October 5, 2018
Meet our Featured Traveler, Stanton!
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Recently, our featured traveler, Stanton, was honored with the DAISY award for going above and beyond, providing excellent, compassionate patient care. He quickly anticipated that a patient was exhibiting signs of a stroke and ensured she received life-saving surgery before it was too late. Just three days later, the patient was recovering. We were happy to host him recently in the Little Rock office for our Traveler Advantage Program, and asked him a few questions about his journey!
Q: What made you decide to choose nursing as a career, and how long have you been a travel nurse?
Stanton: I have been a travel nurse since 2015, and all of it has been with TNAA!
When I was young, I actually wanted to be a veterinarian!
I love animals, but as I was trying to choose a path I realized that my real passion was helping people. Since I was a little kid I have always held this special knack for empathy…sometimes knowing what people need before they even do. I truly believe that is a talent and gift that God gave me for the specific purpose of helping heal others as a nurse. My own nursing practice has been about holistic care; body, mind, spirit. I feel fulfilled when I am able to help the whole person and nursing allows me to carry out my purpose.
![stantonTAP](https://dojrpn3wanikl.cloudfront.net/2018/10/stantonTAP.jpg)
What do you like most about the travel nurse lifestyle and traveling with TNAA?
I get to gain a wealth of knowledge on how to care for people. We are exposed to so many different patient populations and diagnoses. It keeps you on your toes. You learn in nursing school that there is one right way to do things, but traveling from facility to facility you realize that it’s not that cut and dry. I get to take what I want/like from each place and leave the rest while bolstering my own nursing practice.
I have spent my whole traveling career with TNAA and I would never go anywhere else. From day one TNAA has taken care of me. Our benefits are better than anyone I’ve talked to; including full-time staff! TNAA also does everything in their power to help you with anything you need! From amazing housing specialists who give you great advice and set up everything for you to things like EAP that help you with counseling in times of trouble in your personal life. There are a great many more benefits that TNAA offers that are too vast to list. I can tell that TNAA as a company and all the staff individually genuinely care about me and my well-being. My father always taught me that great leaders are the key to a successful company. A huge thank you to the leadership in TNAA for making it such an amazing company to work for!
Q: What are your hobbies outside of work?
Stanton: For the longest time, my identity lied solely in nursing. I quickly realized that giving of myself so much in nursing depleted my stores and ability to care for myself. I have found a few things that really bring enjoyment to my life. One would be my dog, Elvis! He’s a two a half-year-old blue Merle Australian Shepherd and the most cuddly loving dog there is! He’s the best travel companion. I also love horticulture! I have been growing succulents for about a year and a half now and it is so much fun! Having something to care for that isn’t a person and being able to watch them grown and bloom brings me a lot of joy! It also helps that it makes something beautiful to look at. Outside of that, I enjoy running, yoga, and cooking. I grew up in the kitchen with my mom, so this boy can COOK! I enjoy sharing my meals. It’s a gesture of my love for those I share it with.
Q: What has been your favorite assignment so far?
Stanton: My favorite assignment is a hard one. I have one for the clinical experience and one for life outside of work. Lankenau Medical Center in Philadelphia was my favorite as far as clinical goes. That place has GOT.IT.TOGETHER! Gold star awards in almost every single department! The staff were amazing and so full of knowledge. The facility itself was beautiful, and everyone got an hour lunch! My favorite for life outside of work hands down has been IU health in Indianapolis, which is actually my current assignment. Life in Indianapolis is amazing! So many great places to eat, things to do, great walkable city, amazing housing options, and the people are friendly. It’s a very hospital heavy city so there are a lot of young professional people here! I love it.
TNAA is proud to partner with The DAISY Foundation to honor the compassionate care of our extraordinary travel nurses throughout the year. The DAISY Award is a prestigious award given to nurses for making a great difference in patient’s lives.