Nursing Uncharted Ep 99. - Top Takeaways from TravCon 2025
In this episode of Nursing Uncharted, Nicole Obra, Director of Recruitment at AMN Healthcare, joins host Ann to discuss their experiences and highlights at TravCon 2025. Together, they discuss the vibrant atmosphere, the importance of networking, and the value of face-to-face interactions in fostering collaboration and understanding within the travel nursing community. The episode also highlights AMN Healthcare's innovative contributions to the conference and the significance of clinician feedback in shaping the future of travel nursing. Personal stories and shared experiences take center stage, showcasing the inspiring and supportive nature of the nursing community.
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We Discuss
00:00 Introduction to TravCon and Connections
06:10 Networking and Collaboration in Travel Nursing
08:56 The Importance of Face-to-Face Interactions
11:54 The Energy and Excitement of the Conference
14:54 Highlighting Personal Stories and Experiences
17:51 Feedback and Improvement in the Travel Nursing Industry
20:45 The 24/7 Diner Theme and AMN's Innovations
23:58 The Value of Networking Beyond Recruitment
26:44 Takeaways and Reflections from TravCon
Guest Bio:
Nicole Obra is the Director of Recruitment on the Nurse and Allied Solutions team at AMN Healthcare, where she has dedicated nearly 12 years to advancing workforce solutions in the healthcare industry. Known for her strategic leadership and deep commitment to talent development, Nicole plays a pivotal role in shaping recruitment initiatives that support healthcare professionals across the nation.
Beyond her professional achievements, Nicole is a passionate advocate for community engagement. She serves on the junior executive boards for both Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Alzheimer's Association here in San Diego, contributing her time and leadership to causes close to her heart. At AMN, she is an active member of multiple Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), fostering inclusion and belonging across the organization. Nicole also leads the company’s presence at TravCon, the largest conference for traveling healthcare professionals, where she champions connection, education, and industry innovation.
Transcript
Speaker 2 (00:00.11)
Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of Nursing Uncharted. This episode I'm so excited about because it's going to highlight both of our experiences of TravCon. And for me, it's even more exciting because this is my first year. So before we dive too much into that, I will now introduce my guest. I'm so happy to have met you because we have a connection that I didn't even know we would have. you know, I'm just kind of excited to have this conversation with you. So.
Welcome Nicole!
my gosh, it was so exciting to meet you and to figure out what our connection was. What a small world, so.
I love that. That's something that like with this podcast, like the amount of times that that has happened. It's like it's mind blowing because there's how many people and you just always cross paths with at least someone that you know. And it's like it's so crazy. So.
It really just brings the world full circle. We are all connected in some way, form.
Speaker 2 (01:00.574)
It definitely does. So before we dive into this, just if you want to explain a little bit about who you are and what you do.
Yeah, absolutely. So my name is Nicole Obra. I am a director of recruitment here at AMN Healthcare. I have been with the company almost 12 years. This will have been my fifth TravCon that I attended. I am a team lead. So in charge of all the planning and logistics to make sure that the show goes off without a hitch.
And from my experience, definitely, it was so fun. I'm so happy that I got to go this year and spend time with the AMN team and meet all of you. So the fact that you've gone five years, I'm super jealous because I'm sure you get to meet so many new people. from the feedback that I've heard, it was different this year than years compared. And again, just jealous that you've been there for five years.
Yes, yes. my gosh. Well, yes, it is, it is different every year. Every year we come in with a different theme for our booth. We have a different team that comes along with us. So we have our core people who come, myself and Christina Johnson, who's the other team lead for this event, along with our marketing team. But, you know, kind of just depending on how the market itself looks, will kind of depend on who else is coming with us. So.
And I hope I get to go again.
Speaker 1 (02:27.468)
We were lucky enough this year to have three of our travel nurse recruiters come. So that was Megan McIntosh, Avina Fields, and Carrie Fedor. And then we have our two allied recruiters, Erin and Kaylee, who come every year with us to be able to talk about and speak on allied trends in the marketplace and just, you know, be able to have that connection with the allied travelers that are attending. Because there are allied people there as well as travel.
