Daily Archives: January 17, 2014

01.17.14
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Travel Nursing with a Baby

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Baby on board! Yes, you can take on travel nursing assignments with a baby.

Baby on board! Yes, you can take on travel nursing assignments with a baby.

Many people ask the question, “Is it possible to travel with a baby?” Yes. Almost anything is possible if you put your mind to it. The real question is, “Will I enjoy traveling with a baby?” My hope is that by listing some of the challenges my wife, Stasha, and I have faced, you’ll have a better idea of how to answer that question for yourself.

Before I get into these challenges, I want to start by saying what any parent would say after having their first child: It has been an amazing experience that we wouldn’t change for anything in the world. Having said that, traveling would be a lot easier without Carter, our nine-month-old son.

Challenges of Travel Nursing with a Baby

Upgrading our cargo capacity

My wife and I had become very efficient when it came to packing our vehicle with everything we needed. Our little Ford Escape had a rooftop bag and a rear cargo carrier, and both were packed full of our belongings. The interior was packed so full we barely had enough room for our two small dogs.

After our son was born, we quickly realized an upgrade was needed. We traded our Escape in for a Chevy Traverse, increasing our interior space significantly. But that wasn’t enough. We eventually had to buy a 6 x 10 enclosed trailer. Think about all of the toys, bassinet, crib, baby clothes, high chair, stroller … the list just goes on and on. We didn’t have much of a choice but to buy the trailer.

Upgrading our apartment size

Our upgrades didn’t end with a new vehicle and trailer. Our first apartment with Carter was a single bedroom and it quickly became too small. Our next assignment we paid the extra $300/month for a furnished two-bedroom apartment.

Even with two bedrooms it is still challenging with all of the toys and our dedicated computer desk for my work. Our plan going forward is to leave the second bedroom unfurnished, trading the extra bed for more space for toys and other items.

Downsizing our Adventures

While Stasha and I still enjoy adventures on each assignment, they are definitely not the same adventures as we had before. Mountain biking trips and remote hikes have been replaced by walks with the stroller and trips to the park. Without family or friends to help watch Carter, we really have no choice but to include him in all of our activities.

Being Away from Family

This is a hard one. Your first baby is exciting not only for you and your significant other, but also for your entire family. Stasha and I have tried to work our way back home so that our family can spend at least one assignment near our son and vice versa but it hasn’t worked out so well. To make matters worse, Carter’s first Christmas was 3,000 miles away from our family.

Sometimes that’s the way the chips fall and you have to be prepared for that. You can say you’ll stay close to family but sometimes assignments take you wherever the wind blows. You also have to ask yourself if it even makes sense to travel if you’re only going to look for assignments near family.

How long can you travel with a baby?

The challenges above only skim the surface of what to think about when traveling with a baby. It’s hard to imagine what it will truly be like until you’re living it. Think about all of the activities you do with your baby throughout the day and try to imagine how traveling might affect them. Ever try walking two dogs while pushing a stroller? How about driving 36 hours across the country and having to deal with diapers, bottles, a cranky baby and two antsy dogs?

Stasha and I are willing do all of this because we LOVE travel nursing. It is the best decision we’ve made in our 10 years of marriage. The only question for us is how long we’ll be able to continue traveling with Carter. Sometimes a house with a fenced-in yard near family can sound very appealing. But then we get to our next assignment and experience that wonderful feeling of being in a strange, new place and all it has to offer. How long will we travel with Carter? I guess only time will tell.

Are you currently traveling with a baby or considering it but have questions? Please feel free to comment with your experiences or questions below.

 

01.17.14
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No Toxic Tar Sands in LA So-Bay

Nurses & residents get commitment for full investigation into dangers & public meetings before tar sands can be processed by Valero Oil

January 9, 2014 – San Pedro. CNA RNs from 5 LA Southbay hospitals closest to the major oil refineries attended a special meeting arranged for CNA and neigborhood groups who oppose “tar sands” crude being processed in Wilmington’s Valero refinery.

Tar Sands crude is a thick, dirty crude high in sulphur and much more toxic than regular crude. It has been condemned by leading environmental scientists as ‘extremely dangerous’ and the ‘beginning of the end’ where pollution will tip global warming until the point of no return.

Valero applied to process 60,000 barrels per day brought in by railroad into Wilmington in May 2013. The SoCal Air Quality Management District (AQMD) at first quickly processed the application despite concerns raised by environmental groups and did not investigate the dangers as they stated they would on May 3, 2013.

However, on Nov. 1, 2013, CNA RNs from major SoBay hospitals and together with Communities for a Better Environment, Climate Change.350 and the Sierra Club, demanded that the AQMD not process the application until a full investigation and many public meetings were held to disclose the results. In the meantime, Valero’s embarassing oil tank-car derailment at it’s Benicia, CA refinery and the conclusions of investigations into the Chevron Richmond explosion disaster (sulphur corroded pipes caused the explosion) which sent 15,000 patients into local hospitals, have slowed down Valero’s big rush to push through tar sands.

The AQMD and Councilman Joe Buscaino committed to “keep in touch” with CNA and friends regarding the investigations and agreed to hold public meetings when any substantive updates arise.

Although, nurses believed this meeting was a “definite” advance, there are other oil companies trying to bring in tar sands in different ways such as Phillips 66, so the temporary slowing down of one companys effort does not mean people can rest. Plans are being discussed to continue to hold off tar sands for our patients and our communities.

 

“Respiratory illneses are now the #1 diagnosis in my ICU. Now, it is year round and patients who are in their 40s and 50s are common, not just the elderly.”
– Lora Smith, RN
Little Company of Mary- San Pedro

 

• Double the national average- Asthma rates suffered by children in port-adjacent neighborhoods.
• 4,000 longtime residents around San Pedro Bay die prematurely each year from pollution related illnesses.
• 19% of Long Beach residents have no health insurance. Percentages increase greatly closer to the port.
• Between $4.7 & $5.9 billion over the next 20 yrs. Estimated cost of pollution related hospital visits in SoCal port communities.
(source: LB Press Telegram 11/03/09, “Children closest to harbor trade roadways suffer more respiratory issues, study says”)