Author: cfreed

We are eager to meet you, Nehemias. Can you tell us more about yourself?

First, you can call me Nem, short for Nehemias. I have been in healthcare for my entire adult life, from 1994 slowly building it up from being a Medical Assistant, EMT, Phlebotomist then by 2004, I was an RN. By the time I wore my nursing shoes I was somewhat familiar with the medical background. But there is nothing quite like being in it, caring for patients who are hidden behind numerous tubes.

There were more family members in my family in nursing than fingers I can count. Despite that, it was still a decision for me, no kidding, the greatest thumbs down being my fear of blood. Once I went for it, it was like I discovered a new part of Me – ness. Now, I am a travel nurse adventurist, plus a doctor in herbal medicine. The most amazing thing is that it’s my job that meets the things I love to do most – like travel and helping more people.

When did you develop an interest in holistic medicine and how do you balance it out with your Travel Nursing Career?

You can say that 2014 was the year of my life. I officially embarked on my first travel nurse adventure without officially planning it. Here is the story. I was mildly injured in a car accident more than ten years ago. After several weeks of rehab, I was formally said to have recovered. Human bodies, though, do not always take so well to this announcement. I was severely in pain. Soon, I was going from doctor to doctor, but the situation remained stagnant, like chronic pain was a friend to stay. After weeks of visiting many doctor’s offices, someone recommended me to try Chinese medicine. The herbs seemed to hold the magical touch that completed my heeling, to imbue the mind, body, and soul.

Seeing what it did to my life, I wanted to give back by practicing holistic medicine to help others. By then, I knew I owned the caregiving skills, giving me the confidence to go after it. On 2014, I sat in my driver’s seat, hand on the wheel to go shopping for a school of Holistic Medicine. My drive took me to Austin, where I enrolled in Texas Health and Science University, where I worked for my Master of Science in Acupuncture. Simultaneously, I applied for my very first travel assignment in the State of Texas. We immediately clicked, the Travel Nurse Lifestyle and me.

I have since travelled to California, New Mexico, New Jersey and Delaware, gaining more than a thousand new contacts throughout those travels. There is no way to get burnt out, because really, every day is another day. In addition to the breathtaking sceneries you get to visit, you adapt to new settings, protocols, software and other slight differences which helps you expand your nursing skillsets. Travel nursing also gives me a great excuse to make road trips, something I absolutely love doing. My car made the way cross country several times from New York to California and the other way too, then to other states as well. More than a 500 contacts I have are from doctors, colleagues, and friends I made on my many travels!

With my parents aging in New York, I try to spend more time with them, working contracts in the Big Red Apple. Notwithstanding, I do not want my nursing to get stagnant, so I try to tap into more specialties, facilities, and locations. No Monotony for nurses!

To maintain a work plus work plus homelife balance, I keep my strong interest to expand on Holistic Medicine at Bay. Currently, I would only schedule two – three house calls a week, placing a priority on my travel nursing.

What are your future career goals?

Holistic Medicine is intriguing to me, to see the difference not only in physical health, but mental health as well. I would like to further my practice to help more clients with anxiety, to help them early on, before it takes over their life.

In terms of nursing, it is the pediatrics pulling my heart strings; seeing the kids feel better is uplifting. It is nice to deal with families who are open to working with you as a team to bring the utmost improvement for their children. 90% of pediatric patients will have very attentive and caring parents at their side. On the contrary, more than 50% of adult patients, I find, are brought to the hospital all by themselves. They are so lonely. The decision making is on us, kind strangers, which is sad. Especially in the ICU when patients are intubated and sedated, no one advocating for them other than us – nurses.

What do you love about White Glove Placement?

Within days after first applying to White Glove back in 2018, I was placed in a very prestigious facility I never dreamed I will get into! I tried getting into that facility with other agencies several times before, but somehow it always fizzled out before the offer was real. I am spellbound at the countless opportunities White Glove Placement offers. Cheers to an amazing team!

Any message you would like to impart to more White Glove Nurses?