Yeah, yeah. So before we dive too much into this, I mean, I was so excited to have this conversation with you. Let's kind of talk about what Travcon is. Yeah. I mean, I feel like if you're in the travel world, you know that. like, you know, for those listening who maybe don't know what Travcon is, can you speak on, know, what it is and why it's important?
Yeah, so TravelCon actually is short for Travelers Conference. So it is a conference that is held every year in Las Vegas, Nevada, that is geared specifically toward travel nurses and allied. So every year we come together the same weekend in September at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas for this event that gets put on by the Gypsy Nurse. And we are able to just come together. There are agencies there. There are other
There are travelers, there are hotel groups, anything that's really tied to travel nursing. We'll even see like people offering insurance there. We were graced with some therapy dogs this year. So just a lot of really fun vendors and everyone's, you know, coming together for the common thing of learning more about travel nursing. So if you're brand new, this is a great conference for you to go to because you're going to be able to meet so many different agencies in person, be able to have.
great conversations, maybe find your next recruiter. You'll also be able to meet fellow travel nurses and make friends and just really network. There's a lot of different opportunities for you to listen in on speaking moments where we could talk about anything from, like I said earlier, allied market trends all the way up to nursing beyond borders, which is talking about humanitarian trips. can.
Speaker 1 (04:37.74)
Get your CEUs done. This year we had a keynote speaker who was a humorist and he was hilarious, Terry Foster. Awesome. There's so much to offer and there's so much more besides that. know, there are happy hours. There are after parties. There are fitness and wellness events. So it really just is a whole weekend of fun for everyone to be able to come together to not only maybe find their next travel assignment, but also just to come together with all of
All of these people that are out there doing the same thing, making an impact in the world. So that's like a really cool, really cool event. It's networking, it's bonding, it's all of you.
Yeah, and I was I was really surprised with you know what Just the you know, we all we always were different agencies, right? There's many different agencies out there and just the cohesiveness of everyone and you know, we go visit Though their booths they come visit, know our booth and just it was nice to see that It's really not like a competition where we don't like each other. It's really like a world of just you know, everyone
doing the same thing and everyone getting together and just kind of, you know, being a team in the travel world. The travel world's changed over, you know, you've been doing this five years. Let's talk about, I've been a travel nurse for six years. That world is changing. So what you can take, you know, from, you know, I was there as a nurse, but also part of the AMN team and, you know, just being able to learn from what maybe the other agencies are experiencing and, you know, get that feedback. I think that's really,
really important for me as a nurse to understand and know that, you know, we're always scared to talk about, well, I have a recruiter with this company and this company, but it's really important to have those open conversations with whomever you're working with. And I thought that was a really cool, like collaborative thing that I was not expecting.
Speaker 1 (06:33.772)
Yeah, and that's a great call out. Like that is something that you will notice there. Like we're all here for the same reason. We as agencies are here, you know, we are looking to see who is interested in working for us, who is wanting to explore the world and build their career. You know, not every agency has a good fit for every traveler. So instead of sitting on the phone and listening to a conversation, you know, you get to do that live and in person.
it's really cool to be able to put a face to a name to make that bond with someone and to really truly understand like what does this company have to offer me versus what this company has to offer me. And then if you've got questions, you can just ask them. And then you can make that decision. And then it's cool too, because there's so much traffic going around that, you know, at any given moment, a new nurse who's never traveled with us before could be standing next to someone who's been traveling with us for 20 years.
and they overhear the conversation and the next thing you know, they've made that connection and now they're telling them about their experience which just helps to strengthen that connection even more. So it is really cool to see and yeah, at the end of the day, we're all here to just do the job at hand which is to get nurses to the bedside and to be able to keep the hospitals running and nurses wanna work, they wanna build their career, they wanna travel, like that is a thing, so.
To be able to all come together and support each other in doing that is just really fulfilling and something I love to see year after year.
Yeah, and it did, made me, something, you know, this year I've talked about a lot on different episodes was just, you know, the nurse, getting back to why we're doing what we're doing as nurses and why we're traveling and understanding, you know, these hospitals need us to be there. And it was nice to be around people and to see it firsthand that that is the majority of how we feel. And it was just really refreshing, you know, to see that and to speak on the, you know, meeting a...
