- May 11, 2018
- Posted by: Covelo Group
- Category: Employee Spotlights
It takes an extraordinary person to embark on a career in the nursing field. MGA Healthcare nurses exceed expectations all year long, and, during nurses week, we’re excited to highlight Kristen Wisner who has combined her calling in the healthcare field with her love of travel.
Kristen was already pursuing a successful career in biotech when she realized she was ready to go in a new direction. Despite her family’s concern about a sudden career change, Kristen said she knew nursing school was the right choice.
“I wanted the opportunity to help people more directly,” said Kristen, “and nursing is a good combination of science and socialization.”
Kristen has been a travel nurse with MGA Healthcare since 2012 when she left Pittsburg for what was meant to be a 13-week placement at the University of Southern California. Instead, Kristen ended up spending more than four years working at USC and living in Venice Beach, California.
“As a travel nurse, I had the opportunity to try working in a lot of units that, otherwise, I never would have thought to apply to,” said Kristen. “At USC, I started in the neuro-intensive care unit, then moved to the float pool and then ended up in the post-anesthesia care unit.”
Although Kristen did eventually leave Venice Beach and USC, she found her fit in the PACU and continues to provide care for adults in perianesthesia. She now lives in her home city of San Francisco to be close to family and to work at University of California San Francisco.
“It’s been my dream to work at UCSF,” said Kristen. “It’s where I want to stay, but I’ll keep working as a travel nurse because I like the flexibility that contract work offers.”
Travel nursing contracts last for 13 weeks, which for an adventurous person like Kristen, is the perfect situation. After each contract, she takes a month-long break to travel. Tonga, Cuba, Fiji and New Zealand are on her list of favorite destinations.
An academic at heart, Kristen enjoys working in a teaching hospital. She is currently working on her third bachelor’s degree and plans to pursue a master’s degree in nursing informatics. MGA Healthcare has been honored to help Kristen find travel nursing jobs that fit her interest in teaching hospitals throughout her career.
Kristen has forged her own, unique career path, and her patients are certainly lucky to have such a determined, skilled and knowledgeable nurse on their side.
Thank you for using your career to help others, Kristen! We are grateful for your work.