After completing three contracts at The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, I decided to make my way to the Golden State and accepted a contract at Valley Childrens Hospital in Madera, CA. My one and only regret was taking a contract in central California in the dead middle of summer where the temperature is consistently in the high 90s to the triple digits. This dry heat was nothing like I've experienced before, as an east coast girl. Nonetheless we pushed through and tried to make it the best experience we could (by we, I'm referring to my fur child Nala). If you haven't already noticed from following this blog, Nala is my beautiful red-nose pitbull, travel companion, best friend, and protector. We left our beloved ABQ and drove approximately 13 hours to Fresno, CA stopping once to rest in Arizona. After unpacking our bags and essentials, we embarked on our first adventure to the coast, spending a few days in stunning Monterrey and Carmel Beach where the weather was significantly cooler, and driving down the pacific coast all the way to Los Angeles. This was my first time in the Golden State and while I'll always be an east coast girl at heart I understood the west coast hype, its energy and vibes. Sunshine and palm trees? Yes, please!
Funny though, because after days on end of straight sunshine, all I wanted was a rainy, chilly, dreary day, where I could curl up on my couch with a good read or TV series. Two weeks ago, I ended my first contract at Valley and have taken some time to reflect on the experience I've had as a travel nurse in California these last three months. So sit back and spare a few mins for this one because I've got a lot to say and some important knowledge to drop on ya'll.
Valley Children's Hospital
Working at a free-standing Children's hospital has been a GAME CHANGER for me. Let me start off by saying that my orientation here was over two weeks long. One week of hospital orientation, three shifts in the PICU (where I was contracted to work) and half a shift in the NICU and the other half on an acute care unit. For reference, most hospitals will coordinate 1-2 days of hospital orientation and two shifts on the unit where you will be working.... and then you're on your own. While there was definitely more hand holding at Valley's, I personally did not mind it. Quality care and safety are always at the forefront of my mind as a pediatric nurse. Children are resilient but can decompensate exponentially quicker than an adult. Getting extra time to know the unit and its culture, the hospital and its policies, actually felt safer. Speaking of safety, did you know that California is the only state with mandated nurse to patient ratios? In the ICU, that means I can never take care of more than two patients at once. California also has labor laws that enforce meal breaks. Thats right...you read that correctly. You must take your meal breaks and your charge nurse or resource nurse has to break you for your meals. It is a big ordeal if this does not happen. While I knew this (and was honestly baffled by it) it certainly was a different experience to actually work in that type of culture and environment. More often than not, the PICU at Valley's was staffed with a free charge (that means a charge nurse who does not have a patient assignment) and 2-3 resource nurses who could either help other nurses on the unit or admit incoming patients. Are you shocked? Because I was. If you're a nurse reading this then I don't have to explain to you how stressful short staffing can be and the COVID-19 Pandemic has brought a lot of light to this matter. The sad truth is that mandated nurse ratios are not the norm. Burn out, unsafe ratios, and feeling overworked has led to many nurses leaving the profession. Nursing is undoubtedly a physically, emotionally, and mentally draining profession but through this journey I've realized that I have the power to change my environment so that it works FOR me and not AGAINST me. Whether you are a nurse reading this or not, understand that you are completely in control of this life and you have all the potential to create your reality. Dig deep and ask yourself what matters most to you. Now, go out there and get it.
"Why settle for fine when fabulous is also on the menu?"- Jen Sincero
The Homelessness Crisis in California
I'm gonna shift gears here and talk about the undoubtedly glaring problem in California. According to the US Interagency Council on Homelessness, in 2020 approximately 27.89% of California's population experienced homeless; it is the state with highest percentage of homeless people in the United States. The day I moved to California it was clear to me that this was a problem. I personally know poverty all too well. My family is from the island of the Dominican Republic, a third world country. While we were thankfully never homeless, we grew up in homes with no running water and lived our lives with daily "apagones" which translates to blackouts in english. My parents made the courageous move and immigrated our family to this country when I was 4 years old with hopes to provide us with a better life and education. So I asked myself why is this a problem in the richest country in the world? What is happening here in California that makes this problem so glaring and most importantly what can I do about it?
Turns out from my research that the homeless problem in California is multifactorial. Lack of affordable housing, poverty, mental illness and chronic drug abuse are some of the factors leading to this crisis. Cost of living in California is expensive. The median cost for a home here is $800,000. I personally pay just over $6.00/gallon of gas to fill up my car and rent is at the very minimum $500 more than the rent I paid for a similar 1 bedroom/1 bath apt in NJ. Inflation has recently made things worse. According to a recent article in the NYT, rental prices for primary residence has increased by 7.2% in the last year (click below to read the full article). If lack of affordable housing is the root cause of this crisis why not just construct more affordable housing? Obviously this is easier said than done and without getting too political here, I've realized that not everyone wants to solve this problem this way. NIMBY-the acronym for "Not in My Backyard" refer to neighbors who fight nearby developments, especially apartments. These neighbors fear that the safety of their community is at risk and that they will experience deflation on their property value. In essence, there has been a lot of back and forth on this issue. Local and national policies are being enacted to address this problem but I found myself at a loss and truly saddened.
After consistently seeing the same homeless woman walk toward the back of the duplex I was living in searching for food in my garbage can, I decided to get up and go volunteer at a local homeless shelter. It is a small effort on my end to optimize my spare time and also better understand the people going through this crisis. I'm still learning a great deal about this and will continue dedicating my time when I can. Sometimes just raising awareness to a critical problem can go a long way. We tend to live in our own bubble and often forget what is going on right in front of our faces. I encourage you to also take some time out of your day and give to others in need. Please consider donating to the homeless shelter that I volunteer at (click the button below). If you can not do either and you are reading this...chances are you have a warm bed to sleep in and know where your next meal is coming from. Please take some time and show some gratitude for that and remember that not everyone has this luxury.
Summertime in Fresno
I learned very quickly after moving here in July that the summertime in central California is unbearable. I was pretty much confined to staying home in my cool apartment after 1:00PM. Temperatures in the triple digits will do that. I spent most of my time indulging in romantic novels and thrillers and committed to reading at least one self improvement book a month. I have a list of my favorite summer reads if you want me to share them with you!
That being said, there is in fact lots to explore and do here. Central Valley has tons of lakes, some not even an hour drive from Fresno. Sequoia National Park is just north east of Fresno and its magical forest, cooler weather, and gigantic trees are totally worth the 2 hr drive. Yosemite National Park is also just an hour drive from here but I have yet to explore this (on my to do list). If you're up for an even longer drive, Monterrey, San Francisco, and LA are all less than 4 hours away from Fresno and can be easy destinations for day trips or long weekends. If you don't mind driving down winding roads and want to soak in the beauty of the Pacific Coast then drive up or down State Route 1 for exceptional views and make sure to hit the world renowned central coast area of Big Sur. Plenty of opportunities for camping, hiking, and beach bumming. Some of the best pictures I have of California are from Big Sur.
"So, what's next Em?"
Everyone's favorite question after I've completed an assignment. I've decided to extend my contract at Valley Children's and will be working there until the end of the year. One of my favorite things about travel nursing is being able to plan your schedule and your time off. Of course, you have to be strategic about it but it has been completely doable for me. This year I decided to go home for Christmas and will be finished with my contract just before the holidays. After that, who knows! Keep following along though and I'll be sure to share :)