Speaker 2 (08:30.592)
a new travel nurse or someone who's been in the industry for a while, but didn't know who AMN was. And it was a conversation I was having with someone. And I was there, you know, kind of as a guest, I wasn't really trying to get involved in those conversations. But he was like, wait, wait, what are you saying? And, you know, I'm like, well, have you heard of AMN? And he's like, no. And I'm like, well, let me connect you. You know, it was kind of like a cool little experience for me as a travel nurse.
Yeah. you know, think AMN's been around for 40 years, right? We celebrated our 40th birthday here at the conference. So with our big old cake on Tuesday. But yeah, it's, know, sometimes you forget that not everyone knows who we are. And that's okay. Like some people just aren't as connected or in the know about what's going on or what agencies are out there. And there's a lot of movement in our market too. you know, it's sometimes I...
I forget what I'm gonna say next when someone says that like, I've never heard of you guys. I'm like, but what, huh? Like, okay. But here, let me tell you, let me tell you. Because it is, know, everyone's so busy doing their own thing. They're so busy working, they're going to school. They're just doing life. And that gets in the way sometimes of just knowing what opportunities are out there. But it is really word of mouth, right? If you're not out there actively searching for those things.
It is hearing what your peers have to say, what your friends have to say, or you know, whatever, some person that you met at a conference, what they have to say. So it is fun when we do get those clinicians and allied specialties that come up to us and they don't know. And then I feel like, you know, wow, this is my opportunity to really let you know what is going on and to be able to just inform you and answer any questions that you might have. Cause that's what we're there for is to just.
give you all the tools and resources that you need to make the right decision that's going to fit best for you.
Speaker 2 (10:24.546)
Yeah, and it's kind of, it speaks onto something that I also thought about, like why do we even go, like everyone knows, and it's like, no they don't, but also, you you may hear of a travel company and not know enough about them or maybe have heard whatever about them and to actually see them in person and meet the people that actually work there. It is important, so I'm guessing that is the reason that AMN shows up every year to.
to represent and to meet the recruiters in person and just to see and feel the energy. And that's something that, yes, I was there with you, but to stand back and watch how you guys interacted with the travel nurses was like my first day for the first couple hours, I was like, what? It was a lot. you guys, your energy level just maintained. And I think that has a lot to say for like,
why you're there and like, you know, why the recruiters are so excited. You could feel that and you could feel the energy.
Yeah, and I love that. And thanks for sharing that. I mean, it is an exciting thing that we do. Like, I don't know how other agencies pick who comes with them if they have a set team every year. But, you know, we know that this is a big deal. And some recruiters work in our offices here in San Diego or Boca or Dallas, but some of them are fully remote. So they don't get that in-person interaction in the office, much less with clinicians face to face.
to be able to give this opportunity to recruiters to say, we have this opportunity to bring three, four, five people with us. Tell us why you want to do this. What is your why? What impact are you wanting to make? And why would you be a good fit for this team? And then we collect the responses and it's a blind voting process. We want to keep it fair. We want people to really speak from the heart about why they want to do something.
Speaker 1 (12:24.662)
You know, it's not just an opportunity to get out of the mundane of day to day, but it truly is something that the recruiters can use to their benefit to build their book of business, to meet clinicians that they are not able to get on the phone when they're calling them, and then to be able to create a special bond with them that, you know, they would not have been able to get over the phone. So we are there to show up to do a job. We, yes, we want.
our booth to look great. want to have a good time, but we're there for business and we want to show people that and we want to make those connections and bring in whoever feels like we're the right fit for them. we just have a good time doing it. We make it a fun event. It's a long day, long days and long flights out depending on where you're coming from. But at end of the day, like it truly is a team building experience and we want it to have that.
that feeling to it. And everyone that's gone on the trip with us has always just been like, wow, this is what I expected and then more. we made it fun and we made it exciting. And it was a nice little switch up in their day to day. So yeah, a lot about it.
Yeah.
