Stocking a kitchen for a 13 week travel assignment

Now that the 13 week travel nurse assignment is underway and rolling along smoothly, there is time to reflect on what we brought along to make our home feel like, well, home.  I've discovered a few things I wish I had brought along and some that I should have left at home.  Keep in mind, this first adventure is designed around moving into our own, private space in a a 1 bedroom apartment.  Our next contract was in a room we rented in a furnished house - big difference!  Since I'm not working outside of the home I take it as my job to cook and provide meals to enjoy at home and to give my husband a home-cooked meal to take along.

In addition to being clinical here with my following list, let me remind those caretakers of the travel nurses that romance does not have to be dead even living on minimalistic supplies.  Here is how I set the table for a romantic dinner at home. Since we don't have a patio I set up on the sidewalk next to the front door.

 I brought too many spices.  I packed our stacking spice rack, a plastic grocery bag filled with 1oz scoops of spices, AND several jars (the size of Mrs. Dash).  I will use quite a few of these spices but certainly not all.

Yesterday we discovered that the Big Lots! here is so much better than the one in Wisconsin. Food is actually name-brand here and is about 1/2 the price it is in grocery stores.  I will be picking up several things to consume while we're here at this place.

With all the blogs I've read I haven't found many details of what to bring so I'll lay out what we brought for you to see.

Other revelations of discovery:

Kitchen tools:

• I brought only 1 hotpad. Not smart!
• 1 large non-stick frying pan with lid.
• 1 small frying pan
• 1 6 quart pot with lid
• full set of silverware
• 1 good large knife, 2 steak knives, 1 paring knife
• 1 vegetable peeler
• 1 corkscrew
• 3 wine stoppers and air pump
• 1 tbsp measure
• 1 liquid measuring cup
• 1 metal vegetable steamer
• 1 large French White baking dish with cover
• 2 cookie sheets
• 6 coffee cups
• 2 heat-resistant turners, 1 slotted, 1 not slotted
• 1 ladle
• 1 garlic press
• 1 cheese slicer
• 1 can opener
• 1 set of dry measuring cups
• 1 6 cup coffee maker
• 2 insulated water bottles
• 1 cutting board that fits across a sink (it is most often used for expanding countertop space in our small apartment)
• 2 dishrags (not enough) and 2 dishtowels (enough)
• 4 of each; dinner plates, salad plates, bowls 
• Dishwasher tablets

 Here is what we went out to buy for the kitchen:

• 4 cheap wine glasses (from Walmart)
• 5 white dishrags
• small ziplock bags
• 4 flat and 2 square Rubbermaid storage containers
• Olive oil

We are choosing to live without a microwave, toaster, and/or toaster oven.  Instead, we are using the oven to do the same things.  To make toast in the morning I crank the oven to "Broil" for about 5 minutes then insert slices of bread on the very top rack. After 3 minutes I turn them over for another 3.

To thaw fish or chicken in a hurry I add the frozen chicken to the French White oven-safe dish and put in the oven set at 200 for about 20 minutes. Voila'! Thawed chicken or fish!

This first venture into providing our own housing is truly an experiment with how to live, but we seem to be making it work without acquiring many new things. This will be particularly helpful in 11 weeks when we move again!

Buying is small quantities is the biggest challenge I have these days. Live, learn, and use up our supplies before buying more! Old habits die hard.

I've learned that 4-6 weeks before the end of an assignment, or 1/2 way through the contract is a good benchmark to start using up all of our consumables.  Whenever we grocery shop or buy household supplies like toilet paper, we buy the smallest quantities available. The end goal is to have zero left on moving day.

First, we buy no more canned or boxed goods unless it is for a meal we eat the same day.  Same goes for refrigerated items such as juices, cheeses, and condiments.  I assure you that there will not be enough room to take it with you and you will end up throwing it away. 

This point has become the game for us; what can we make with what we have.  Each day becomes more of a challenge to use resources on hand.  We found that using the different spices and strange combinations of foods actually creates a refreshingly new menu and it not as hard as it sounds.

