4 Tips for Adjusting to a New Facility as a Travel Nurse
As exciting as it is to be a travel nurse in a new city, adjusting to your role can get challenging. Not only will you have to learn new procedures, you’ll also need to learn how to best interact with patients and your team. While these tactical and interpersonal skills can be challenging to learn for anyone, they can be especially difficult if you’re still new to travel nursing. However, the sooner you adjust, the better you can be at your job. Below are some tips on how to best get used to your new travel nursing facility.
Tour the Facility
You’ll likely be at your new facility for 13 weeks, so the earlier you learn where things are and how to get from one place to another, the better it will be for you throughout your assignment. Typically, you’ll get offered a tour once you start work. If not, take the initiative to ask for one.
At the start of your assignment, try to connect with someone who has years of experience or knowledge about the facility. Not only will you have someone to learn from throughout your 13 weeks, but it’s always helpful to have a mentor and friend there for you as you settle into a new role in a new city.
Get to Know Your Team and How They Work
People and policies vary from place to place so be a sponge and take in all you can throughout your assignment, and especially during your first days on the job. Whether you’re getting your bearings on your facility’s computer system, figuring out the charge nurse at each shift, or familiarizing yourself with scheduling procedures, be open to learning what you need to know to work efficiently.
Ask Questions
As a newly assigned nurse, you’ll need to be flexible and learn quickly, but no one will expect you to understand everything on your own. Your supervisor, co-workers, and even your recruiter are excellent resources for you to ask questions when you’re unsure about what your next step should be.
Know Your Value
While you’ll be learning many different skills at your new facility, your new team can learn a thing or two from you, as well. As someone who’s worked with different people in a different city, you bring a unique perspective to the table. Such personal and professional experiences are what we value most at HealthCare Support.
As a premiere, national staffing resource for the healthcare industry, our team helps talented, passionate healthcare professionals, like you, land dream assignments. Our professional network is vast, and our dedicated team provides customized staffing solutions, advocacy, compassionate guidance, and highly responsive support to help unlock your potential and place you in your ideal city and role.
To learn more about our open jobs and services, please give us a call at 888-219-6285.