Yeah, and I love to, you know, I think I don't want to jump ahead. like one of the biggest takeaways was the how excited like some of the travel nurses with AMN were to like come and be like, I'm traveling with you. I'm on assignment with you right now. Like that excitement level. I wasn't I wasn't expecting that. And I don't know, like, you know, I was there obviously in a different capacity. So I don't know how I would have reacted. But it happened a lot. And it was like, you know,
Speaker 2 (14:06.248)
this is my recruiter and you guys know who the recruiters are. remember asking, think you specifically, well how many recruiters are there in AMN? Like how do you know all these people? You know, and was like the one common name kept coming up and we were talking about like, my gosh, how many travelers does this recruiter have because everyone's traveling with this person. So it was just really, it was really cool to see.
Yeah, yeah, that happens a lot. And I honestly think that's one of my favorite things about the conference is being able to meet the travelers. And I do also really feed off of that energy that they have when they come up to us, you can kind of see it from like a few feet away, they're smiling, they're so excited that they found us. But yeah, the first thing out of their mouths is I'm a traveler with you and my recruiter is so and so. And yeah, and we we make that a big deal because it is a big deal like
Yeah, we otherwise would not be able to meet you and your recruiter may not be here, but let's let's take a selfie. I can send it to them right now. How long you said hi. We love to get testimonials. If you have something to say, we will gladly grab a marketing person to go ahead and film that. We love just love to hear those things. So yeah, that's it's really exciting. And I think all of us, I think I can see on behalf of everyone on the team, you know, we feed off of that. We.
want them to feel like, gosh, you're a part of the AMN family, because they truly are. They're doing so much for us that we just want them to know that they're appreciated and we're there to support them at all times. And yeah, that relationship they have with the recruiter could have been built over the last six months or six years or 20 plus years. But to finally be able to make that connection and all of that is just such a
Such a cool thing and probably one of my favorite things about the conference.
Speaker 2 (15:57.846)
Yeah, and even I don't know if this happened because I didn't witness it, but there was so much I didn't witness because there was so much going on. But even on the other end of that, you know, like with let's just call it service recovery. Like, let's say there is even an active issue going on that maybe people prefer to address face to face. That's that's an opportunity for, you know, that conversation to happen and, you know, maybe show a different side or be like, hey, I'm so sorry. That was your experience. Let's get you connected with who you
who we can to like make sure that never happens again, which I think for me, like I address things because I don't like to have like a bad taste in my mouth. But, you know, I think that, you know, that that conference gives that opportunity to have that face to face interaction. And, you know, it's hard to judge someone's personality over the over the phone. Right. Someone can be whomever they want to be. But when you see someone's, you know,
gestures, how they're standing, their facial expressions, you know, that really puts a different personal element to it.
Yeah, absolutely. And yeah, we don't get a whole lot of those throughout the conference. We'll get a few and you can tell they're kind of hesitant to bring it up. They're like, I didn't come here to talk about this, but I just have to mention that this happened. So it's always just listening. That's the first thing I do is just listen, tell me what happened. Like we can talk about it. Let's talk off to the side. And they tell me what happened. But usually there has already been a resolution. They just kind of want to talk about it and
At the end of the day, we're all human. Mistakes get made, things get overlooked. But one thing that myself and A.M.M. we cried ourselves in is that we're always predefined a resolution. We don't want to leave anything on the table. We don't want there to be unresolved whatever it is. yeah, we want to address that. We want to take responsibility for that. We want to hear you out on what happened. How can we do better? And have we done better?
Speaker 1 (17:55.05)
And a lot of times they're like, yeah, my recruiter was on top of it. You guys fixed this, you fixed that. And I'm still traveling with you, but maybe my recruiter's not with the company anymore. But now I'm working with so and so and they're awesome. I'm so glad I got assigned to them. So it's just really cool because everyone's experience is so different. But yeah, mean, yeah, we want to hear that feedback. Like we want to do better. So, you know, this year we had a clinician experience survey QR code that you could scan so that we could get that feedback because we don't know what's going on out there or what's
what the issues are unless you speak up and tell us. So yeah, mean, over the phone, those conversations can definitely be had and should be had. But if you have the opportunity to talk to us in person too, by all means, please don't feel like you can't or you don't want to. We're all ears and always receptive to that feedback.