As our first assignment came to a close, we concluded that we simply packed too many of some things and not enough of other things.  For example, we only needed about three towels and a few washcloths.  We should leave all but a few spices at home and instead, pack a toaster oven.  We only needed two wine glasses and fewer plates.  Whatever clothes you pack, leave half of them at home!  Each and every time we get somewhere we end up not using most of the clothes we hauled along - and ladies, this also includes jewelery.  Leave it at home. Better yet, when you get to your tax home SELL the extra costume jewelry that you no longer wear and/or need!  

 



 




 

Why Do Travel Nurses Hate PBDS Testing So Much?

Before

Taking a housing stipend for a Travel Nurse means there are a few challenges. First is to find a place to rent with a short term lease or month-to-month. Next is how to furnish and decorate it so that it is liveable.  I quickly discovered that Goodwill and Dollar Tree are two of my favorite must-shop places when we move. 

Now that we've picked up the keys to the new place, it is my job to figure out how to convert this dark, white-walled habitat that we'll be in for 13 weeks into something resembling our home.  I had forgotten how bland apartments were.  It had been about 18 years since either of us lived in a rental. 

The goal was to: 

1) Keep it cheap
2) Keep it portable
3) Make it colorful
4) Keep it functional

After

First, the livingroom.
We arrived on site with 2 camping fold-up chairs and 2 oversized, lightweight tv trays, and an air mattress. That's it!

I found a "butterfly" green lawnchair that was lime green with a fuzzy seat and no arms; a modern feel.  Next, I junk-picked a white resin Adirondack chair from behind our apartement's dumpster (no joke!). There was nothing wrong with it except it needed to be well-cleaned, which was achieved using a Magic Eraser from the Dollar Tree.

We received a TJ Maxx giftcard for our wedding so I headed there to see what I could pick up to add to our space. I found a indoor/outdoor cushion on clearance with red, orange, and some sage green.  This fit our white chair well. The colors fit with our theme and the pattern of the fabric added a new dimension to our design.  Next, we made a trip to IKEA where I found a fabric panel with a contemporary, neutral design. The panel was advertised as a room divider and measured about 24" wide by about 12' tall.  I cut the fabric into three sections keeping one larger than the other two. I selected it for it's colors, it's simplicity, and it's boldness. I affixed these panels to the wall using Zots, which are glue dots that are a strong yet removable adhesive.  


One more thing I did was bought a small, wooden palm tree to affix to our front door.  We love the tropics and by adding this tiny detail it was so easy to spot our door from all the other identical doors in the building.

Cost of this project:

Green chair - $10.98 (Walmart)
Cushion - $12.00 (TJ Maxx)
Fabric Wall Panel - $12.99 (IKEA)
Palm Tree - $.59 (Joann Fabrics)
Floor Lamp - $19.99 (Walmart)

Result... home sweet home that folds up and fits nicely into our tiny car for the next place our assignment will take us to.

By the time we arrived in our new city to begin a new contract, I began searching for a store that might carry posters to decorate our white and lifeless walls.  We found NO short term leases under $2300/month in Los Angeles, so we ended up renting a room in someone's condo near the hospital. An overall weird and depressing scenario, but we are none the worse for wear now that we lived through it!

In Los Angeles, ironically, no store carries cheapie posters!  I discovered a few ways around this.

Renters can use your own photos to create your own posters in any size that meets your needs. Upload the photo to www.vistaprint.com and make a large poster of it to create your own artwork. Sometimes the site has a 50% off sale, which drops the price from $19.99 for a large poster to $9.98.  There are a few sizes to choose from so create your space with images you enjoy for each room.  Snapfish.com, CVS.com, and a bunch of other companies also offer this option online.

Another way around boring walls is to "starch" fabric to the walls.   There are recipes online detailing how to take any print of fabric and stick it harmlessly to walls making for damage-free "wall-paper" to change the entire look of the room.  With only a few weeks left here I didn't want to go through the effort, so I cut striped fabric into strips and pinned them up as a room border with white poster pins. The pins are barely noticeable and we love the change.

Another trick to kicking the white walls was to head to a paper store. There we found wonderful pieces of decorative paper in the travel theme for $3.95-$5.95 each.  We bought 4 different designs to create a grouping.  Glue dots (Zots) were used to hang them yet are removable.

If none of the above are within your budget or timeframe, find a roll of wrapping paper that you enjoy (about $1.00 to $3.99 for a roll) and use poster sized cutouts in shapes that appeal to you and make a collection on your wall.

