As a traveling nurse practitioner, the agency will often provide housing. Sometimes the options provided are subpar or you may want to opt for a housing stipend instead. This is where furnishedfinder.com comes in. This site is similar to Airbnb but specifically for travel nurses listing midterm furnished rentals. Instead of short stays, the owners are looking to rent out these homes for at least a minimum of 1-3 months. As a result, they tend to me more affordable than Airbnb these days. 

I have used furnished finder several times by now. I have had mostly good experiences. The apartments provided have been furnished and cute, and fairly priced. For example, in Florida I have been able to find 2-bedroom furnished apartments (including utilities and cable) for less than $2500/month. This is in comparison to Airbnb where monthly listings are often over $3500/month.

To date – I only had one bad experience. This was actually for my housing in Jacksonville. The landlord was hard to reach leading up to moving in. And when it was move in day, she told me to wait a few hours to make sure the cleaning lady finished. By night time, she asked if I could find another place to stay for the night. This rubbed me the wrong way because I had booked the apartment 2 months in advance so it was no surprise when I was supposed to check in. And I figured if she was already hard to get a hold of, imagine how much worse it could be once I am living in her property and having an issue.

So, I told her to just cancel the stay and provide me a refund. Fortunately, my agency was able to quickly put me in a hotel for the week until I moved into another apartment I found on furnished finder. The only downside to this website is that there is no “money back guarantee”, the way there is with Airbnb. Furnished Finder is just a platform for owners to list properties and for travel nurses to find them. Payment and leasing agreements happen directly between owner and renter. As a result, no fees are charged. 

I have not heard of anyone being scammed through this website but be sure to proceed cautiously and do your due diligence before sending payment. Luckily, I didn’t feel “scammed’ by the landlord in Jacksonville since she was the one that insisted we facetime prior to the agreement. She just ended up being unprofessional and losing my business. 

I am towards the end of my assignment in Jacksonville, FL and I have to say it has been amazing! Leadership at my clinic is really good. They radiate positivity, productivity, and follow through. In fact, the quarterly employee survey showed that leadership was admired at a whopping 96%. This is the highest I have ever seen within the company. From my last assignment, I have realized how important leadership is and the impact it has on the staff.

Everyone was so welcoming and excited when I started. Everything has been smooth sailing. The clinic is very organized. They are adequately staffed and everyone is willing to work and do their job. The patients are great too. They are very appreciative and friendly. They have that southern hospitality since we are pretty close to Georgia. 

I literally have nothing to complain about. In fact, when we have our PCP meetings, the medical director is surprised I have no concerns, as the other PCPs do. At this point, working with this company on and off over the past 6.5 years, I have seen it all. So, when it’s this good, I will take it!

As usual, there was a new nurse practitioner that started around the same time as me, and they put me sitting by him. He is one of the friendliest people I have ever met so I have had a good experience with him. He is appreciative of all of the tips and help I have given him about transitioning into his role. He was a previous locums nurse practitioner too which is cool. 

Socially, I have been able to catch up with my old college roommate, friends, and former coworker. I have always liked Jacksonville. It’s a less expensive, less diverse version of Miami. If only the beaches were nicer – haha. 

Anyways, I am so glad I made the decision to come here. What a great experience. 🙂