Have Attitude! Will Travel!

I confess! I was a traveling nurse in 1982 when I took my fourth assignment in Abilene, Tx. Why Abilene? That is a good question. My best recollection is that this was the closest assignment I could get to where my best friend from college was living.

Claire and I had graduated from Nursing school together and we had taken our first travel contract together in Baytown Texas. During that assignment she met the man she would later marry. She stayed in Texas as I travelled on to California and Florida before returning to Texas where I could be close enough to help

plan the upcoming wedding.

Abilene was as close to Waco as I could get at that point so Abilene it was.

The VP of nursing at the hospital I was contracted with had called me after my interview and asked if I would work in their new "Trauma Center".

I was candid. I told her I had no experience in that area, but I would love to learn.

She admitted that experience would be helpful but she was really looking for someone with a good attitude.

"You just want attitude?" I asked. "I am your girl . I have an abundance of attitude".

She further explained that it was specifically a positive attitude that they were looking for and I again assured her I was all over it . I would love the opportunity to train in the ER.

I should remind you that this was early in 1982 . Things were different then and Traveling Nurses were a brand new thing. I worked for Trav Corps out of Maldin Ma.

When I arrived at the Abilene Airport I was met by the Nurse Manager over OB who was a tall thin woman with short cropped black hair. She wore cowboy boots and wranglers. Both were well worn indicating she a real cowgirl.

She recognized me as her appointed traveler since my luggage consisted of a footlocker trunk that held everything I needed for 3 months. That was also nearly everything I owned.

The few others who had flown in on the twin engine plane were carting far less luggage. One of the other passengers, a man in his late thirties, had been sitting next to me during the flight and even offered to buy me a drink. I had declined since the flight was so short.

Betty introduced herself to me and said ahe would be " Taking me to the House."

I wasnt sure what she meant by that as I had been told our housing was in a dormitory right next to the hospital.

When I saw Betty pick up my footlocker trunk, that had to weigh over 100 pounds, and throw it over her shoulder like a bale of hay, I decided there would be no argument from me about the housing. I was going wherever she told me to.

She threw the trunk into the bed of her pickup, and away we went. She stopped at the hospital and pointed out my new diggs. A three story building sat directly across the parking lot from the hospital. Clearly a dormitory. It seemed nice enough.

I asked Betty what the rules were as far as the living quarters.

She replied"Just be courteous to one another and remember that some are working night shifts so keep the noise to a minimum."

Those were rules I could handle!

This was the beginning of what ended up being my last travel contract. I started work in the Trauma Center the next day. My preceptor was a seasoned nurse with an abrupt nature.

My orientation consisted of "This here's the ER. Let me know if you need somthin"

Skeeter, was her name and working in the ER was definitely her game. She was about 5 foot 9 with straght brown hair that hung loose about shoulder length. Her face was scarred by something and the hair around her face was an obvious attempt to hide the scars. As I continued to look her over the next thing I noticed was her enormous feet. She had to wear at least an 11, maybe even a 12. I followed her that first day like a puppy who was afraid of being dropped off at the pound.

Made it through the first day with only a couple surprises. The first was that the man who had offered to buy me a drink on the plane was the CFO of the hospital. Sneaky Pete I called him for trying to get information out of me by plying me with alcohol on a plane.

The second surprise was that once I kind of got used to Skeeter's feet I felt pretty good about the assignment I was beginning.