October 2007: Candy Million, RN
I am still a bit in shock over the news of being selected “Traveler of the Month.” I am surprised and truly honored to be considered for such an award!
I hail from a small town in western Pennsylvania called New Castle. It is located about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh and in its “heyday” was a prospering steel mill town. Nowadays it is still in the process of picking itself up and dusting off its proverbial knees…but it is home to me! Most of my family still resides there. I enjoy going home to visit with my parents, brother and sister-in-law, nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The greatest thrill for me in going home is getting to spend time with my beautiful daughter, my wonderful son-in-law, and my three fabulous grandchildren.
In addition to nursing I have been blessed with several careers that I have truly enjoyed. Many of my years were spent in sales management for an international firm. I’ve also worked as a domestic flight attendant, owned and operated a couple of businesses, and was Vice President of an over-the-counter brokerage firm handling estate planning. Out of all of my careers, however, nursing is definitely my calling. To me, it is like putting on a comfortable pair of shoes. And since travel nursing is basically the combination of being a nurse and a flight attendant (my next favorite career), it seemed a natural path for me to follow.
I was fortunate to stumble upon Travel Nurse Across America in my frustrating search for a travel nurse company. I became discouraged with all of the fast-talking, “used car salesmanship” tactics, and evasive responses I was getting from other recruiters. I talked to a recruiter at Travel Nurse Across America that was wonderful, but I doubted it could all be for real after my other experiences. Fortunately for me my recruiter, Meaghan, and her promises were genuine! Within three days I was signed on and had my contract in hand!
Now here I am, three years down the road, and I am so proud to be part of the Travel Nurse Across America team. In fact, I truly consider Travel Nurse Across America an extended family to me. I have spent time on the phone with Meaghan, Ashley, Charlotte, Gay, Debbie and even Jon as well as many others. Sometimes our conversations are just to say “Hi” and other times they are to resolve a challenge. Whatever the subject is, everyone is so hard-working and pleasant! Just hearing Meaghan’s sweet voice can lift my spirits! She and Ashley go out of their way to get me what I want or need. It is because of these folks and the way that Travel Nurse Across America is run that I do not hesitate to send good nurses to them, and guarantee them they will have no regrets!
When signing on, I had requested to be on America’s eastern shore and I was able to spend two glorious years there between various assignments in Maryland and Dover, Delaware. Shore Health in that area was a fantastic place to work because of it’s fabulous, friendly staff. I just can’t say enough about them…they were caring, sincere, and down-to-earth just like the folks at Travel Nurse Across America. I met one of my best friends there and still keep in contact with several people from the area. To top off the great work experience, there was an endless supply of water there in the form of rivers, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean, which was just a short drive away. The whole experience was a dream come true! Recently I’ve moved over to the western side of Chesapeake Bay just south of Washington DC. It is a whole different world over here that amazes me! It’s busy, hustle-bustle, and a true “Metropolis” with access to great museums, theater and a multitude of work opportunities. I’ve enjoyed the beautiful architecture of all of the government buildings, the Smithsonian Institute, the National Zoo, and professional sport teams on my trips into DC. And, I’ve met many wonderful people here as well.
The day I called Travel Nurse Across America was my lucky day! I’m looking forward to many more amazing experiences with them. Who knows, maybe I’ll run into you on assignment one day!
