January-April, 2023.

I’ve been working as a travel nurse for a few years now. As a travel nurse, I work at hospitals that need help for a short period of time. Most contracts are 13 weeks long. Seattle Children’s had been on my list of hospitals to work at for awhile, so when they had a well-paying job listing, I jumped on it. Plus, as it is a large hospital, they split PICU into general Pediatric Intensive Care (PICU) and Cardiac Intensive Care (CICU). CICU is my preference.

Work went well, and I enjoyed exploring Seattle and its surroundings. The winter was much milder than I remember growing up in Portland, Oregon. I loved being on the water. I also managed a few short weekend trips. First to the “German” village of Leavenworth to enjoy the Christmas lights and take a few snowshoe hikes. Then, to the Olympic Peninsula where I got to visit with my cousin, hike, and experience the many unique biomes there.

Of course, just as the weather got even nicer, it was time for me to leave. The hospital cut the travel nurse pay so even though I was enjoying myself it was time to move on. Next stop: Montana!

Thank you to my lovely family for hosting me while I was in Seattle! I was only there for 3 months but I felt like I embraced the PNW lifestyle. See you again someday!