Get out of your comfort zone. There is a world to see, to learn. I am fifty years old, but I feel young and sharp as ever because as long as I keep moving, to try something new it keeps my mind working. It makes you grow; it enhances your brain. In the beginning it can stress you out, but it is uplifting once you are in it.

White Glove Placement earned the NATHO Seal of the National Association of Travel Healthcare Organizations! We are proud of this accomplishment, highlighting the nurse – first approach that’s in the lead of company decision and protocol. It is a White Glove uncompromising mission to be a base of comfort, security and support for travel nurses who are constantly adapting to new places. Amongst all the new aspects travel nurses navigate, we are humbled to be what travelers call their home away from home.

What Is NATHO?

NATHO is a non-profit association of travel healthcare organizations, founded in 2008 to promote ethical business practices, offer educational opportunities, create a space for advocation, and set the gold standard for conduct in the travel healthcare industry.

The Importance of a Supportive Staffing Agency as a Travel Nurse

• The Travel Nursing jobs market is a lot more complex than any other. When you search for travel nursing jobs there will be too many offers to load 558,000,000 Google results in one second. To get the best there is out there, you need an adept staffing agency who is on the ball with the best available opportunity the market has got.
• Given the dynamic that hospitals seek travelers to fill the gaps when units are understaffed, the travel nursing market is ever changing. The grabber opportunities always know other hot locations. With an increased number of nurses attracted to the travel lifestyle, the well-paying offers in desired areas are highly in demand. Most jobs posted will be filled within 24 hours of its initial appearance. You need a fast-paced White Glove recruiter to ensure your profile is quick to be submitted so it will get VIP status upon being reviewed.
• The infamous onboarding saga – should be no saga at all. White Glove nurses find the onboarding White Glove to be smooth sailing. With concise clarity, your White Glove Placement specialist guides you through to wrap it all up so you can embark on another thirteen weeks of loving your job. They make sure that you know the little nuances to expect on your first shift, like the general culture in the place, the color of scrubs to wear or whatever under the sun you should know in order to fit in right.
• Being away from home means walking streets wearing unfamiliar street signs. The taste of the corner deli shop where you can rely for dinner, or the coffee shop with your favorite brewed caffeinated drink, or the neighborhood gym club to air out the days stress will be different than the one you are used to back home. While some may find the unknown to be an exhilarating adventure, it is normal if adapting to new places can be challenging for you. But whether you love those changes or not, clearly you need the predictability of a team standing right behind you. Your White Glove specialist is not just there for the logistics, to make the numbers add up. Our team is attentive to hear your concerns, help you if they can, and just be a good, old, and – oh – familiar friend who is always there for you.
• Who will advocate for you should anything go off track? We hate surprises as much as you do. Maybe more. Why, you arrived at your destination and your contract is cancelled, something on your placement is different than you rgsigned for, housing crisis. Let us not name every uncalled monstrosity which may veer you off track. That much is clear, you should not be handling it yourself.

 Ready to make the seamless dive into your next lucrative travel assignment?

Hop onto our job board to browse for our hottest destinations or connect with us now to plan your adventure.

Hi Vanessa! Can you tell us about yourself and what brought you to pursue your nursing career?

My sister and I grew up in Brooklyn with my mother, who was an immigrant from Columbia. When they came here it was just my grandmother, my mom and her only brother. The strong relationship we had with our uncle and his family residing in the same neighborhood was a prominent part of my youth. We were always the nurturing type, both myself and my only sister. Upon graduating from school, I worked in a daycare with more than ten little kids, each one with their unique and urgent requests. Though I was ill informed prior what playing with a bunch of toddlers was like, I ended up doing well there, lasting on the job longer than I imagined.

