Good fit for travel?

Specialties Travel

Published

I have always felt a pull to some kind of social service and have always wanted to "give back". When I realized the shortage of nurses and the decent pay I thought I might have found finally, my calling. I left college (in 1979) after a year thinking I shouldn't continue (my major was Biology) as I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I spent about 22 years in the computer industry and left when pregnant with #3.

I believe in alternative views. My 4 kids are unschooled, have never been to school (the first spent 3 months in Kindy), are unvaccinated; we'll do garlic before abx, I believe highly in herbs and alternative therapies before allopathic therapies. We've also been travelling fulltime since 2004 in a travel trailer and spend 6 months of the year in Mexico. So we're not your run of the mill family. :)

I am interested in hospice, oncology and L&D nursing. From one end of the spectrum to the other. :) I also would ONLY be interested in travel nursing; I know I'll need at least a year and hopefully more like 2-3 years of experience before travelling. But that is my goal. I would like to work 6 months and take 6 months off (go to Mexico). I would like to work Indian Reservations, Public Health and hopefully volunteer in Mexico (and when I "retire" take my skills to Honduras or other countries in Central America as I believe that Mexico will be very Americanized by then).

So, what do you all think? I'm going to try to get some prereqs done on the road (English, Humanities, etc.) but I'd like to take the NCLEX by 2010. We are in the enviable position to move to an area that would have a better nursing program acceptance, though our principal cities of interest for settling down for my schooling are Silver City, NM and Eugene, OR.

Questions:

1) do I sound like a good candidate for nursing? I'm specifically worried about my belief that alternative is generally more healthy than allopathic

2) do my plans for travel nursing sound realistic? I'm thinking that 1-2 years of Med/Surg would prepare me for travelling?

3) I worry about all the disease and germs I'd be exposing my kids to (secondarily) while working in a hospital. Do any of you take special precautions to protect your children from the dangers of your work?

4) any advice?

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