Of all of the blog posts I will ever write, and all of the memories I will ever have, this is one of the most significant. So, if you read nothing else but this one, it’s the one that means the most to me. As I am taking a short break from being The Nomadic Pediatrician to pursue Fellowship training, this dedication is for everyone I had the honor to learn from and work alongside from 2020-2023.

You call it a life of loneliness – I call it these people, the reason I travel/ed. People that will fight for their small towns, people that will sweat blood to take care of you, people that will meet you as a stranger and treat you as family. Throughout months of traveling to various places all over the country and traversing multiple hospitals bonding over late nights, cautious days and sometimes absolute disasters and trauma, my heart has latched on to little bits of each place i have been and a part of me has disseminated itself as an emotional horcrux across the nation. No amount of words can do this post justice, so here are just a few and pictures instead! I tried to be brief and hopefully didn’t forget anyone!

• I will never forget Huntsville, TX when I walked in and Faylene thought I was some teenager that had slipped in. I will never forget how Dr. Montgomery took me under his wing and taught me how to do circumcision or, as him and I call them both being Californians, the “California Cut.” It was the sweetest thing having a going away party at a winery with ZONKEYS too! The best. Also, still friends with my Hampton Inn crew (y’all better visit me soon Ricardo/Eryn!)
• I will never forget the small town of Montgomery, TX and understanding how small a town can be.
• I will never forget my first time going to New England and ending up in Bridgton, ME. I loved having brunch with Liz at Beth’s Cafe while on call and later befriending the awesome administration – I talk to Angie and Jay still about the breweries of Maine!
• I will never forget St. Louis, MO. I had the biggest crush ever on the pharmacist there, but that obviously didn’t work out… But that’s ok! It was wonderful being welcomed so warmly by the young vibrant staff and the best Attending-er Attendings that taught me so much.
• I will never forget Poplar Bluff, MO and some of the interesting and odd colloquialisms that you can’t escape there.
• I will never forget Santa Fe, NM when the best charge nurse Petra ran into a scary code blue resuscitation with me and later would show me all of the city – we ate some pretty good food for sure.
• I will never forget Whiteville, NC when I couldn’t understand anything anyone was saying…
• I will never forget the NICEST people I have met in the country La Crosse, WI. Even when I slid into a ditch Cary and her husband pulled me out and saved me! Also, some of the coolest neonatal nurse practitioners i’ve come across.
• I will never forget singing karaoke with my wild filipinos in Deming, NM, and obviously the best Rockclimbing NP around, and Sarita, and the time that Dr. C called me to the ED, “Cabrera. I need you. 12 year old CODE.”
• I will never forget Sacramento, CA and how I went there… Although, still sad we never got the promised post nightshift brunch.
• I will never forget when my NRP instructor and one of the experienced nurses said to me at the end of my NRP recertification in Framingham, MA that she would be happy to attend a delivery with me, it was the most humbling thing ever. Also, who can forget the outrageous nights with the pediatric crew in Lowell, MA.
• And, of course, I can not help but say that of the many hospitals I have traversed, my favorite for a long time who I will hold dear to my heart are all of the nurses, techs, respiratory therapists and doctors at Maine General in Augusta, ME. I learned more from this ragtag group of amazing humans than I ever expected. I know who has children, who loves to knit, who likes to ice fish, who just turned 30, who is due to have more kids and have shared my soul with all of them. After almost a year and a half with these lovely humans, I can say without a doubt that the largest piece of my heart was left in Maine and I hope endlessly to go back one day.

Outside of work, I also loved that i worked my way into some of these small communities and made great friends! From the lady at the small Chinese restaurant in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico, to my Barista Kyle in Augusta that always knew my drink when I walked in (it’s a cold brew, btw), to Siobhan the nice North Carolinan that opened her old BnB up to me, no matter where you go in the country, people are generally good and THAT makes it worth it.

What I have noticed as a locum tenens provider throughout the country is that no matter the geography, the reason that people will stay at a job is purely because of the people. The People make the difference and if you were to ask anyone anywhere the main reason they keep doing what they doing, they will always say the same thing. When you spend >30-40 hours a week (almost 25% of the week, or more if you don’t count sleeping time) it is hard not to Love the people you work with. So, as a visitor that many of you let into your world, Thank You.

– The Nomadic Pediatrician.