Bathrooms can be a particular challenge.  Most of them do not have windows and they have depressing overhead lighting and are simply devoid of color.  Once again I found my answers in either TJ Maxx's clearance isle, Tuesday Morning store, Goodwill, or even the Dollar Tree.

For this pictured bathroom I bought one window panel (a yellow one) at Goodwill with tassles on it and used a tension rod to hang it. Then, I bought a floral hair clip with rhinestones and used it as the tie-back. Next, I bought a bright lime-green and white, square bathmat for the floor in front of the sink.  Next, I neatly tore out an oversized page advertisement that I visually liked out of our wine magazine, trimmed the edges, then hung it over the towel bar with Zots glue dots.  Finally, I purchased on clearance an over the door hanger that was black and had a whimsical feel. I hung colorful beach towels from it which added the final pop of color.  All of these were enough color to lift the mood of this dark and dreary bathroom. All fit in with our objectives (cheap, functional, portable, and colorful), too.

If you are staying in an Extended Stay or a hotel for your assignment, there are still things you can do to make your surroundings feel more like home.


For us, we brought our lime-green, fluffy bathroom rug, a kitchen rug, a digital picture frame for the table with a rotation of our travel photos playing, and a fuzzy blanket for the couch or chair in the room, and a pair of wine glasses that come in handy after a long day of work. I also don't like Extended Stay's headboards so I bought a piece of fabric and simply draped it over the headboard and tucked it in around the edges.  I also put our own sheets, blanket, and mattress topper on the bed. These are small, portable, additions that make even the most bland hotel rooms feel more personalized.


The latest apartment here on the east coast afforded us more floor space and a little more personality. I used a few more tricks to make these dead white walls and poor overhead lighting come to life.


First,I needed some color as a backsplash behind the stove. It serves 2 purposes; make cleanup easier and also add a focal point to the kitchen. I bought 2 colorful, plastic placemats at Target for $2.97 each and pinned them under the stove hood. Instant color! I bought a kitchen towel to match pulling out the brightest color in the new backsplash. Then, I used a bright plastic bowl I brought along with us. The next more helpful thing I did was replace the existing dim bulbs with brighter ones in the overhead track lighting. What a difference!

The Move and First Day of the New Assignment

With paperwork under control and the house-sitters in place, we began our journey southeast. The winding road of 950 miles requires a two-night stay in hotels. So, to save on our budget we decided to head out on Saturday afternoon and pull up camp in Dayton, OH.  We chose Dayton because it is home of the Air Force Museum, which was a place Ted always wanted to visit and the city is also the mid-point.  

I had reward points with Club Carlson and used them to book two free nights.  I planned it this way for two reasons:  1) Since Dayton was about 500 miles from home I wanted an extra day to burn resting and sightseeing and 2) I am a Club Carlson credit card holder and that means for every night I use points for I get a second night at the same hotel for free.  Total points used = 28,000.  This property also provided us with free breakfast and wi-fi so when I say it was totally free, it actually was!  Using points saved us about $180.00 that we budgeted for the cost of hotel stays. Cha-ching!

Sunday morning we hit the road again at 5:45am  arriving in our destination at 2:30pm.  We signed the lease to our new apartment!  Since we are still newlyweds, Ted carried me over the threshhold and into our new life. It was a great moment!

While the apartment was dark, bland, and small at first blush, yesterday I was able to buy a few things and miraculously transformed it from empty shell to "home" for the next three months.  The area is really in an excellent location and the complex is very clean.  A few things were missed in the apartment, but once brought to the office's attention they were addressed immediately.  We are going to like it here.

Ted's first day of work was yesterday. Though he was hired for the 7p to 7a shift, he orientated for one day on the 8a to 7:30p shift.  While he was away I took care of the groceries and getting the house in order.  Ted enjoyed his first day. There were a couple more tests that he had to pass, but they were not too bad.  He learned that this hospital has 50 travelers at any one time!  50!  That is a HUGE number! I expect that we will learn a lot more about traveling in coming weeks as he gets to know some of them better.

Meanwhile, he gets to pick his days to work, an unexpected perk.   

