Most of us are wired for empathy to one degree or another. It can be a crushing feeling to see a loved one in a serious medical emergency and have no way to help them. Two life-and-death situations like that played a big part in Scott Carpenter’s decision to go for a career in nursing.
“Watching someone steadily going downhill and not knowing why was frustrating,” Scott recalls. “I felt helpless being in the ER and being unable to help when things went wrong. Looking back after my nursing training, I understand what was happening to them. I wish I had known then what I know now.”
As a telemetry nurse, Scott is relatively new – about two years into his medical career. He caught the travel nursing bug from a friend who had a great relationship with her recruiter. “I was referred [to travel nursing] by my friend Jade, who worked on the same cardiac floor with me,” Scott recalls. He was at a point in his life where he wanted to have a more stable career path, and he was inspired by the idea of helping others.
Why travel nursing
Why did Scott choose travel nursing in particular? “I’m single, 35, and it’s a great way to take care of myself and my family,” Scott said. “I basically doubled my salary by moving into travel nursing, and getting paid to see the country is a great bonus.”
But it isn’t just about the money for Scott.
“There are some nurses who just do it for the paycheck,” he said. “I try to see the patient as a whole person. They need my help, and I’m going to give it to them. I don’t care if they turn on their call light 500 times.”
Scott quickly became known for his smile and his drive to create a positive healing experience for his patients. “I’ve had so many patients send in cards and mention my smile,” he said. “That’s important. They need their day brightened. I’ll go to the dollar store and spend a dollar for a teddy bear for a patient, and they’ll act as if I’d just given them a million dollar gift.” Bringing this kind of cheer to his patients and coworkers every day played a big part in Scott’s Daisy Award® nomination.
“It was my last day at work at my old job,” he explains. “It was a stressful day. I had to call code blue on a patient, but we brought her back. Just after that experience, they called everyone up front and announced the Daisy Award, with a big banner and gifts.” It turns out that his department head’s husband had actually been a patient on Scott’s floor, and she was the one who nominated Scott for the award. She was moved by the extraordinary care Scott provided during her husband’s final days.
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The Daisy Award
The Daisy Award is a worldwide honor, recognizing nurses who go above and beyond for patients and their families. The Daisy Award Foundation was formed in 1999 as a memorial to J. Patrick Barnes, by family members who wanted to recognize the skillful and compassionate care he received from nurses during his eight-week hospitalization. Today, over 2,600 healthcare facilities in all 50 states and 15 countries participate in this non-profit outreach to provide ongoing recognition to nursing professionals.
Lisley Elmore, Scott’s RNnetwork recruiter says that it’s a delight to work with Scott. “Clients and patients all love Scott’s steady cheer and humor. His nurse manager says she wishes they could clone him, and he’s going to succeed in a big way wherever we place him.”
Scott says, “Lisley is amazing. My friend Jade told me I was going to love her, and she was right – she’s one of those people who you can tell is all for you. I was a little nervous about traveling at first, but Lisley took care of everything and made the transition very easy.”
Telemetry jobs close to home
For his first RNnetwork assignment, Scott wanted to be near family in West Virginia, so Lisley found him a telemetry job that’s only 30-40 minutes away from his relatives. Scott says, “I’d really like to stay here for one more rotation, then head South, or maybe out to Dallas to work near friends. My main goal is not to drive in snow. I’m excited for the future. RNN is a great company and I look forward to taking assignments all over the country.”
We’re proud to have a Daisy Award winner like Scott Carpenter as one of our star RNnetwork travelers. The kind of skill and compassion that the Daisy Award Foundation honors is something we see every day in our community of travel nurses, and it’s the reason we do what we do. Could the travel nursing life be for you? Contact one of our recruiters today and find out.