Working Tourist: Have RV, Will Travel

Lea Ann M. echoes what many nurses have said when asked about choosing a career path. To Lea Ann, nursing chose her instead of her choosing to become a nurse. She was a young mom whose daughter was born with a cleft lip and partial cleft palate. At the time, Texas Children’s Hospital was a place where she and her daughter spent countless days and nights for surgeries and recovery.

All of it seemed like “hands-on” training for a young woman destined to be a nurse. “I already knew how to do a majority of tasks so nursing seemed natural,” Lea Ann explains. “Nurses helped me through that at such a young age and were never judgmental. I admired them greatly.”

Lea Ann has been a nurse for 24 years now, with 15 years being spent in psychiatric and behavioral health. In 2021, with her children grown, Lea Ann decided that after more than a decade in nurse management, she would return to the bedside and become a travel nurse. The decision has been a life changer, and Lea Ann has been thriving on her travel assignments.

“I’m in psych/behavioral health, and sometimes I’m at a contract to reach a nurse who may be struggling in the field. I believe there is a plan and purpose for each assignment I take.”

Lea Ann travels to her assignments with her 65-pound travel dog, Marshall, in a 37-foot RV. She has a key piece of advice for other travel nurses who are considering using an RV: “Make sure you know how to back up an RV! I have pulled cattle trailers and boats, but the RV is a bit different. You can’t see through or over it.”

Another benefit of travel nursing for Lea Ann has been meeting new people at work and at the various RV parks that she stays at while on assignment. Her neighbors in the parks usually fall in love with Marshall, so he enjoys going on walks and hikes with his new best friends while Lea Ann is working. Lea Ann says that developing those relationships can be vital to a successful assignment when traveling with a pet. Even one as well-behaved and popular as Marshall!

Lea Ann describes her travel nurse journey as amazing and adventurous, imploring others to experience it for themselves, “If you get the opportunity, do it! I was a mom early and did all of the typical mom duties. Now I am finding some ‘me’ time and getting to know myself outside of that role.”

She considers herself to be a “Gulf Coast Girl” and has taken most of her assignments throughout the South, once pulling her RV all the way from New Mexico to Georgia. When she learns about a location and finds all of the best things to see and do, her kids sometimes visit and treat it as a fun vacation. Lea Ann now has her sights set on finding an assignment in or around the Nashville area, a place she has never been but is excited to explore.

Learn more about a rewarding and adventurous career as a travel nurse. If you are ready for your next assignment, search our available travel nursing jobs or contact us today.