Life for my dear cousins turned tumultuous as my uncle was diagnosed with a malignant cancer that took over their life. It was a lost fight from the start. Our families being very close, both in heart and distance, I was there with him for many hours helping my cousins care for him. He truly felt a special spot for me. The role of caring for him brought out that caregiving personality stronger in me. Ultimately, it ignited me to take some courses to become a medical assistant and performed well at it. Yet, I lacked the confidence to go after nursing. Throughout my uncle’s journey, I was wowed by those caring hospice nurses who came in and gave a stranger their heart, mind, and excellent care. They were always determined to brighten up the room and throw in a word of kindness to keep us all going. Before his passing, my uncle called me over and made me promise I will become a nurse. I did. It was a commitment that echoed in my brain over the next few years, prompting me to take the dive for nursing.

And the rest as they say is history!

 When did you graduate from nursing school and how was your transition from school to the floor?

I was one of those COVID students. More than the idea of completing our learning online plus having the void of real clinicals, we were also thrown into a different reality immediately upon entering the floor. COVID graduates benefited from a lot more hospital opportunity than New Grads in the years preceding. I started out on a Tele floor with a huge nurse to patient ratio. It will sound funny, but I think it was the best thing. What others viewed as crazy, I thought was the normal. It helped me become a better nurse.   Once things were settling and the ratios moved down, I feel like the current ratios are so low, while the really seasoned nurses believe they are still pretty much above the average where they should have been. I also noted that nurses somehow became more united from COVID, we are very supportive of one another! Hands for nurses! Even during school, we were forming groups to study. With some friends I kept in touch with till today. As a nurse post – COVID, I also feel like I was born into an era when nurse appreciation is on the high front. All the time I will get comments from patients like “It’s so amazing what you are doing, and this is all after you handled COVID.” Then again, I was never a nurse before, yet I am told by the seasoned folks, that sometimes it used to feel as though we are doing them a favor by everything we do. It feels good to know that people are really recognizing what we did and are doing every day.

Did you find anything different than you expected?

The real challenge for me as a new nurse was that while studying the textbook everything is so cookie cutter clear. When A happens just do B. Real situations are so much more complex and multifaceted. Diagnosing is a bigger art.

What do you find as the most challenging factor on the job?

Convincing patients not to do anything against medical advice is my hardest encounter. How can you withstand someone going ahead and ruining their chances? It takes great people skills and a lot of explanations to help them come to the right decision. On the contrary, it is a difficult balance, to respectfully stay out of decisions they are facing. For instance, a surgery or procedure they are not certain about. As a nurse who forms a connection with my patient I will frequently be questioned. I know it is not in my place as a nurse to make a recommendation, so I tread cautiously to give comfort without giving inappropriate advice.

What do you like doing in your spare time to recharge from being nurse all day?

Being a full time mom to my precious one in a half year old little Noah is the best and most rewarding hobby. Love the caring and the kisses, it is what really propels  me further. I also enjoy swimming in the summer, or going out with my friends to art classes which is a pretty meditational.

How do you find being a nurse affecting other aspects of life?

Noah certainly knows his mom is a nurse! (Maybe even too much at times). Where another mom would say it is teething, I notice the little nuances others would not even stop at. Besides, I am the family nurse. When my mom visits the doctor, I am the one to receive her lab results she wants to verify. And any medical questions? It’s 1800 – Vanessa..

What do you love about working with White Glove Placement?

You are never alone. My recruiter or Placement Specialist will always reach out to hear how I am fairing, how she can help, and to reassure me with feedback that I am doing amazing. I know they will always advocate for me and that is very encouraging!

Any message you want to impart to more nurses?

It is our duty to help our patients keep a positive mindset. Times to many we can tell when patients go into a mode where they stop fighting, there body feels it and will react to it. Let us help them keep  hopeful and strong!

DEI Is About Hearing Your Voice

Linda Markowitz, Chief Executive officer at White Glove invites you to complete the Your Voice survey to hear your voice on the critical topics focusing on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion + Belonging in the workplace. The Your Voice survey is a three-question form to hear more about what you say. Click to complete the survey here or read on to hear the purpose behind the White Glove Your Voice surveys.