Yeah, well I felt like the group there was extremely approachable and you could feel the energy as soon as you walked in the room because of course we need to talk about the theme of the booth. It was seen for miles. was the best one there if I'm allowed to say.
I'm have to agree with you on that. It was so fun. It was. And I will say, you know, I, this is my fifth TravCon. This was Christina's 10th TravCon. She's been doing it a little bit longer than I have. Yeah. She also been with the company a lot longer I have. Um, but yeah, it was literally the best booth that we've ever experienced. It was fun. It tied into, you know, the things that we've been doing as a company to.
make our systems and our technologies really what the travelers need and deserve and what's gonna be working 24 seven, hence the 24 seven diner theme, not only for us internally, but also for our clinicians. So that ties into our AMM passport app and just having all the jobs and resources and everything you need right there in your fingertips, whether it's on your laptop via our webpage or if it's on your phones.
Speaker 1 (20:00.622)
via our app, both of which are called Passport. That's kind of where the 24 seven diner theme came in is that we're here for you 24 seven, even when you're asleep or your recruiters asleep, we still have the systems in place to be working for you. And so that really was what we wanted to tie into that. And yeah, I mean, a 24 seven diner, like who doesn't love that? I mean, I wish we would have been walking around in poodle skirts and cute little 50s outfits, but you know,
And roller skates, I mean, might be a little bit of a risk, but yes. But yeah, we just wanted to make it fun. know we were, the cool thing about our outfits was our jackets that we had on those bomber jackets, which were just such an eye catcher and a great way for people to find us. But yeah, we.
We just wanted to show that like, you know, we are here for business. Sure, yes. But we also know how to have a good time and you know, the serving of the donuts and the root beer floats and the push pops and the cake to celebrate our birthday. I mean, all of that was stuff that we did for the first time this year. It really was truly something that we had never done before. And it was a huge success. And we couldn't have been more proud of our team that helped put that together.
got it out there for us and set it up for us. And then we were able to just come in and execute. yeah, I mean, and people were talking about it. It's so cool to be able to have your competitors and you know, the people from Gypsy Nurse and then nurses themselves just coming up and being like, my God, you guys have the best booth.
Yeah, I said it. yeah, mean, that's just like, you know, all of our hard work just really showed up that past weekend. And yeah, it was awesome. And it was fun. And we can't wait to do it again next year.
Speaker 2 (21:49.976)
Yeah, I'm still like, can't believe that I didn't know the 24 seven tie in like, how did I like I'm like, wait, that's brilliant. I did. It all makes sense and the bright colors and everything. It just it was so fun and it lit up. It lit up the room and everyone talked about it. And another thing where you said about the passport is there was like that big.
It all makes sense now.
Speaker 1 (22:12.471)
Uh-huh.
phone, you know, with the passport app that was actually interactive that you could like play around on it. So that was like really cool too to actually see that like for nurses that maybe are like, yeah, whatever it's an app and just highlight the benefits of what that is, which I thought was really cool.
Totally, yeah. And that was a design concept that we had from last year. So that was in our booth last year, even though our booth looked much different last year. But it was a great way to really promote the app and be able to show them, this is everything that you have right at your fingertips if you download this. So then we had QR codes where they could download it live and in person. We could show them how to set it up, how to search for jobs.
All everything was on there. So yeah, having that is key because, you know, as we're talking to people, again, it's like, we're not assuming everyone has the app downloaded, but you know, if we're mentioning it and we're talking about it, we can show them right there if they don't have it. And that's really awesome. And we've gotten a lot of comments about the app and, you know, just all the, this is great. This is so user friendly.
I'm so glad you guys have this. It makes everything so much easier. So yeah, I mean, we want it to have that exposure and people to see what it's all about. And then the idea is that they download it and they use it. And it really is a one-stop shop for everything you need to work with us.
Speaker 2 (23:32.076)
Yeah, and I think, you know, as you were saying that just even other parts of the AMN team that were there beyond the recruitment side, that was really interesting to me because it was nice for me because I got to network a little bit more. But also, if there were specific questions about, you know, the passport app or anything else that there were questions, there were people there to answer that. So I thought that was a really good opportunity for travel nurses to learn more about the company in general as well, just beyond what the like
what recruit like that is it's more than just the recruiters.
