Introductions

Hello, and welcome to my blog! My name is Katie and I am a travel nurse working in the operating room. I am currently in North Carolina working my first ever travel assignment. So far, so good! I have been a nurse since 2013, and an OR nurse since 2016. I started working on a med/surg floor (which I never wanted to do while in school), moved to an ortho/nero floor (where I fell in love with surgical patients), and then finally made the move to the OR (which I also never wanted to do while in school.)

When I was in nursing school, I got to do a day in the OR at a pediatric hospital. I saw a lot of really cool things, but also got lightheaded and felt like I was going to pass out. I wasn’t comfortable wearing a mask over my mouth and nose. I wasn’t comfortable wearing a cap all day. I just. wasn’t. comfortable.

So why am I here if I never wanted to be here in the first place?!

My first job out of school was on a med/surg floor. It was the hardest job I ever had. I worked nights, 12-hour shifts, and the patients were sick. I loved the folks I worked with, but floor nursing is HARD, y’all! I needed a change, and that need guided me to applying for a job in the OR. I was skeptical because of my past experiences in the OR, but decided to give it a shot anyway. If I didn’t like it, I didn’t have to work there! I shadowed for a day, felt WAY more comfortable than in my previous experience, fell in love, and was offered a position, which I took with so much excitement and anticipation.

In the almost-four years I was in that OR, I learned so many things from many different people. I not only gained an incredible team, but also a family. The thing about the OR is that it’s incredibly difficult, but you find yourself surrounded by amazing people who support each other through everything. And we’re all a little crazy. 😉

So let’s talk about traveling.

Travel nursing had been on my mind since day 1. I have always been drawn to adventure and uncertainty; the unknown is scary, but boy is it exciting! Life happened, and traveling was put on the back burner. When life hit me with a curve ball, I started reevaluating everything. I was given the opportunity to go to the 2019 AORN Global Surgical Conference and Expo in Nashville. I walked around that massive conference hall, and I stumbled upon the dozens of travel booths set up. I was delighted to realize travelers worked in operating rooms, too! I did some research, applied for a couple companies, looked at quite a few positions, and was offered one that seemed to fit my wants and needs.

So here I am, in North Carolina, working my first assignment and adventuring and exploring! My main purpose here is to post about my off-the-clock adventures. I hope you can follow me along the way!