My first confession and apology is I have been HORRIBLE about keeping up on my blog. Life gets so hectic at times that I forget to log on and share my thoughts with you all. I do enjoy writing on here, and I promise I will get better at it, for those of you that find what I share on here interesting.
As the title says, all good things come to an end. I began travel nursing as an ER RN back in January of 2021. For those of you that don’t already know, it’s a very lucrative career path financially. I made more money than I ever have in my entire life. It was nice having that financial freedom that I’ve always longed for, but it comes with a price. That is time away from your family and your home. Missed ball games, missed school functions for your kids, and time lost with your family that you can never get back. So you have to think, is it worth it? Let me tell you, it’s not.
I don’t regret doing travel nursing for the past almost year and a half as I made many new friends, learned a ton of new things, and gained valuable experience. For that I am thankful, but what I won’t miss is seeing the sad faces of my kids as I left, peeling them off my legs as they try to keep me from leaving for my set of shifts, and also missing valuable time with my wife. These are things that money can’t buy.
I have three weeks left in my final travel contract and I’ve accepted a full time position as an ER RN at one of our local hospitals. I’m VERY excited to have a place to call my work home once again. I honestly feel like this experience has made me a much better nurse, but I still have a ton to learn. I feel like I can take my new experiences, and mold me into an even better ER nurse.
If I were single with no kids, travel nursing would be a no brainer. The money is great, having a chance to see new places, and also how different hospitals do things would be amazing. But I am a man who enjoys his family and being in my own home every night. This is something that money simply cannot buy. Thankfully, Covid has subsided substantially in our area, and I’m hoping that we can get some normalcy back in our lives. It has turned our world upside down for the past two years.
With all that being said, if you’ve made it this far, I want to thank everyone that put up with my and my humorous shenanigans during my time as a travel nurse, and look forward to making new memories with new coworkers in a few weeks. That is of course after I come back from a week long family vacation in Panama City Beach Florida in twenty-one days.
Until the next time, y’all stay safe and keep grinding!!!
Jerrid Edgington RN
Jerrid Edgington-Author 