Our assignment ends on September 28th and we are trying to figure out where to go next and how to fit in the Travel Nurse expo in Las Vegas at the end of October.  If we take another assignment he may not have off on the days of the convention.  If, however, we move to Las Vegas, that will make it a piece of cake!  There is also a decent possibility that Ted gets invited to extend the current contract. If that is the case we will extend for three weeks and then head to the convention.  But, for now, we'll just enjoy the assignment that we are in and as the time ticks by we'll figure it out as the time draws near.  

Travel Nurse Unpaid Orientation Shock

And you thought thought that Travel Nursing sounded SO rosy and glamorous, HA!

The hospital where Ted has accepted a contract with is way over the top with testing and orientation.  None of this was disclosed before we signed the contract!  

Since this is his first assignment, we aren't sure what to make of it.  Is every hospital this ridiculous or is this experience strange just because this is his first time out as a travel nurse and they are trying to make sure he is actually qualified? We won't get a clearer picture of that until our next assignment, I guess.

Here is a snapshot of what tests he was required to take online as part of the hospital orientation, none of which he gets paid for (about 8.5+ hours).  The photo is all of the successful completion certificates.  17 certificates of completion and counting.

The required quizzes and timed tests include: 

• Basic administration knowledge (60 questions timed)
• Identification test for 12 arrhythmias
• ICU Nursing test (60 questions)
• Patient safety and quality test (50 questions)
• 20 separate quizzes on this hospital Policy after watching 20 videos

The hospital called yesterday and informed him that in his first three days of orientation there would be three more tests to pass as a requirement.  Who does that? Have someone move more than 1000 miles, take endless tests and THEN test again only to send them home unpaid if the tests aren't passed?  

Recap of what we learned so far when talking to recruiters:  Get email specifics in writing to every detail you discuss as a recap with your recruiter and get EVERYTHING in writing.  Everything.  

In the original batch of conversations with the recruiter, my husband was clear about being guaranteed pay for 36 hours per week.  Miraculously, the contract arrived and nowhere was the clause about guaranteed minimum hours. Even worse, now there was a clause that he was subject to up to 24 low census hours.  Again, who does that??? Drag a family across the country only to have them miss one a full week of pay?  As if that wasn't bad enough, my husband was informed by the hospital that his first three days of work will be only 11.5 hours per day and not 12.  Again, his pay is dropping like a rock and the recruiter will not live up to his original agreement because it was not in writing.

(As an update, we now feel that it is probably a policy of this very large Agency to have it's recruiters conduct business this way as it has happened with a second recruiter.  The large Agencies are more willing to take new nurses as they are less aware of the pitfalls and will accept lower pay packages.  I feel that they knowingly exploit new travel nurses knowing that more fresh recruits will fill the void once the experienced nurses catch on to the unethical methods and move on.  We have since left this large Agency and moved to a smaller firm with a much better reputation.)

We still hold out hope that this travel experience will turn out just fine and that we will enjoy living in a new region.  We certainly have learned a pile of things already that will be quite useful for the next go-around in negotiating for assignments.

Are any of you having the same experiences with your hospitals and recruiters? Or are we the only suckers falling for the smoke and mirrors?

How to Find An Apartment While Traveling Nursing

For those Travel Nurses who wish to take the stipend instead of the corporate housing, here are a few websites I found helpful when figuring out where to choose our next home.

Apartmentratings.com  - This is a website where tenants can review a property. Keep in mind, it is possible that apartments give themselves a glowing review and dissatified tenants seem to squawk the loudest, but the collective reviews should give viewers some insight to life on the property.

city-data.com/income/  - This site color-codes a map which shows average income for an area.  Users can visually see what surrounds a property economically.

google.com/maps - Consider performing a google search on a property and select the "street view" to browse the nearby buildings and streets to get a feel for the neighborhood.  Also click on the maps feature to see what restaurants or grocery stores are in proximity. Type in the name of your city and the word "businesses," then click on the map.

Zillow.com - This site shows the property costs to purchase and to rent of the surrounding homes in the neighborhood.

Trulia.com - Under the Local Info tab users can find general neighborhood crime stats.

Familywatchdog.com - This site shows the volume of sex offenders in your vicinity and who they are.

Also important to note, renter's insurance is a requirement for leasing an apartment.  It is common for a 300,000 liability limit to cover possible water damage you may cause.  In many cases insurance companies have a minimum personal property policy that is $15,000 of coverage. That is way more than we need, but just raise the deductible and that offsets costs.  

