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𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚕 𝙽𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝙽𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝙿𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚛 It’s hard to believe that my journey to becoming an advanced practice registered nurse is over. I am officially a licensed Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and I am now working! My journey as an APRN has only just begun. I believe that we all have that hunger within us. A need to do more, be more, and feel that we are fulfilling our destiny with the limited time we have here on earth. Too deep?!? Haha. As I have said in previous blogs, I never knew my journey would lead me to this moment in my nursing career and I'm telling the world about it. I was never a writer, but I love to share my thoughts, experiences, and advice about this crazy journey called, “Started from the bottom now I’m here”, LOL. It is hard to believe how far I've come: CNA, LPN, RN, and now APRN. I feel that the journey is far from over and that it is just beginning because I have found a new sense of determination. I now have the capability to do so much more and that is why I share my journey with you. To inspire, motivate, and tell you the things no one else will because some of you do not have the mentorship I did. I want to mentor whoever is willing to take their nursing career to the top. Excuses are not allowed here. I only accept pure determination to be the very best you can be and more. There will be setbacks, those are expected. You can not allow those setbacks to be your permanent excuse to stay behind when so many of us are pushing forward. DO know, you can be your best at the level in which you feel you are most fulfilled. That can be as a CNA, LPN, RN, APRN, or any job. The level of success I want you to feel is the internal sense that you are completely content with where you are in your journey. ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕔𝕒𝕟 𝕤𝕒𝕪 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕝𝕪 𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕗𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕕, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕔𝕦𝕣𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕣, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕟𝕠 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕣 𝕟𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝕡𝕦𝕤𝕙 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕨𝕒𝕣𝕕? Where are all my nurses at? What is your goal in nursing? Are you a CNA because you knew you’d always have a stable job in healthcare or because you wanted to help people? Are you wanting to continue your education to become a licensed practical nurse, LPN, or registered nurse, RN? Maybe even APRN? Whatever your reason may be, think of what impact you can have and will have on other people’s lives. EVERYONE can do ANYTHING with their license. By anything, I mean work anywhere. You can work with any patient population, children, teens, pregnant women, or adults of all ages. You can change your environment as well, you can work in a school clinic, hospital, cruise ship, airplane, or for yourself. Nursing has an endless amount of avenues you can take, it is a matter of you finding what you're passionate about. ℙ𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕚𝕤 𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕕𝕣𝕚𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕔𝕖. 𝕀𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕗𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕙𝕖𝕝𝕡𝕤 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕘𝕠𝕒𝕝𝕤 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕨𝕖𝕣𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖. 𝕀𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕤 𝕦𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕕𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕨𝕖 𝕟𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕚𝕞𝕒𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕨𝕖 𝕕𝕦𝕘 𝕕𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟 𝕠𝕦𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕥𝕠 𝕗𝕚𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕔𝕖𝕖𝕕 - Travel Nurse Missa As for my current situation, it’s officially official. I am the Clinic Director of a Medical Clinic that offers unique laser cosmetic services to the Tampa Bay and surrounding areas. I perform: Botox Body sculpting Laser skin rejuvenation with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) Laser hair removal Laser tattoo removal Finding a job as a new grad was not easy, but I stayed determined to find the right position for me. I love that I no longer work 12-16 hour long hospital shifts. I am no longer working major holidays and begging for time off. I no longer have to care for patients that are sick and dying. No more high levels of emotional, physical, and mental hospital stress where I am not appreciated and working with minimal staff. No more worry about what my day will be like and what will come through the door. What I can say is that my journey as an ER nurse over many years has given me a feeling of dread, because when I thought of work, I never knew what would happen that day. For some, that is very exciting and I loved it for a while but 17+ years later, I was ready for change, stability, a calm work environment, and to just be happy. Now that I have a clinic to oversee, I feel empowered and excited to be in a new role that I have control of. I feel internally awakened by this new adventure and not at all dreading the clinic life. My patients are scheduled and I can plan my day in advance. I feel excited to come to work, and what’s best is that it doesn’t feel like work, isn't this what we all want? As we individually venture down different paths, it will be interesting to see where you find your place of content and how long you’ll stay there. This is a place to speak up, ask for advice, vent, discuss, and agree to disagree. My forum is open to all who want to chat about any topic including nursing, healthcare, careers, education, and everything in between. No matter where there this journey in nursing leads me, I will forever be Travel Nurse Missa. Being a travel nurse made me stronger than I ever thought imaginable and I thank travel nursing to my success because it pushed me to chase my dreams and make me who I am today. “𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕪 𝕙𝕦𝕟𝕘𝕣𝕪. 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕪 𝕞𝕠𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕. 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕪 𝕕𝕖𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕖𝕕.” - Travel Nurse Missa Stay tuned for what's to come! If you have similar goals to follow the path I have taken, just know that you CAN do it!

