Meet Justice Steed, BSN, RN

[Ashley Hay, BSN, RN, BSN, RN]

Steed saw a need for improvement in the way recruiters and job seekers connected. He created a mobile platform that gives health professionals more control over their desired assignment, while simultaneously easing the load of recruiting for agencies.

According to Steed's (well designed & easy to use) website, "SPLASH Travelers is a one of a kind mobile app designed to link the traveling Allied Health Professional to their desired assignment. It is a digital recruiting vehicle that puts the AHP behind the communication steering wheel. The objective is to create a platform for travelers to feel comfortable searching multiple jobs, converse with recruiters all while having their contact information hidden. We have over a 1,000 jobs from multiple agencies in our database. Recruiters can simply enter jobs into the database and sit back and wait for the candidate to contact them, it's digital recruiting at it's finest."

Tell me more about your company, specifically how does your company assist travel RN's & recruiters?

"The designed mobile app*, SPLASH Travelers, allows nurses to search jobs (including local and per diem positions) using their desired travel state & pay rate. Next, the user can be matched with multiple agencies in our job listing database. Recruiters can view the user's profile but not contact information. Communication remains streamlined through the mobile application, limiting the number of phone calls, text messages, and emails from recruiters until both parties decide they are interested. At that point, a match is created. This allows travel nurses to find the best deal for your needs without the hassle of excessive discussion."

*The mobile app is currently in final stages of beta testing and is anticipated to go live within the next three weeks. Sign up for updates at splashtravelers.com.

What pushed you to start a travel company of your own?

"When I first got into travel nursing, I was completely unaware of all the different agencies available. After I took my first assignment multiple recruiters would call often and I felt very overwhelmed. They are very eager and have many tactics to get the right clients. After having that experience and hearing other travel nurses expressing the same issues, I wanted to create a site where you could have all the best assignments to search in one spot. This assists travel nurses by allowing them to compare & contrast all different potential contracts, locations, and pay rates."

What sparked your interest in travel nursing?

"Travel nursing fell upon me. I was Looking to move to Pennsylvania from Charleston. Travel positions kept popping up on internet searches. I applied to an agency for a position in Philadelphia. After I took my first assignment, there was no turning back once I learned what travel nursing was all about."

What was your favorite travel assignment?

"My favorite assignment was a position at Temple University in Philadelphia at time of EPIC [healthcare software] rollout. It was a great time because I was able to connect with a lot of travel nurses that inspired me. We really united and bonded over the limitless opportunities within travel nursing and I'm still friends with many of those nurses today."

Let's backtrack a bit... what made you want to become a nurse?

"I was always into science. Being able to understand health, learn from the body and then share that information with patients and caregivers was of interest to me. I had many family members in and out of the hospital. I found nursing was a way to teach them and myself, contributing to my family and helping others. My main focus was to help others around me."

Where did you obtain your nursing degrees?

"I received both my LPN and ADN through Trident Technical College in Charleston, SC. I later went on to an online RN to BSN program through the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)."

You continued to work while pursuing each degree separately - was this intentional and would you do it this way again?

"Yes, I originally selected the LPN program because I wanted to get my foot in the door. By the time I enrolled into the LPN I realized I was eligible to become a certified nursing assistant. I worked closely with many RNs in this role, and nursing really interested me. I then completed my LPN. I would probably go straight to completion of my ADN, looking back. But without any guidance or counseling at the time, I was not fully aware of my options. I feel I received a lot more hands-on experience getting my ADN and working first. Working as a patient care technician, I realized that BSN prepared nurses were getting paid more. However, many managers I spoke to were looking to hire ADNs at the time (it is cheaper for them and ADNs come with more potential hands-on experience)."

What advice do you have for new or prospective travel RN's?

"There are a lot of different resources to help you prep for your first travel assignment. Doing a little research beforehand can make it a great experience. One specific resource I would recommend would be travelertalk.org with Andrew Craig, RN. It does a great job of laying out your first year as a traveler. In terms of advice for prospective travel nurses, I would add that it is 100 percent your choice where you go. You have control over your desired location. If the company doesn't have a desired position you can look into another company. Be open-minded and keep searching."

We're wrapping up. Is there anything else you'd like to tell our readers?

"If they are even slightly considering entering nursing, do it. I worked full time and went to nursing school. I know some people put [school] off and wait for the perfect moment, but nursing is a very attainable career. We always need more nurses, travel nurses, male nurses, etc. [A career in nursing] can open so many doors. If you can get into [healthcare] there's always a job. You can do it if you really want. It's an attainable goal, even when working."

[guest042302019, BSN, RN]

Excellent article! I'm glad to learn more about your story.

[gwccstudent]

Great read!