Come one, come all! Meet KPG Healthcare’s newest Nurse Spotlight for August – Erin!
Erin is a Southern California native who is also a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Cardiac Intense Care Unit nurse. Erin has been a nurse for seven years and a travel nurse for three years! However, she’s putting travel nursing on hold because she recently got married last October! KPG Healthcare wants to wish you a BIG congratulations!
Anyway.
Like many people, Erin originally didn’t plan to pursue nursing as a career. Her inspiration to become a nurse began when her nephew was placed in the NICU for three months at 28 weeks-years-old.
At the time, Erin wanted to become a veterinarian, but going through that experience with her nephew, it gave her a new direction. By talking to the nurses who assisted with her nephew and her family, she realized there was an opportunity to pursue travel nursing as a career. She made every intention to become one.
Today, Erin has been fortunate enough to take assignments in the Virgin Islands, Washington, Oregon, and California. “I’ve been fortunate enough to live my dream as a traveling nurse,” Erin said. Having graduated from the University of San Francisco, her first assignment at the University of California San Francisco hospital was her most memorable assignment.
Working in the NICU is not for the faint-hearted. Managing the children but also figuring out how to assist the parents, who can’t help but feel helpless, is one of the biggest challenges Erin faces at work. Although the most challenging, “it is also the most rewarding,” Erin mentioned.
Besides navigating through the emotional baggage that comes with NICU, “relationship building, nurturing the parents, reassuring them, and building those emotional connections” are just some other skills Erin has learned on the job.
Another big thing Erin learned while being a travel nurse was self-care. “I didn’t prioritize that and travel taught me to take a step back.” Some of the ways Erin likes to unwind or indulge in a self-care day are taking baths, hitting the spa once every other month, hanging out with her core tribe, and be active during days off.
Erin wanted to give a shoutout to the compliance team for “being awesome” and to the whole team for always making her feel like a priority!
From all of us here at KPG Healthcare, we want to thank you for everything you do for us! Congratulations and we wish you nothing but happiness for you and your husband!
Erin’s advice for new travel nurses:
- Exude confidence in everything you do
- Non-travel nurses and parents will give the same respect
- How it will change the assignment
- Have a positive attitude
- You will get the respect you deserve in time