What’s the deal with staff nurses disliking travel nurses?

I remember the first time I met Brandy and Courtney. I’d walked into the nurses’ station to clock out after my night shift, and they were coming in for their first day of orientation. They were young and small in stature, reminding me a lot of myself. The first thing I noticed about Courtney was the Delta Sigma Theta bag she was carrying. I am a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and if you know anything about historically black Greek-letter organizations—see my blog post “Birds of a feather”—you are well aware of the rivalry between Deltas and AKAs. (Don’t worry. It’s all in fun. One of my very best friends and the mother of my goddaughter is a Delta, so you know we don’t hate each other.)

I snarled at the bag and asked the girls who they were. That’s when I found out they were the new travelers. There are many idiosyncrasies in nursing, one of which is a sort of disdain by staff nurses for travel nurses. As a new nurse, you quickly learn to adapt to the culture of the nursing unit. On most units, travel nurses are seen as one of “them,” not one of “us.” They are typically given the patient assignments nobody wants, and they are made to work harder than everyone else.

I wasn’t a new nurse when I met Brandy and Courtney, so I’d had the chance to work with plenty of travelers. I tended to make friends with young travel nurses, especially young black travel nurses. I was used to being the youngest nurse on the unit or one of the only black nurses on the unit, so it was always nice to come across someone who looked like me. I didn’t get to know much about Brandy and Courtney the first day we met, but I was open to making new friends.

After our initial encounter, I didn’t see the new travelers again for about two weeks. The first night I worked with Brandy and Courtney was on my 26th birthday. I had just flown in from Miami that afternoon, and I had requested to have the first four hours of the shift off. I came in at 11 p.m. to work my remaining eight hours and was excited because it was, technically, still my birthday. I walked around taking pictures with all of my co-workers. I even asked Brandy and Courtney to take a picture with me, although I didn’t really know them.

Tiffany (center) with friends Brandy and Courtney.

I got to know a lot about Brandy and Courtney that night. Originally from Louisiana, they had attended Southern University together and had been nurses for one year. I was one year older, and we instantly clicked.

The three of us hung out a lot that summer. Whenever we could all manage to get the night off, we tried to do something together. We went to the comedy club, Dave & Buster’s (an adult arcade), my aunt’s neighborhood block party for the 4th of July, P.F. Chang’s for dinner, Benihana’s for Courtney’s birthday, the Santa Monica Pier and Magic Mountain.

When Brandy and Courtney’s contract was over, they went back to Louisiana, but we remained in contact. We met up the next year to attend President Obama’s historic presidential inauguration. (We thought it was a good idea to do sightseeing late in the afternoon and nearly froze to death.) And we vacationed together in Las Vegas.

I had the chance to see Courtney when she came to Los Angeles to visit last year. I haven’t seen Brandy since the summer of 2009. We still communicate via Facebook and text messages, and we plan to go to Europe together next year to celebrate my 30th birthday.

Having this wonderful experience with two complete strangers made me wonder, “What’s the deal with staff nurses disliking travel nurses?” I had no idea how much fun Courtney and Brandy were, and I would have never known had I not broken the unit rule and gotten to know them. How many friendships do we miss by disregarding the new travel nurse on the unit? How many great conversations or awesome experiences do we forfeit? As nurse leaders, we have to be the ones to model behavior that shows it’s OK to befriend travelers.

We have a wealth of information to learn from experienced and even novice travelers. They have the inside scoop! They have the unique experience of changing job locations multiple times per year. They know which policies work and which don’t. They are virtual wells of knowledge and we should not only get to know them for who they are, but also pick their brains so as to improve systems on our own units.

I’m so grateful I didn’t fall into the trap of treating travelers like outsiders. Had I taken on that attitude, I would have missed the chance to become friends with two really great nurses. I’m grateful to Brandy and Courtney for giving me a summer I will never forget and friendships that will last a lifetime.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. 

Birds of a feather

I recently went to lunch with a group of my sorority sisters. On the drive to the restaurant, I was hot and, by the time I arrived, was a little irritated because of the heat. But as soon as my sorors began arriving, all of my frustration suddenly left.

I sat in close proximity to women of all ages, some old enough to be my mother and some young enough to be my sister. They come from diverse socioeconomic statuses, were born in various states, have attained a variety of educational levels and have made careers for themselves in various professions. Some are parents, and others are grandparents. Many of us live in different cities, and some of us had never met. Still, we all have something in common—we are college-educated women bonded through our love for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

In case you are wondering, Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first college sorority in the United States to be established by African-American women. It was founded on Jan. 15, 1908, by nine students at Howard University. Seven other women were soon added and are grouped with the original nine as the revered 16 founders of the sorority. The mission of the sisterhood is to “cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, to promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life, and to be of service to all mankind.” I was initiated into the sorority in the spring of 2006, alongside two other women. Now, back to my lunch.

Sitting at my table with approximately 20 others, I was awed by the women who surrounded me. Three have PhDs and two, not including me, are currently enrolled in PhD programs. One is the great-granddaughter of Thurgood Marshall, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice. One is a relative of the first black mayor of New York City. Another is a charter member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha chapter at MIT. Other attendees included educators, social workers and lawyers. Just sitting with them inspired me. And to think I know and have a relationship with the vast majority of the women at my table is absolutely amazing! These aren’t women I barely know; they are women I meet with monthly to plan and prepare for community service programs and sorority events.

Although I often see my sorors at business meetings, we didn’t talk business; we simply enjoyed each other’s company. We talked about everything from our iPhones to my experience as a labor and delivery nurse to marriage and children. I can only hope they enjoyed my company as much as I enjoyed theirs. I was encouraged by those who have gone through, or are currently in, PhD programs. They gave me hope that I could make it, too. We cherished each other as sisters, although only two of the attendees are biological sisters. (My biological sister is my sorority sister as well.) We were reminded that a sister is more than a female sibling.

I came to the lunch feeling hot and bothered, but I left energized and refreshed. You see, it’s important to be surrounded by well-educated, well-mannered, high-achieving friends. We gain inspiration and support from our friends. They are the ones who egg us on when we feel like giving up. They are the ones who celebrate our accomplishments and help us bounce back from our setbacks.

Having friends you can hang out with is fine, but you have to have more than simply hanging buddies in your circle of influence. I’ve learned that the characteristics of our friends are typically the characteristics we display. They say, “Birds of a feather flock together.” If this is a fact, I want to be flying alongside my sorors.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.