After being a nursing professional for four years, Danielle Costello began feeling the need for a change. She was entertaining thoughts of becoming a travel nurse but had also been accepted to grad school. Finally, in January 2017, after speaking with several travelers that were working at the hospital where she was employed, Danielle decided to become a travel nurse.
“I ultimately began traveling for a few reasons,” she explains. “I was feeling complacent and needed a challenge, and I also wanted to earn more money so I could pay off my student loans.”
Danielle works primarily in the ER but is also experienced in ICU, Med/Surg, and Pediatric Home Care. Being a travel nurse has had a profound impact on her nursing career. Working in different regions, she has learned that healthcare is different in other areas and traveling has allowed her to carry new bits of knowledge with her from each of her assignments. She credits these experiences for helping her grow as both a nurse and a person.
Another benefit she has gained from her travel career is that she has experienced a number of “firsts” while on assignment. She went hiking for the first time while working in Portland Maine and made it to the top of Cadillac Mountain in Bar Harbor. She also attended her first Major League Baseball game at Fenway Park. While on assignment in Providence, she took a four-day trip to New York City and rode a subway for the first time. Her big-city highlight was being shown on the ‘Today Show’ and saying hi to her Mom back home in Iowa.
“No matter where I am on assignment, I try to do any attractions that are within driving distance,” she said in discussing her travel strategy. “I always go on TripAdvisor and look up fun things to do and ask my co-workers about everything I should experience in the area.”
Danielle has her travel assignment planned out for the foreseeable future. She plans on returning to the Midwest so she can be closer to Iowa and family, for a while, then she plans to treat herself to someplace warm for the winter months. She is considering Texas, Arizona, South Carolina, and Florida. Next spring, she wants to return to the East Coast and be near several destination cities!
As you may have noticed, Danielle is pretty organized which has come in handy as a travel nurse. Her advice to new travel nurses or those considering traveling is to be as organized as possible. She recommends organizing your email with folders to easily send out certifications and resumes when applying for job opportunities. She has stressed the importance of creating your own system for keeping certifications and licenses up to date.
“Being responsible and self-sufficient is one of the keys to being a successful travel nurse!”
If you are interested in discovering how becoming a travel nurse can impact your career, contact a Supplemental Health Care recruiting professional today.
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