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Fitting In: How Travelers Can Better Adjust to New Assignments

Sawlan Atkinson, a long-distance runner, travels on assignment around the country as an ultrasonographer. Once she arrives at a new assignment — before even unpacking — she puts on her running shoes and runs around the neighborhood to find important landmarks, including the supermarket, gas stations, and the post office.

That ritual helps to Atkinson to settle into her new surroundings.

Get a Feel Before You Arrive

Kathleen Capone, RN, who has been traveling for about nine years, likes to establish human contact with those she’ll interact with before she arrives.

Capone, who travels with Preferred Healthcare Staffing, a subsidiary of AMN Healthcare, goes online to learn more about her housing. If possible, she takes a virtual tour of the place before she arrives. She then calls the apartment complex to touch base and ask about the apartment’s policies. I like "to talk to a human voice on the other line. It diminishes the anxiety level and uncertainty of where you’re going to be," she says. "The other thing we’ll do is go into the community on the Internet and find out where things are. One of the most difficult things is to show up in an area that you haven’t been in and not be able to find the post office or supermarket."

Atkinson also does research before she takes off for a new travel assignment. If she is flying to an assignment, she’ll find out early on how far the airport is from her housing and research a few routes to get from the airport to her temporary home. This helps to ensure that she won’t start the assignment off on the wrong foot by getting lost.

When Jane, a 10-year nurse traveler, arrives at her housing, one of the first things she does is get a phone book. She says the phone book is a wealth of information. She’ll also talk with the apartment manager about where important destinations are. A few days after arriving, Jane will visit the local visitors’ bureau to get a lay of the land.

Capone takes the same approach with her at-work environments as she does with housing — she touches base with someone. Capone emphasizes the need to ask questions about a hospital environment and how you’ll fit in before you accept the assignment. It’s key, she says, to talk directly with the nurse manager or department head that you’ll be reporting to because it gives you the opportunity to develop a rapport with that person. "That way, you’ve developed a long-distance rapport. You know who you’re going to be working with on the unit. That person is expecting you and knows a little about you. Just the conversations help a lot," she says.

Capone has learned not to take assignments if she feels uneasy during her initial conversation with the nurse manager.

One question Capone always asks is "What is a typical day for a nurse?" The question opens the door to answers about patient loads, patient acuity, computer capabilities, responsibilities, and scheduling. She also finds out beforehand if she can schedule her time so that she has several days in a row off to visit her grandchild.

By establishing these important aspects of the job early on, Capone enters into her new working arrangement feeling more comfortable than she would if she walked into the situation without having established a rapport and understanding.

Make Your New Home a Home

Jane, who travels with Cross Country/TravCorps, says she immediately unpacks a few photos, pictures, and knickknacks that maker her feel at home and puts them around the apartment. She ships her television so that she is sure to have one while on assignment. "A TV is a necessity — especially when you’re in a new place. You leave it on, and it sort of talks to you," she says.

JoAnn Panella, vice president of travel nursing services, Onward Healthcare, recommends that nurses lean on their travel companies to provide them with information that will help them to feel better in their new environments. "Communicate anything that is particularly important to you," says Panella. "Do you like to get massages? Let us help you find those places before you even go out on assignment."

First Day on the Job

Atkinson, who travels with CompHealth, a nationwide provider of healthcare recruiting and staffing services, eases her way into her new work settings with confidence. "When you go in and meet a new group of people, you have to be confident and be able to mix in as part of the team," she says. "Teamwork is important wherever you go. You want to feel comfortable; but you also want to make them feel comfortable, so there is no controversy."

She approaches her new coworkers and introduces herself. "Mostly people are very nice wherever I go. They welcome you."

Panella says that travelers on assignment should seek out other travelers at the same facility. Their travel companies can provide them with names of people who might be at the same facility on assignment, as well.

Doing Things Their Way

Jane says that she acclimates to her new work environments by trying to find out where things are and by being open to what the atmosphere of the unit is so that she can attempt to do things "their" way. "Every hospital has its own culture and its own way of doing things, and you’re there for 13 weeks. If they want it done their way, do it their way," she says.

Mary Conaway, senior client manager, Cross Country/TravCorps, recommends that nurses on assignment go in to new assignments with the attitude that they are there to help. A facility might do things differently or be behind the times, but travelers should try to adjust. "The way to fit in is to come with the idea that you are a guest in someone’s home," she says.

© Copyright 2008 Gannett Healthcare Group