Filling your cup

There is this little bakery-coffee shop we would go to when we were travel nursing in Georgia; they baked bread, made fancy little cheese cakes, had the best iced caramel macchiatos, and the people who worked there were always the nicest. My friend Elizabeth and I would come here for breakfast on occasion, and would run by and get an iced caramel macchiato before we hit the road to go hiking in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I still follow this little bakery on my Facebook, and recently some pictures popped up with a new iced coffee flavor they are advertising. I tagged Elizabeth in the post and reminisced for a minute on the fun times we had in Georgia.

And then, I remembered the hospital.

Despite my much larger paycheck and me extending my contract four more weeks, this hospital was not what I would call the epitome of a healthy work environment.

Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful I decided to reach out of my comfort zone and take a travel contract in Georgia. It was my first experience with a hospital other than my own

Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful I decided to reach out of my comfort zone and take a travel contract in Georgia. It was my first experience with a hospital other than my 'home hospital,' and it began the process of opening my eyes to 'what else is out there.'

I learned that despite the grass not always being greener on the other side, there are pros and cons to every situation.

People told me, "You can do anything for 13 weeks." This may be true, but there is still a possibility that it may not be good for your mental health. You may be getting paid double what your staff pay was back home, but I found myself very often contemplating the question, is this worth the money.

I loved all the adventures that came with exploring a new town and living with my good friend, Elizabeth; but I realized that life is not just the job you have or the adventures you experience.

I stole these lovely words from Kelsey, @wholelifenurse, whose platform I so respect and appreciate and have adopted much into my own mindset: The key is to find a job that pours more into your cup than it steals from it. As a nurse, you have to define what's best for your life and "chose the hard" that best fits you.

When I interviewed for the job I now currently have in Colorado, I cared less about the type of patients I would receive and more about the work environment I would experience.

Can I say that it is exceptionally refreshing when the coworker who is orientating you to the unit states, and I quote, "I love my job."

It's sad that this statement surprises me and has been lacking from my vocabulary and almost everyone else who I have worked with over my last 3.5 years of being a nurse. No wonder so many people who jump into nursing almost instantly jump out of it.

Adventures and new experiences are great; and money to fuel those adventures and experiences have a lot of 'pros' when it comes to finding a job.

However, I do believe that a healthy work environment is more priceless.

As a nurse, you are a commodity; additionally, no organization or hospital will take care of you like you take care of you.

That is why I too believe that it is so important to find a job which adds to you more than it takes; and I truly hope that someday I can honestly say, "I love my job."