Healthy Active Nurses

Travel nurses have a career that involves more than just long hours, stressful shifts and hectic schedules. Add int he travel between assignments and life on the road in general, and you’ve got a recipe for poor health and high stress. It’s easy for us to fall into the habits that cause our health to suffer - poor eating, inadequate rest and hectic surroundings to name a few. But living a healthy lifestyle as a travel nurse is important if you’re going to provide good healthcare to yourself AND your patients!

Here are three tips for a happier and healthier life as a travel nurse:

Tip #1: Get Active and STAY Active. Walking countless miles on your floor to and from patients may be considered exercise. But if you’re stressing about meds, charts, ratios and other work-related issues, the exercise you get walking really isn’t exercise. It’s just stress. Being an active travel nurse means walking, running, biking or doing some form of exercise outside the workplace (on a regular basis) is essential to your health. Your body thank you by allowing you to be more alert, focused and ready to tackle the needs of your patients.

Tip #2: Eat foods that contribute to your health. A state such as California is a great place take a travel nurse assignment because Californians often try very hard to love a healthy lifestyle. There are plenty of farmer markets and organic stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Henry’s in California that offer you fresh produce and other healthy items to keep your mind and body happy. Also, as you know, there’s a nursing shortage in California - two situations that could make you think about the Golden Sate.

Tip #3: Find a travel nurse destination that lets you get out and not only exercise, but also experience the beauty of your surroundings. This tip can be very important, but often takes a backseat to other considerations, such as compensation and how far away from home you’re willing to travel as a nurse. But, if you can, find an assignment that offers fun, outdoor activities. One of the great benefits of being a travel nurse is that you enjoy a schedule that offers you lots of free time. As a travel nurse you are probably  working three, 12-hour shifts, so on your four days off, plan outdoor activities like kayaking, hiking, swimming or biking. You will enjoy your travel nurse assignments much more if you can get outside and do something new and physically challenging.