As a travel nurse, you will experience a range of emotions. From the excitement of new coworkers to the nerves you might feel meeting your new supervisor, the relationships you develop will be a big part of your everyday tasks. When you are moving from place to place, you create some lasting friendships but you also might start to feel homesick. When this feeling washes over you, it might be tempting to have a little pity party but here are 5 quick fixes to help you with these feelings:
1. Stay connected to friends and family.
You probably won’t have daily interaction with your family and friends back home, but you’ll want to try to communicate. Set up times to call and touch base. When you return home, even for a short visit, make an effort to see as many people as possible.
2. Go out with your colleagues.
When you make new friends, you’ll be much less homesick. New friends can’t take the place of your old friends but having people around you who are fun, and caring will help you feel much less lonely.
3. Try something new.
As a travel nurse, you already have a natural sense of adventure but it’s easy to get in a rut and focus too much on work. Take the time to venture out and try something unique to your new area. It might be something as simple as a new hiking trail, a local favorite restaurant or innovative museum. Getting out of your comfort zone can be a great way to get rid of the homesick blues.
4. Work near family and friends.
Just because you’re not in your actual home, doesn’t mean you can’t be near friends and family. Ask your agency for an assignment near your favorite aunt or your brother and his new twins. You might have close friends that feel more like family to you; request a travel nursing assignment that puts you near those people to fix the feeling of homesickness.
5. Travel with a friend.
As a nurse, your network is vast. You went to school, spent time in training and probably even met other travel nurses during your time in this profession. Having friends is one of the perks of a close-knit community and you might want to travel from place to place with one of these friends.
Interacting with people is one of the things you do well as a nurse. People are your life, yet if you’re not careful you can neglect taking care of yourself. Homesickness is a feeling you don’t want to ignore. Do your best with these 5 quick fixes to curb the severity of those feelings.
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