For those of you returning, Welcome Back :) For those of you that are new, Welcome to my Blog!! In 2016, I left the comfort of my 7-year staff job to become a travel nurse. I was excited and nervous and felt all the feels one would feel when taking a deep head-first dive into this new realm of nursing. When I left… I never looked back… and still to this day, it is one of the most satisfying feelings I have ever felt. Especially, when my co-workers said, “You’ll be back”... little did they know the power this new part of my life would give me As a travel nurse, what I immediately fell in love with was the ability to spend my days off exploring new sights and scenery with my found new friends. I no longer worried about the politics at work, and for once, I finally made the amazing pay I felt I deserved. In 2017, I met my now husband in Florida while working a local contract in Tampa. In December 2018, we drove cross-country to California where we stayed for an entire year. In September 2019, just before leaving California, I decided it was time to start planning for the future. I knew I needed to find a career that I was just as passionate about, like travel nursing. A career where I could make travel nurse pay, no longer work 12-hour shifts, and have off on weekends/holidays. I wanted a fun and stable environment that didn't feel like work. A place where I can wake up in the morning and look forward to going. A career where I can look and feel beautiful, and help others feel the same way, all while making many friends, and making great money in the process. You guessed it! In September 2019, I started my online program to become a Family Nurse Practitioner to pursue a career in Aesthetics. In December 2019, we signed a year lease at an adorable apartment in Waikiki so that I could have my “last hoorah” before settling down back home in Florida while my classes were still online. Then you know what happened next…. COVID…. I was overwhelmed with so many emotions because who knew what COVID was and being so far away from our families made it even worse. After I had FINALLY made it to Hawaii, and due to an initially low census in the ER, my contract came to an abrupt end within a few months of our arrival. I was kindly offered a staff position instead, which I kindly turned down. We decided to head back to Florida to be close to family since I was no longer going to be on contract and we were unsure what to expect from COVID. I worked a local contract in Interventional Radiology and continued my schooling online. We bought our 1st house, got married, and began to live the “settled down life”, then before I knew it, the COVID crisis calls/texts/emails came pouring in. I told my student advisor I needed a semester off of school and little did I know what was to come and how many semesters I’d end up taking off. As I have said in my previous posts, in the history of travel nursing, the pay was the highest it’s ever been! I was able to make it back to Hawaii but this time with FEMA. They booked my flights, hotels, rental cars, and 6X the normal pay I made pre-covid. So I was able to get back to Hawaii, time, and time, and time again. It was during those crisis contracts that I realized that my decision to become a Nurse Practitioner was absolutely the right choice. The mental, emotional, and physical stress I endured during those contracts was more than anyone should ever experience in a lifetime, and I knew I never wanted to live through that ever again. COVID changed my life forever. It gave me strength in all aspects of my life and changed my perspective on my future as a nurse COVID made nurses bond in ways we never thought imaginable. My life has changed forever because of the teams I worked with and what we experienced together. It also made me reflect on my career as a travel nurse, which I knew was coming to an end. The thought of leaving the ER, which is all I had known for the past 17+ years of my life, was not scary at all; I knew the hospital life was no longer for me and that all of my experiences from 2006 to now was the part of my life that I needed to mold the nurse I have become today. You must always believe in yourself and your ability to achieve greatness. You must tell yourself every day, “No matter what obstacles I face, I will be successful”! In October 2022, I completed my last ER contract at Queens in Oahu alongside Stacey, one of my best friends who inspired me to become a travel nurse, and Montana, whom I met while on a FEMA crisis contract at Hilo Medical Center. I ended that part of my life exactly how I wanted to; with my best friends by my side, surrounded by the Aloha spirit, and nothing but appreciation for my hard work and accomplishments. I came back to Florida readier than ever to complete my courses and clinical to finish strong. I completed my Family Nurse Practitioner program in March 2023. Now that I am a Nurse Practitioner… I have been very passionate about wanting to enter into the Aesthetic Dermatology space for quite some time. I have friends who have become Aesthetic Nurse Practitioners and I have seen them thrive in both their professional and personal lives. Many say that like travel nursing, it has become an industry that is saturated. People who know me well, also know that nothing will stop this determined woman until I get exactly what I want. This is a trait I hope to use to inspire and motivate the rest of you. "If you need a little push in your life, here I am, and this is it" -Travel Nurse Missa I have applied for numerous Aesthetic Dermatology jobs I am not qualified for, but I will continue to apply until I get the call. I know what my standards and expectations are for pay, mentorship, a peaceful learning/working environment, and other possible opportunities. Working a Mon-Fri 8-5 is definitely a change of pace from the hospital life but completely doable when surrounded by people that