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, because I mean, at end of the day, we know everyone's going to have questions outside of just recruitment. We want to make sure we've got the floor covered in terms of, know, who is our go-to for marketing, who is our go-to for maybe clinician experience questions or responses or things that they want to share. So we just want to make sure all that information and that feedback gets in the right hands.
Yeah. So it really benefits both sides. know, like a lot of, you know, what, like why Ammon goes and why as a nurse you should go. Like there's so, there's just so much that each side gets. It's not just like, okay, let's set up a booth and see what happens. There really is that meaning about growth of, and changes that the travel industry is seeing.
Yeah. And we just hope everyone walks away from the event not only having a good time, but really being able to take back this core memory or this experience that they can then go and share with others that will drive them to come to the conference, that will drive them to want to talk to us, maybe they want to refer a friend to their recruiter if they're on assignment with us. So yeah, mean, there's so many opportunities for everyone. And it is such a great way to just
Speaker 1 (25:19.47)
be a part of that, to get exposed to that and to just take what you can from it and just go open-minded, have a good time, collect all your swag and... Yeah. Collect it all and take it back with you and enjoy it. But yeah, it truly is a great experience and we just want to make sure that we provide that every year. So, who else do the teams that share?
That was so much fun.
Speaker 2 (25:45.43)
Yeah, I think I wanted to kind of wrap this up with saying like the top, like top three takeaways maybe from both of us. before I know that one of mine is something that maybe might be yours. So in case it is, we can talk about it a little bit more before we wrap up. I know this year, Ammon had a contest that we gave away. We, I always include myself in the we, but y'all gave away like some tickets to TrapCon. Yeah. Yeah. And one of the
I was only able to meet one of them. know that the other ones to stop by as well, but the one that we met, it just was so amazing to hear the gratitude and the gratefulness and the story with that. I'm like, I just, feel like that's something that needs to be highlighted. And I am going to hound her until she comes on this podcast because I've never met such a inspiring person in my life. And I'm just so.
I'm so grateful that she was one of the winners of the ticket, because it was such an amazing experience.
Yeah, yeah. So the incentive was a social media incentive where the clinicians had the opportunity to submit a video to us. And during a certain timeframe, we would pick random winners. And so we did have three winners who all won a free ticket to TrapCon. And then they had to come find us at the booth and do a little interview for our marketing team. But they were all more than happy to do that and had nothing but great things to say about their recruiters.
the recruiter or I'm sorry, the clinician that you're referring to her name was Bay. So shout out Bay. I better see you on a future podcast. But yeah, she just was so I mean, that moment right there and hearing her story and hearing her why and just her gratitude for the company and her recruiter was like a big reason why we do what we do because
Speaker 1 (27:43.094)
We are making an impact on her life. She is making an impact on her clinicians lives. Anyone that she comes in contact with, she's just so passionate about what she does. But on the flip side, being so grateful for the opportunities that have been given to her that it is just so heartwarming. And I know she was there for such a long time at like the busiest time of the day, but it was great to interact with her, to read the card that she had handmade and presented to us for us to be able to take back.
was really cool. we actually ran into her after the keynote speaker on Tuesday, and she just thanked us again and was so grateful. And yeah, I mean, it makes me a little emotional, gives me chills, all the things, but yeah, I mean, that is really why we do what we do. And that's just it. You can't get more wholesome than that. And it is so inspiring and motivational and really just drives me. And I know I can speak on behalf of her recruiter and others. Like that is why we do what we do.
as we're making those differences and making those connections.
Yeah, and she even came up like the next day on Tuesday and was like, and thank you and just hugged me and I'm like, you're welcome. I didn't do anything, but you're welcome. Like she just was, couldn't, I know it just was like so, so empowering and just really remind, and I needed to hear that because I was losing some faith in, you know, just why I feel some nurses don't, you know, why we're doing what we're doing and we're losing sight of that. And it was just such a good, positive thing.
firm believer in all things happen for a reason. And that really gave me that, you know, faith back that, you know, at the end of the day, we're nurses and we all are here because we love it and because we want to take care of others. And just like she just like kept hugging me and it was like the sweetest thing. she better listen to this and know that I'm going to find her and I'm going to make her come on here.