A couple important tips to note:  Our insurance carried back home in Wisconsin is not licensed in the state we are moving to so we had to pick a national company.  We chose AllState.  They cover every state except for Massachusetts. A three month/13 week policy doesn't exist with insurance carriers so a traveler must get a policy for a full year.  The agent gave me a couple of tips for future reference.  First, no need to pay for the full year of a policy.  Pay monthly or quarterly then cancel the policy if you won't be renting somewhere new.  If you ARE renting in another location or state, then she suggested that we call in a change of address instead of canceling and starting a new policy. The benefits of executing the policy this way includes not having to get another credit check done and therefore your credit score isn't affected.  Secondly, a policy at a new address might be significantly higher due to the new area but your policy cost will stay the same as quoted for the year. Cost would renew at the one year mark.

Renter's insurance is cheap.  For us it cost $33 which covers us for 4 months or $98 for the full year.  I recommend using an insurance company that covers all the states you might be interested in working in to save yourself some time and hassle for future moves.

Housing and Paperwork for Travel Nurse Assignments

Holy cow, the Travel Nurse chaos of new assignment paperwork is upon us!  If you thought your Nursing License was meaningful, think again.  Each hospital quizzes travelers to be "sure" they know their stuff.  They don't just accept the validity of a license no matter which state it comes from.  Just the hospital orientation ALONE has been 8.5 hours of unpaid, video watching followed by quizzes with a "must pass" quota.

Here is a tip for beginners:  From the time you leave your old job to beginning the new job, be sure to leave several days open so that you can fulfill all the paperwork, orientation, and tests without having to also go to your current job.  My husband is completely slammed for time as his recruiter only told him it would consume 3 hours "max" to complete everything.  Ridiculous!  Desperate times call for desperate measures, so he called in sick one day this week to get several things done.  This wasn't an issue since he had used NO sicks over the last 18 months.  As it turns out, he now knows to leave several days open for next time.  Apparently, each hospital has their own set of tests and orientation videos so this, I'm sure, will be a repeated process quarterly for us.

Next, with all of the tiny little cities that had openings for assignments (with populations under 5,000) we instead selected a larger city and we chose to take the stipend of $1,700 a month.  We did some research before we made the decision and discovered that average rents for a 1 bedroom apartment averaged about $550-$750 per month.  We know that we likely will opt for scant furniture so we are are prepared to live very simply for the first assignment and see what we will adjust for next time.  It also helps that I will be flying back home after three weeks to work on the house some more, therefore, I can pick up more personal effects that we would like to have with us on the road.

Electricity, internet service, and renter's insurance are the only three expenses we will need to supply.  Three month leases are more expensive than a 1 year so the cost goes up slightly.  We will also be increasing the distance from the hospital so that is also factored in for gas costs and time.

The property manager of the apartment we selected recommended a furniture rental company, however, it is located 70 miles from the complex and is expensive.  $170 delivery/pickup fee followed by a $237.99 monthly rental fee for the basics.  This cost also is more expensive for 3 months leases, by the way.  Too expensive for us, so we agreed to wing it.  We do not have children and we are not retired, so as long we have a coffee maker and a comfortable place to sleep and shower, then the rest is negotiable. 

One thing to be aware of; if you are a hotel or airline points hog and believe in credit card churning, know that each apartment complex you apply for quarterly performs a hard pull on your credit report. That is 4 extra pulls per year which may affect your credit score slightly. For more on the glorious and thrilling world of credit card churning and it's perks for free travel, I read The Points Guy blog every day.  Hotel points and frequent flyer tickets will really come in handy for those times when an apartment won't be ready for us in time and we will need a hotel. That gets expensive if we pay out of pocket.  Therefore, it is my job to work the credit card signup bonus angle during this lifestyle experiment.

Next up.... figuring out how to create a portable household so we don't have to keep buying over and over for each assignment.  Call me crazy, but I'm fine with the two oversized tv trays I found today to be used as a dining table and computer stand.  I've heard from other travel nurses that they swear by Space Bags so I picked up a pack of 5 today.  I'll need to figure out the bed thing next!  Good thing I lived this way for most of my 20s and have some experiences to draw upon.

Tomorrow those challenges begin.

