Hi all! I’m Dominique, a travel nurse, a wife, an aunt, a friend, and an adventure seeker. Recently in the last two years, my husband and I set out on our own adventure and started travel nursing to help with nurse burnout. Along with helping with nurse burnout, it helped me realign my goals and my visions of becoming a better version of myself and a better nurse. The goal was not to work a ton of hours, but to start living more and enjoying my life more. Travel nursing allowed this to happen.
I started my nursing career as a CNA while I was in nursing school. I always think this was a big stepping stone in my career. My first job as a nurse was at a Saint Joes Rehabilitation Center in Portland, Maine. I also worked per diem at a home care agency COR Health, with chronic children.
After working in Portland, Maine for a year, I decided I wanted to enter a nurse residency program. This would allow me to get experience in the hospital and also get a solid nursing background. I applied and went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee for a year residency program. It was honestly one of the best decisions of my life. I just picked up and left everything behind and worked on my nursing career and myself. I remember moving down with just my ford fusion packed and having no worries in the world. I just figured…it would all work out. Overall, it was a great experience! I made such good friends and learned so much.
A year went by real fast and my brother’s wife got pregnant with twins… I decided being an aunt was going to be too important to miss. I wanted a front row seat, so I packed up my ford and headed back to Maine. I worked for a year as a travel agency nurse as I applied to different hospitals. I went into different rehabilitation centers that needed assistance. This really taught me the importance of sticking up for yourself, your license and what you believe is right for yourself and your patients. As a newer nurse, I didn’t understand that a hospital was a business. Nurses are easily replaced. You need to stick up for yourself and do what’s best for yourself, your family, your patient, and your license. During my job here, I met my future hubby Nick. I worked with some of the most special and genuine people.
After a year of being an agency nurse, I got a job at Maine Medical Center in Portland Maine in the float pool. I got trained in the step down icus, medtele, mother baby, pediatrics, and also the step down for the nicu babies. I really enjoyed my job and learned so much. Nick and I got engaged and I felt like I was thriving. I made some really good friends at work also. Covid 2020 really hit me hard. I remember there was a span where 12 patients had died on the unit I was primarily working on over two weeks. All the nurses I was working with were feeling the burn out. One particular day, I had three patients die and did post mortem care on all of them. I turned around and received three new admissions. Death had become almost… normal and part of my everyday life. I was so burn out. My friend had asked me to do travel nursing and mentioned it to my husband. My husband was 100% on board. My husband continued to mention how great of an idea it was and I eventually got on board.
In October 2021 we got married. I gave my notice to my staff job in December 2021 and enjoyed Christmas with our families and headed out to our first travel assignment in January 2022 in Spokane, Washington. From Spokane, Washington we went to Durham, North Carolina, to Newark, New Jersey to Eugene, Oregon, to Everett, Washington, to Omaha, Nebraska. We are currently in Anchorage, Alaska and looking for our next assignment. Honestly, this was supposed to be a one year plan… now we are on 2.5 years. Honestly, this was the best decision for myself, my health, and my marriage. Travel nursing has made me a better person.
Let me tell you why travel nursing is the best decision and all the fun places to visit.
TravelingbeebryantRN & Flicks_withNick 