Speaker 1 (29:38.03)
you will get her on there. Yeah, no, it's it's so inspiring. And yeah, it's just it's memories like that, that you really take with you and what makes it and, you know, tying it back to like some of the speaking panels that we did, I spoke on nursing beyond borders, which was about medical mission trips. And I just come back from a two week trip to Guatemala. And so just being able to go and speak there and share my experience about that, you know, and then having people come up to me afterwards of like, my gosh, you inspired me.
to go out and do this, that was amazing. Like, can you send me more information? How can I in contact with you? So yeah, it's just things like that. Like you're being inspired by another nurse and you know, we're all inspiring or being inspired by someone that we've interacted with. And that is really just what brings it full circle. And it's such a cool feeling to bring back home with you and just gives you kind of that new lens to kind of see things from a different perspective. And we need that every now and then, because we do.
We do this every day, so we need a little bit of perspective and a little bit of a mindset shift.
So yeah, and you know, I would love to dive more into the the medical mission trips like that is such an amazing thing. And I personally want to learn more about that. So we'll have to maybe circle back and and talk about that a little bit more because you have been actively involved in that. And I'd I'd love that. So you got to make that happen. But is there is mean, I feel like we covered so much, you know, and I always like to end things on, you know, I said, top three. But if if there's only two, that's fine, too. But like what what are your biggest takeaways and then I'll give mine.
Speaker 1 (31:12.878)
gosh, biggest takeaways, think from like our perspective is just that there's so many nurses out there that don't know what opportunities are out there for them. And so I said it before and I'll say it again, like get yourself out of your comfort zone.
go to a Travelers Conference or TrapCon or some other conference that's closer to you. We know, understand not everyone can make it out to Vegas. They can't get the time off. It's all good. But yeah, get yourself out there. Go to these networking things and just meet your peers that are out there. You're all doing incredible things. But if you have the opportunity, just do it. Keep an open mind. Just book the flight, book the hotel, the ticket.
go and do it. I promise you, you will not have a bad time. I think for the clinicians, yeah, just have a good time. And then, you know, for myself, my biggest takeaway is just, you know, every year this gets better and better. Every year I have some experience that just makes it so worth it and so fulfilling. So I'm going to continue to do what I do and I hope to see you guys there next year. And yeah, there's
probably so much more I could say about takeaways, but yeah, it's overall such a great time and such a great experience. So I say just get out of your comfort zone. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. So it's worth it.
And I think like my biggest like highlights from it, because this was like my first time is, you know, just meeting the other travelers and those conversations that happen. Like you learn so much and hearing like the stories, you know, it just makes me it pushes me to be like, OK, like it reminds me this is why I'm doing it. There are bad times, but they're good. They're even more good times than bad. So just it was very, very motivating for me.
Speaker 2 (33:14.282)
And another thing is it's a fun conference, but there's so much that you can take away from that on a professional level. I remember walking through being like, why didn't I sign up to renew my pals? Why didn't I do that? It's like those opportunities. why? Why didn't I do it? So just taking advantage of those other opportunities outside of the conference, but there's so much that you can take away from it professionally. And then at the end of it,
go have fun at the after parties. So it's like, it really is like a great time to just have, know, be rewarded for the hard work that maybe you put in during that day. So, yes. I think those are my biggest takeaways.
Speaker 2 (34:44.266)
Exactly. Well, thank you so much for coming on here. I'm so glad I got to spend Travcon with you and everyone else on the team. But yeah, I just was this was great. And I hope I hope it inspires more nurses to come and even be even bigger and better every.
Speaker 2 (35:23.042)
Thank you for tuning in to Nursing Uncharted. You can learn more about this episode and our show on our website at amnhelthcare.com. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend and subscribe to our show on your favorite podcast platform. You can also find show dates and nursing opportunities on our Instagram at amnnurse. Special thanks to AMN Health Care for making this show possible.
