Travel Nurse of the Month – Jazzmine L!
Name: Jazzmine L.
City, State: New York, New York
Specialty: Telemetry
Month: March
1. How’d you get into travel nursing?
I love learning new things and traveling. After 7 years of working in the same hospital, I was curious about working at other facilities around the country.
2. What’s the best part about traveling?
There are four major things I like about traveling:
- I don’t have to be involved with the “politics” of a facility like permanent staffers
- I get to try all kinds of cool floors and assignments without committing years to them
- I get to travel all over and check fantasy vacations off of my bucket list
- Of course the pay
Looking for your next travel assignment? Search our gigs here.
3. You meet a first time travel nurse in the New York City area, which restaurant is a must for them to try?
Eleven Madison Park: it was rated the best restaurant in the WORLD by the New York Times in April 2017. It’s an amazing experience! You are only able to book it a month in advance. I stayed up until midnight so that I could make reservations on the first day of the month!
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4. What’s the best part about the New York City area?
I love how diverse it is. I can practice my Spanish, Russian and Chinese all in the same neighborhood. Great restaurants. Incredible night life. One minute I’m salsa dancing in Astoria, the next minute I’m shopping in Soho, painting in Central Park, grooving at a low-key live music concert in Williamsburg ,or enjoying cocktails and appetizers at a rooftop party in Manhattan. I don’t think it’s possible to do everything. I’m doing my best though.
5. Any advice for other travelers?
I would strongly advise the following:
- Research everything
- Know how much you should be paid
- Read everything you sign and keep records
- Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want (don’t even bother doing all kinds of checklists and etc. until you are happy with the package you are offered)
- Get malpractice insurance
- Make sure to keep investing in your retirement plan
- Save emergency money so that you never have to rush to accept an assignment you don’t want (and save just in case your assignment ends abruptly)
- If one agency refuses to give you what you want, there are tons of others. On the other hand, loyalty to a good agency has many perks ☺️. Make sure to ask about them.
- The hospital is the client, not you. So it is important that you prove your worth with punctuality, professionalism, and flexibility
- If anything unusual happens during your assignment, notify your recruiter immediately
- Practice for your interview: anticipate questions and have ready some questions you would like to ask
- Never believe anything someone says that they are not willing to put in writing
- The shortage of pay when you call out sick is painful. Avoid it at all costs
- Never be afraid to ask for help or ask questions. No nurse knows everything (even though we secretly feel like we should). So I don’t feel stupid, I start my questions with, “how does YOUR facility handle…” or “what is YOUR facility’s policy on…” or “I have not used this machine at other facilities. How does this machine work?” You can use those to ask about anything :).
- Whenever in doubt, refer to the facility’s policies and YouTube. Every facility has slight differences in polices and as travel nurses we still have to comply to each one
- Don’t isolate yourself. It will make you a target. Take time for small talk with the staff. It’s harder to pick on someone that is well-liked. It’s easier to pick on a stranger
- Some facilities allow you to make your own schedule. It’s okay to gently state your preference while also being willing to fulfill their needs
You may also like: Check out our previous Traveler of the Month winners!
6. How do you compare Axis to others travel companies?
I really like Axis because I feel like a priority with them; they don’t rush me to make decisions, they do everything they can to make me happy, and they are willing to text and email me instead of calling, lol (I hate frequent phone calls). I haven’t been able to get all of those things at other agencies.
Congrats Jazzmine! You’ve been a stellar addition to the Axis team! 🙂
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