The Atlas Life #40 - Sylvia Herbert, Traveling Med/Surg Tele PCU Nurse

Kristen Begeman: Well, she fits right in. I mean we're in Vegas, and you would think that she was just one of us-

Rich Smith: Just one of us.

Kristen Begeman: Yeah. And then we're at lunch today and it's just like, I think you were the only nurse there at lunch.

Sylvia Hebert: I don't know because I didn't really know anybody except a few other recruiters I've seen before.

Kristen Begeman: Yeah, she fit right in.

Rich Smith: Right in.

Kristen Begeman: That's Sylvia. There she is. We love her.

Sylvia Hebert: Sylvia Hebert. I work Med Surg/Tele/PCU. Float pool. I've been a nurse 18-and-a-half years.

Rich Smith: How long have you been traveling?

Sylvia Hebert: Most recently, five. Since 2013. But I traveled way back in '01 and '02 when it was a different world.

Kristen Begeman: Sylvia and I actually met through another recruiter, another Atlas recruiter who kind of just connected us. And from the very first conversation, it was-

Sylvia Hebert: Wonderful.

Kristen Begeman: Meant to be.

Sylvia Hebert: Absolutely.

Kristen Begeman: It was meant to be.

Sylvia Hebert: Perfect, perfect match.

Kristen Begeman: She's almost done with her first contract with Atlas, well with me. And then we already have her signed to go to California in January. So we actually signed two contracts in the same day.

Sylvia Hebert: In one day. I traveled way back when. It was lots of fun, and I stopped because I had a young child. Then I decided to try it again because I found myself working or babysitting. So traveling let her grow up and let me see the world.

Sylvia Hebert: From a traveler's perspective, I would say I felt like it was way more lucrative. You did four-week contracts. You were completely finished with a contract or almost finished before you even realized you didn't like where you were. So when I started again and they said you have to do 13-week contracts, it kind of freaked me out because I'm like, "Oh Lord, that's over three months. What if I don't like it?" But you get used to it.

Sylvia Hebert: The places that we go, the people that we meet, the way this part of the country does certain things. I mean, nursing is nursing no matter where you are. Policies and the way different facilities do things are different. Currently I'm in Lincoln, Nebraska, and so far everyone is super, super, super, really, really nice. I would come back to Nebraska. I've thoroughly enjoyed it. Otherwise I would have never come to Nebraska on vacation. I mean it's not a vacation destination, but I have thoroughly enjoyed being here.

Sylvia Hebert: Learning a new facility is always stressful. So I say the first three weeks of our contract are kind of scary and then you just fit in, you figure it out, and you get through it.

Kristen Begeman: Sylvia is super laid back, and she's just super fun. Whenever we talk or text, we're giggling. I mean we just get along so well, and she's just funny. And our sense of humor is very similar. And I love the fact that she can take whatever happens every day and make it great. And that just kind of goes with travel nursing. But we've just had a really great relationship and a really great time getting to know each other.

Sylvia Hebert: I mean, we've discussed a couple of things. I'm like, "Hey, I do want to go to Hawaii. And I want to go to Alaska." And I just told her I want to go to Montana, but I don't really know where I exactly want to go yet. So I think I'm going to be with Kristen for quite a while. And I've traveled for five years, and I've used multiple companies, even multiple recruiters within the same company, but I'm really, really happy where I'm at.

Kristen Begeman: Me too.