NewsBreak Original

We were so excited to get our raises. After being a staff RN for years and working in a high-volume emergency department, we knew they had to be good. The emails came and told us to check our "boxes." Yes, we each had a small box in the nurse's lounge where management could leave notes and certain types of correspondence. So, of course, I checked my box.

We all have some dream location where we've wanted to be a travel nurse, am I right?. For some of my RN friends, it's the beach. I mean, who wouldn't love a gig in LA, Miami, or even the northwest around Seattle or Oregon. Then some want big cities, and some who shun the hustle and bustle of city life.

I had an eight-hour drive to my last assignment. It's not often that I take my own vehicle, but this time was different. So I packed up my stuff that'll carry me through 13-weeks and hit the road. But the biggest question wasn't about my socks or the number of scrubs.

I've been an RN for twenty-six years as I write this, and I can say and share from experience that there has been a "shortage" of nurses for every one of those years. But just because I'm an insider doesn't mean it's true. Right? I mean, for as many of those years, the general public has been made aware by the media that there is indeed a shortage of qualified RNs.