NC native among traveling nurses battling COVID-19 across the country
CLEMMONS, N.C. (WTVD) -- Nationwide, there are over 100,000 COVID-19 patients, according to John Hopkins University, which is putting a strain on the healthcare industry. Travel nurses are now in high demand as the pandemic tightens its jaws.
Sixty-year-old R.N. Sharon Correll has been in the nursing field for the last 16 years and has become a traveling nurse which has taken her all the way to California.
The strain that the COVID-19 pandemic has put on the health care system has made seasoned professionals like Cor4ell in high demand; and for her, the incentives are more than just great pay.
"It's one of those situations where you have to pull all of your skills together and use all the skills you have to use in one new location, it's more than I can even describe in words," said Correll.
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The North Carolina native from Clemmons is currently working in San Diego helping get communities vaccinated while battling vaccine hesitancy. She has seen a lot in her career and says even though she has put those skills to use she still has learned a lot from her job.
"It taught me to be very flexible patient and understanding because I don't care if you see 10 people or 150 people every single day; every single person is coming from a different standpoint," she said.
Correll wants to take her experience in different health care systems into a recruiting job eventually to help bring more quality nurses into different areas and keep them there so shortages happen less.
She knows the challenges she faces as she goes from one place to the next but knows it's essential to keep her skills sharp as she works to battle the pandemic.
Many travel nurses like Correll can spend as little as three months in one spot making flexibility a must.
