David Morrison

Ask just about any seasoned travel nurse and they will tell you that more often than not, the hospital staff on your assignment will be very welcoming. That same travel nurse, however, will undoubtedly have a story about a staff member who made an assignment a little less enjoyable—and, in some cases, intolerable.

In more than a decade of travel, I can certainly recall a few nurses and even unit managers who had me counting the days until the end of my assignment. Instead of concentrating on assignment horror stories, though, let's look at how you might avoid them.

As a travel nurse, you will often find that your new colleagues understand you are there to help staff the unit, and they will be very accepting of your presence (especially if they have worked with travelers before). If travel nurses are not the norm in the unit in which you will be working, you might run into some resistance, but you can usually overcome this with a few simple measures.

Although it can be a hard trait to adopt (especially with my stubbornness), you can never go wrong with the old idiom of "killing them with kindness." Even in the face of an unwelcoming staff, you can never go wrong by putting on a smile and trying to be warm and friendly.

You can also never go wrong in having the word "helpful" associated with your name. If you have a free moment at work, go around the unit and see if anyone else could use some help. I try not to decline anyone who needs assistance in pulling a patient up in bed or giving a bed bath. Obviously, you do need to make sure you are not neglecting your patients while helping someone else, but in your free moments offer your assistance to the other staff in your unit.

Even the techs are not off-limits when offering to help those in your unit. Keeping the techs in your good graces can make your job a heck of a lot easier when the time comes that you need the help.

Be a friend

I always recommend trying to gain friends and not just colleagues. If someone on the regular staff invites you to do something outside of work, accept. Even if church bingo is not your idea of a groovy Saturday night, accept. Sometimes having a friend in the unit is akin to having an ally on the battlefield. And if you travel for long enough, you will work an assignment where you know exactly what I mean by that.

For most travelers, knowing how to adapt and assimilate to new environments is second nature. To others, it will be an acquired skill. However gained, "fitting in" is a crucial skill in the world of travel nursing.

For those still having trouble being a "people person," you can always check out Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Remember to drop me a quick e-mail to tell me what topics you would like to see covered in future issues, as well as any questions or requests for advice that you may have. You can e-mail me at david@travelnursesbible.com
.

Happy travels.