Travel Nursing Alone & How To Make Friends
One of my most asked questions is how I find people to experience these adventures with. Here's my suggestions on how to meet people when you're new to the area!
Moving to a new city where you don’t have connections can be intimidating. Luckily as a travel nurse, we have a few advantages in our profession; we work with so many interesting and intelligent people and have the opportunity to create friendships even if we’re only there for a short few months.
1. Orientation- I cannot stress this enough! I know you’re just meeting everyone and it can feel awkward to ask for numbers but I introduce myself to as many people as I can and ask general questions (what unit they’re working on, are they travel nurses/staff, where they’re from etc). Once I get a feel for people I will ask to exchange numbers in case we both have questions throughout orientation (as a traveler it can be SO helpful to have numbers for the other people going through it with you because unfortunately not all companies/ hospitals are organized). This is a good opportunity to discuss carpooling and housing options as well. Some of my closest travel nurse friends I met at orientation and if we didn’t exchange numbers we never would have never been able to share amazing experiences!
2. Floating to other units- When you get floated to a unit outside of your specialty (which is inevitable as a traveler) it's important to talk to everyone and introduce yourself even if you’re only there for a day. I met a great friend because she floated to my unit ONCE, we hit it off and exchanged numbers!
3. Bumble BFF- I know this sounds cringey & awkward but trust me, there are plenty of other people in your same position that want friends and are willing to connect through this app! I have 2 very close friends that I met through bumble BFF and it has been my go-to for connecting with people if it’s been difficult meeting people at work!
4. Medventure- This is an app solely for traveling health professionals that are looking for connections. I haven’t personally used it but I have a colleague who’s met friends through it and had a great experience! You can organize a meetup or attend an established one.
5. Home hospital coworkers- If traveling alone is not your thing invite an existing coworker. My first travel assignment I convinced a friend from my home hospital to come with me. We were friends prior and we had a lot of hobbies in common so fortunately it was beneficial for the both of us. It brought us closer together and she is now one of my life long friends but this is my individual experience.
Solo travel nursing can be terrifying but making friends and connections can change your experience!
