
Working the Holidays: A Travel Nurse’s Survival Guide
November 23, 2022
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the holiday season – students and teachers head home for fall and winter breaks, offices and banks close, and stores close or shorten their operating hours. It’s downtime for most of us.
For healthcare workers? It’s a different story. There are still patients that need care. While it comes with the territory, it’s a selfless sacrifice that frontline workers make. This Thanksgiving, hundreds of thousands of clinicians and essential staff will spend their holiday helping others, and maybe calling or facetiming their family if they get the time.
If you find yourself feeling a little down working the holidays, know that it’s entirely normal, and you are not alone. We are tremendously grateful for all that you do for others and hope this survival guide from one frontline worker to another makes your shift a little bit easier!

Chelsea
GHR Travel Nurse
What three tips do you have for working the holidays in healthcare?
1. Bring the holiday cheer to work
Show up to your shift with holiday cheer. You can still celebrate the day while you’re with your coworkers- have a gift exchange or everyone bring a dish to share.
2. Set aside time to celebrate with your loved ones
Arrange a day to spend with your loved ones to celebrate so you’re not left out since it’s just a day you can celebrate at any time.
3. Share the spirit with your patients
Keep in mind that your patients would also rather be home or surrounded by loved ones. Spread the holiday cheer and make it as special as you can for everyone.
THANK YOU, healthcare heroes! You work so hard to help others, so often sacrificing time with your loved ones in the process. If working the holidays had you feeling a little down this year, we hope these tips from Chelsea helped bring some holiday sparkle to your unit – Happy holidays, everyone!
Follow Chelsea’s Adventures on Instagram
Become A Travel Nurse With GHR
Do you have any tips for working the holidays in healthcare? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment below to join the conversation.
Subscribe to GHR's Blog Newsletter
Your submission was successful.
Thank you for subscribing — we'll be in touch!