They don’t call it a comfort zone for nothing. Many of us find comfort in our routine whether it is in our career or in our personal life. However, comfort can turn into boredom and eventually you may feel like you are in a rut. In a recent blog post for Entrepreneur.com, Virgin CEO Richard Branson asked, “When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone?” He goes on to write that taking on a new challenge is a great way to get out of a rut. It’s good advice, and it certainly applies to the world of locum tenens. Many of the physicians and nurse practitioners we work with turn to a locum tenens career because they are looking to step out of their comfort zone. For example, Lynn M. was working as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in a community mental health center before her locum tenens career. It was a high pressure environment and the high patient volume made it hard for her to spend time with her patients. Lynn recalls there was little hope of the situation improving at her facility. After speaking with a recruiter at Barton Associates she began warming to the idea of a locum tenens career and eventually she took her first assignment in Montana. It marked the first time she had left her home state of Tennessee! Lynn’s assignment in Montana was a big improvement over her former position. There she had plenty of support from the staff and was able to practice independently, without physician supervision. She also took advantage of the opportunity to explore Montana. She is already looking forward to her next assignment. Lynn’s story is a great example of stepping out of one’s comfort zone. It should serve as a reminder that we shouldn’t be afraid to sacrifice comfort in order to improve a bad situation. Read more about Lynn’s locums experience
About Ben Amirault
Ben Amirault was formerly the marketing manager at Barton Associates' Peabody, MA headquarters. He received a B.A. in English, specializing in journalism, from the University of New Hampshire.
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