How we chose where to go first as a Travel Nurse

More than 15 years in the making, it has been my husband's dream to begin travel nursing.  My dream (we met three years ago) was to travel around the country as a self-employed consultant. With a brand new marriage under our belt, we have decided that now is the time to abandon the snow-belt and head for warmer climates, 13 weeks at a time.

Our first strategy was to start the search for an assignment in our own state. We live in Wisconsin, a Nursing Compact state. We have a house to sell so thought living close would buy us four additional days a week for 13 weeks to prepare the house before market. It didn't quite work that way!

My husband (I will refer to him from here on out as Ted) signed up with nine different companies. Each company requires a lengthy application process online, each one about 45-60 minutes long.  Next comes filling out the skills checklists, simple but also lengthy.  Then, brace yourself for the onslaught of phone calls, six days a week.  Always remember, recruiters are salesmen. They are in business to make money so they can paint a lovely picture for prospects....at first.

Ted has 17 years of experiences as a Critical Care nurse.  Each recruiter, at first, told him to expect 15-30% MORE than what he was currently earning as a staff nurse.  This was exciting!  

As the search for assignments continued, each subsequent call from recruiters that came in explained how he wasn't going to earn that amount initially because he didn't have the travel experience.  What??!!!  Bait and switch!!  Instead, each and every recruiter's first offer, regardless of the which state, city, and hospital only offered $800 per week. That is an amount that is less than what he makes now!  The pay is even less if we accept the provided housing option.  I understand if this is how it is... however, none of the recruiters told him this upfront, but rather broke it to him in small soundbites as each assignment presented himself. Additionally, it appears that every assignment initially offered were jobs they had left over because the positions were hard to fill, located in the tiny villages of 5,000 or less population with unacceptable terms built in, such as a low-census requirement.   Again.... WHAT!???  If we are giving up both of our jobs to travel, we DO NOT find idle time due to low census a fair thing! 

So, after trying repeatedly to be clear of what kind of work we would accept, we had no other option than to look outside of the state.  After several more weeks of guilt-trips and pressuring from various recruiters, Ted interviewed and was offered an assignment. This one was on the East Coast, really far from our home base with a start date 12 days out.  Now it is crunch time!!  The pay was not awesome as they advertised, and the benefits were not either, however, it was in a larger city and it was work.  We found it acceptable for a first assignment.

In order to make up for the income loss we chose to take the stipend on our very first assignment. Stressful!  Fortunately for us, I had been an apartment property manager before so I knew what questions to ask, what to avoid, and new the tricks of the trade to avoid pitfalls. We are "hoping" that experience helps us break even on our first assignment.

Here are just a few of the things that swing into warp speed for us:

• Ted printed off 29 pages of forms, tests, and requirements he has about four days to comply with to be eligible for hire.
• A physical (that we pay for ourselves)
• A TB skin test (that we pay for ourselves)
• A drugscreen (that they pay for ourselves)
• A colorblindness test (online)
• Fax all the forms and completion certificates in
• Empty the house - can you say ESTATE SALE?!
• Choose the few items that will fit in our car to take with us
• Find a realtor and list the house
• Paint the house interior in it's entirety
• Mulch the entire yard
• Adjust all mail to online-only

We are now believers of what we previously heard was true.  Larger Travel Nurse companies have high overhead and lower pay.  If you are a first time traveler then perhaps a larger company is easier as they have more assignments nationwide.  As an experienced traveler then perhaps a smaller company will serve us better in the future. They pay higher and there is less smooth-talking happening during the search for assignments.

Either way, despite how different the bill of goods is that we were sold on embarking on this adventure, we still remain optimistic and excited about what lies ahead. We can't WAIT to leave Wisconsin and the sour political climate in the state with low job prospects. We can't WAIT to meet new people in the new city.  We can't WAIT to get four days a week off together on the same schedule!  In our current life Ted works six days a week 2-10p and I work 8-5p, completely opposite. While this is going to be a challenge it will also be a great adventure!

In days ahead I will share what I find about where to locate housing and expose the resources we're using to choose where to live, work, read reviews, discover the cost of living, what I find for work on the road to keep busy, etc.  

We're hoping that sharing our experience with you will help make your foray into Travel Nursing just a little easier.   I welcome your feedback and any tips you have found to be helpful along the way by commenting below.

Bon Voyage for now... I have to PAINT!