The White Glove Belief System as a DEI + Belonging Employer:

Our principal goal at White Glove is to create an atmosphere of acceptance, respect, and sense of belonging; the place you can call home. This is not a statement, but the priority value we live and work by. Inclusion is more profound than words being said. It is the tiny nuances flavoring the actions of equity in the workforce is what makes the difference.

We believe it is the power of our uniqueness and individuality which is paramount in bringing the talent in an organization to the next level. We strong because of it, not despite of it. The beauty in the White Glove Teams is our diverse backgrounds, cultures, religion, gender, and other outer or inner differences. That’s what makes us interesting. That’s what makes us special. That’s what makes us strong. And yep, that is what makes us White Glove.

 What is Diversity?

Diversity is our greatest strength.

Inclusiveness is about recognizing the level of talent every individual offer.

Vocalize your opinion because every opinion matters.

Encourage awareness on topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion in your workplace.

Respect everyone not despite who they are, but because of who they are.

Service clients with equate dignity no matter their disabilities, differences, or appearance.

Introduce your value system to more people.

Together we can make the difference and change the world.

Your Voice Surveys are here to help White Glove set our goals even further for 2023!

How Your Voice Surveys Helps Us Reach Our DEI+B Goals:

If you ask us, being an equal opportunity employer is only attained when leadership truly hears the individual voices within their organization. It is NOT about bold statements to the press or saying the things that sound right. It is about hearing directive of those beneficiary to the subtle differences so your actions can reflect appropriately. To enable us to set our DEI + belonging goals even further we ask you to participate in our Your Voice survey based on Diversity and Inclusion topics.

Your Voice Matters.

Take the Your Voice Survey now.

Lissyama Mathews Receives a Sincere Thank you Note from her Patient

It always feels great being recognized, especially as one of those miracle workers on your feet for 12 consecutive hours. Whether it is your agency, or your facility commending you, it proves that amidst the thankless job we do, with a heart full of warmth and compassion, there are those who admire the miles we go for another. Yet, it’s quite something else, when that thank you comes from a patient your cared for, and the cherry on top is when that thank you is dropped directly to your manager on the floor.

Lissyama Mathews, or Lissi as we call her, has carved her special place in our teams more than ten years ago, yet her passion has not dissipated one drop since we got to know her. Alternating between the Mother Baby floor, and L & D, she thrives on the happiness enveloping the start of life units.  When Lissi was told by her supervisor that a Thank You note was dropped on her behalf it made her smile.

The note read:

Dear Mrs. A.,

My name is. S. H.. This is my 5^th delivery in this hospital. I am writing to you to inform you on how wonderful your staff members have made my stay here. One nurse I really admire is Mrs. Matthew. The encouragement and patience that she has is incredible. It didn’t matter how many times; she always had a smile on her face and good spirits. I really appreciate people like her. She made my stay here amazing. Thank you for everything. Mrs. Mathew is one of the best nurses that I have seen in a ling time. I can tell this is not just a job for her, it is a passion. We need more people like her in the medical field. I give thanks for all the support that was given here.

Sincerely, S.H.

“It was not the first time I received a thank you note from my patients, yet each time I get emotional again knowing the difference I make in their lives.” She told Gracy, her White Glove Placement Specialist who goes back in time with Lissi, and even the unspoken is understood between them.

Gracy was thrilled to hear that Lissi’s patients acknowledge the depth of her caring. “Lissi is a prize for her patients. Her devotion and excellence are unreal. I was glad the facility she works at knows to value her genuine caring personality.”

Lissi loves working with White Glove because “It is where I finds unlimited opportunities, plus the people you work with work with you. They are just great and responsive, always.”

Originally, from India, Lissi is not only a seasoned nurse but the mom of three beautiful children who try emulating their special mom. Her oldest daughter, Christina is a Doctor in Chicago, and her son, Thomas is an Engineer. Her youngest daughter, Abbie – is a nurse like her mom.

In her free time – if she finds any, you’ll find her nurturing the flowers in her garden or spending time with the beautiful children she is proud of.

Become part of the White Glove Experience to enjoy an incomparable satisfaction with the highest rates and benefits.