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When you work with RNnetwork, you get more than just a recruiter to help you find your next travel nurse job; we care about you as a person and will do everything we can to make your experience the best it can possibly be. This means we get to know you — your likes, dislikes, and what makes you tick. In fact, in some cases our travel nurses and their recruiters get to know each other so well they become best friends. That’s exactly what happened with two RNnetwork travel nurses and their recruiters.
“We just clicked”
Rachel Southworth, a provider services manager for RNnetwork, instantly knew that she had found a long-time friend in nurse Sarah Russell. “She’s the best ever,” shares Rachel. “I totally fell in love in the first conversation.”
The two met six years ago through another travel nurse that Rachel was helping. Sarah hadn’t worked a travel assignment before, but Rachel found her an assignment in Fort Lauderdale and helped her ease into the travel nurse lifestyle. “Rachel definitely made the transition a lot easier for me,” explains Sarah. “We talked on the phone for six months before my first travel assignment. That trust built in her made a big difference.”
As Rachel was also living in Fort Lauderdale, she arranged to meet up with Sarah and show her around town. The two met at a local restaurant for what Rachel fondly calls their “first girl date,” and the rest was history. “We just hit it off and became really good friends,” says Sarah. “We have similar personalities and a sense of humor, and we just clicked.”
Rachel completely agrees. “Have you ever made friends with a chick and you think, ‘I love you, you’re my bestie’?” she asks. “We’re each other’s voice of reason. We’re super supportive of each other.”
Travel buddies
When Sarah continued to travel to other states on assignments, the friends still found time to hang out. The “girl dates” continued, including a spring training game to cheer for the Cardinals and a trip to New Orleans. “There’s not much to it other than we’re super compatible friends,” says Rachel. “She’s just always been my travel buddy. We just like to do the same things, so our friendship is not that difficult.”
Out of all their adventures, Rachel’s favorite trip was to Sarah’s hometown of St. Louis. “We’re in the city one day and then out on the farm horseback riding and hanging out and grilling steaks and relaxing,” shares Rachel. “I’d heard so much about it for years and years, and to finally meet everybody face-to-face was probably my favorite trip with her. We’ve had a lot of fun trips together, don’t get me wrong, but it’s the most special to me.”
Sarah was also able to visit Rachel’s hometown in Maine when she went to support Rachel on her wedding day. “I spent two weeks in Maine for her wedding,” shares Sarah. “Just being able to be there with her for that and meet her entire family in a location that I absolutely adore was really awesome.”
Sarah has since taken up a permanent nursing position, but the friends are as close as ever. “I really can’t say enough good things about her. She’s an amazing nurse,” shares Rachel. “Working with her was awesome, but not only that, her friendship is even better.”
Dynamic duo
When you think of a dynamic duo, Lisley Rossi and Kaye Estampador come to mind. Lisley, a RNnetwork recruiter, connected with travel nurse Kaye in 2015. They instantly connected through their heritage. “It just happens that Kaye is also Filipino, and we speak the same dialect,” explains Lisley. “And we’re both in Florida, so we’re a little bit closer to really connect in person.”
Lisley and Kaye’s shared background has allowed them to work together to serve children in the Philippines. “My coworkers love my eggrolls, so I make eggrolls and raise money so that I can feed and give school supplies or a Christmas gift for children back home,” shares Lisley. “Kaye actually just went to her village. She has a friend that was teaching at this very remote school and they don’t have much. She went and spent time with them, and she brought books and fed those kids. They were so happy. Those are the things that really touch my heart.”
This is just one example of how the two friends support each other in their efforts to serve. It’s not uncommon for Kaye to call Lisley after a tough day of helping patients. “She just has a very good heart,” says Lisley. “She means so well in every single thing that she does, especially with taking care of patients. We both believe that this world isn’t very easy, it can be a little bit messy and chaotic, but a little bit of kindness goes a long way.”
Adventuring together
While the two have a passion for service, they also enjoy finding time to go on adventures together, including a trip to Universal Studios. “When we went to Universal it was very spontaneous,” shares Lisley. “She was showing me everything and it was just so good to know her even more. We just connect.”
Although the friends enjoyed the destination, and Lisley adds, “of course the food,” this trip allowed Lisley and Kaye to focus on their friendship instead of work. “We were just enjoying so much, and we didn’t even think about work,” says Lisley. “We weren’t talking about being a recruiter and the travel nurse relationship that we have. We just went there as two individual friends and we just had a good time.”
These trips have become a staple for Lisley and Kaye’s friendship, but they don’t keep others out of the fun. The two friends are always inviting others along for their trips. They are currently planning more of culinary vacation with other travel nurses to primarily enjoy good food. “We love to eat Korean food,” says Lisley. “So we are thinking we might meet up along with a few other travelers.”
Wherever their adventures take them, there’s no doubt that RNnetwork’s BFFs have friendships worth celebrating.
RELATED: Why you should choose a recruiter that always has your back
Make a new friend at RNnetwork and explore travel nursing at the same time! Give us a call at 800.866.0407 or view today’s travel nursing jobs.