inspire, motivate, and appreciate you as much as you do them. From experience, what I do know is that I can only be as successful as the foundation I am given and by the people who teach me their mastery as if their own success depended on it. This is why I believe mentorship to be so significant, it is the gateway to our future and our ability to increase knowledge and confidence from a professional in the field, we can discover new strengths, gain a clearer sense of direction, and the ability to create clearer career goals and overall have the support necessary to be successful. Being a novice once again and in a completely new space in the medical field is a challenge I gladly accept and I am excited to see what the future brings. I am determined to pursue my dream as a successful Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner. I will become a master of my trade. I will be limitless in my pursuit of finding the right place to plant my feet. I have me to thank for my hard work and determination and I want to thank you for joining me on this new journey. “For those of us willing to fight the good fight to continue to push forward no matter how many steps we are set back; just remember our success is inevitable” - Travel Nurse Missa

NurseCon at Sea has absolutely changed the future of continuing education for Nurses! My first #NurseCon at Sea experience compelled me to bring attention to What it is, Who it involves, and Why you should check it out! “To all my fellow nurses reading this blog, thank you for stopping by, I look forward to continuing to support and grow with each and every one of you!” - Travel Nurse Missa Let me start by saying, “You have the ability to attend CE courses with other like-minded nurses while cruising to exotic destinations!”... Do I now have your FULL attention..?!?! Who would have thought, Nurse Blake would use his success to create NurseCon for all of us?!? A nursing #conference with a mission to provide education, fun-filled entertainment, engaging experiences, and a #safe environment for nurses of all backgrounds to come together to #network, share ideas, and relate to the daily struggles we face as healthcare professionals. #ThankYou For many of you, #NurseBlake has been known for his infamous videos on social media that reflect nursing in a constructive, funny, and relatable way. His stand-up #comedy show, The Call-Light Tour, portrays the struggles we have all faced from nursing school to everyday bedside nursing. So no matter your specialty, we can all connect to Nurse Blake’s very witty and hysterically #funny nurse humor! His onboard Nurse Blake Live show had me laugh so hard I was in tears..LOL! Shortly after sailing away, Meet Ups, helped everyone onboard get acquainted with those who shared specialties which included: #APRN, BIPOC, #cardiology, corrections, critical care, #emergency, home health, #hospice, international nursing, #leadership, #LGBTQ+, medsurg, NICU, obstetrics, oncology, pediatrics, public health, school nursing, surgical, #travel nursing, and wound care. The fun-filled itinerary included: Drag Bingo Drag Show Silent Disco (my fave!) Nurses got talent Nurse Feud (it was EPIC) Themed night parties (boots & bling, 80's, masquerade) Nurse Blake book signing Nurse Blake Meet & Greet Nurse Blake Live comedy show! Karaoke, morning yoga, pool deck games, etc. Here is a list of a few of the courses I attended while on board: Navigating the Healthcare Hierarchy Nursing Scope of Practice with an expert panel discussion Mentoring Relationships in Nursing Exploring Nursing Careers with an expert panel discussion Flipping the Classroom Nursing Practice in a Post-Pandemic World Evolution of Nursing with an expert panel discussion The courses were informative, empowering, matter-of-fact, and the educators fully embraced the present, real-life situations we find ourselves in. I felt truly supported and #empowered by the environment because I’ve never experienced a learning atmosphere where you could truly say what was REALLY on your mind and get honest feedback that was not at all “sugar-coated” like we are used to. I absolutely loved it! We could speak up, ask questions, vent with our fellow nurses, and discuss ways to face problems together. The future of nursing is upon us. The real issues we face will continue to impact short #staffing, unsafe ratios, inappropriate patient assignments, and expectations to do more with less. So what are we going to do about it? Are we going to further our education, fight for what we deserve, or leave the profession all together? “This is a fantastic opportunity to build a network of like-minded nurses, RELAX, HAVE FUN, and ultimately make Friends for Life” - Travel Nurse Missa Nurse Blake has been such an #inspiration to nurses everywhere. He shows us that we can be true to ourselves without fear and together we can achieve great things because "eating our young" is a part of the past! We can be creative and honest about the struggles of nursing and express ourselves through #socialmedia in a way that is uplifting to others. Bonding about what we’ve been through and being honest about the lingering effects of post-covid nursing allows us to open up, lean on each other, and in doing so make #lifelong friends. Think about it, you're on a #cruise with 2,000+ other nurses. Making new friends is unavoidable and finding new job opportunities also became a possibility! No matter where this crazy roller coaster ride of nursing takes us, let's continue to push forward as a force to be reckoned with, TOGETHER! Special shout-out and thank you to #NurseJohn (@Nurse.John) and Nurse Lindsey (@Scrub.hacks ) who were both also on board. They were absolutely fun-loving, down-to-earth, and such an inspiration to ALL the nurses trying to do things differently! We are the future of nursing! There is quite the content coming your way, so STAY TUNED! - Travel Nurse Missa