Out of touch?

By Rich Smith, 09-26-2018

During an online conversation last week, I was told I was "out of touch" with travel nursing. That the industry has passed me by. That we focus too much of our time and resources on cat pictures and silly food videos, and not enough time finding jobs for our nurses. (It would be easy to argue our ranking as the fastest growing staffing company in the country says differently, but I want to explore an alternate perspective here.)

I would argue we don't spend enough time on cats and silly food videos. Our weeks are dominated by submittals, placements, compliance, first day instructions, etc. Our travelers spend their weeks looking for that next contract, doing the phone interviews, doing compliance documentation, traveling to their assignment, finding housing, etc. Talking about the fun side of our industry is a release, on both sides. It's not out of touch, it's the reality of the world we live in today.

I'm not trying to justify anything here, I'm perfectly comfortable with what we post, how we post, and where we post. If anything, I think we should be doing more! The reality is we see more interaction and participation in the fun videos. Atlas has always believed in a "work hard play hard" mentality. You can see it in everything we do. Work is work, even if you love what you do. How you fill your time outside of work makes all the difference though. Travel nursing gives you the unique opportunity to explore the country. There are so many amazing things out there, why not talk about them? Let's celebrate the greatness that is our industry.

So, am I out of touch? I don't think so. There are so many great stories out there, and I want to tell them all. Every great food experience. Every great day trip. Every adventure that you wouldn't have had just working a regular perm job. Let's talk about our faithful furry companions that live their lives with us. Let's talk about our WHY, maybe it will inspire others to get out there and explore too. Let's celebrate each other's accomplishments, and pick each other up when we fail.