Raleigh, NC & The Highs and Lows of Travel Sonography

I love my job!  I love to travel even more. Combine one’s love of sonography and their love for travel, and you have a match made in heaven:  travel sonography.  It is a great way to meet others, see different parts of the country, and enhance your skills by the exposure you have to others with varying degrees of knowledge and the different equipment and software that you may use from one facility to the next.  Obviously, the pay is pretty great too.  For someone who loves variety, meeting people, constant learning, and perfecting their craft, this is a pretty awesome career.  Those are the highs of being a travel sonographer.  What are the low’s, you may ask?  Saying goodbye to your friends and family for months at a time.  Onboarding (where your employer – the healthcare agency that hired you to perform your duties in a particular facility – gives you a list of things to complete that are required by the facility you are about to work for, including drug screening, physical exam, signing numerous documents, etc.). Facility orientations – sometimes for multiple days every time you start a new job.  Facilities that have a specific scrub requirement – usually in a color that you don’t own or have enough of and need to buy for the job (luckily, your agency will usually reimburse ‘some’ of that expense).  But the absolute worst of the low’s – saying goodbye to a facility where you have been working for 13 weeks, or maybe up to a year, which was the case for my recent assignment in Raleigh. 

Saying goodbye is never easy, but when you work on an assignment and you fall in love with the area AND fall in love with the people you work with too – that is a double whammy!  Last week I had to do just that.  The feeling that comes over you can be overwhelming, because your life for the time you were there, was spent solely around this group of people (remember you left behind everyone else you know).  So on the final day, memories of the time you spent with them, the people you worked with, and the area you have been calling home, have suddenly come to an end and you need to move on and start anew.  This is the life you knew for a specific amount of time and with every hug goodbye, those memories come flooding your mind with the realization that that chapter of your life is abruptly over, and unlike with your family members, it’s very possible you may never see them again.  So trust me, if you are a travel sonographer new to this field, this is a normal response.  Saying hello is hard because of orientation, uncertainties and the like.  But saying goodbye is even harder.  But with all the highs and lows that come with this type of job, I personally feel that the highs FAR EXCEED the lows.  If you are thinking about a job in this field, my advice?  JUST DO IT!

Since I was in Raleigh a long time – here are some additional fun ideas to share with you (much more to come in the weeks ahead, before moving on to the next locale to discuss):

NC State Farmers Market – this is one of the largest farmers markets I have been to and offers an array of fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, plants, pastries, etc from numerous farmers and vendors throughout North Carolina.  They are open daily throughout the year and is a popular spot on the weekends, especially between April through October.  Behind the Farmers Market are buildings that house other vendors for a variety of food items, crafts, etc.  Additionally there is a building in the far left corner of this property that sells garden items, as well as a very popular (never could get in, but heard it is amazing) State Farmers Market Restaurant which is located across from the farmer’s market.  The NC State Farmers Market is a fun place to spend a few hours and stock up on some of your groceries, while supporting local farmers.

Sarah Duke Gardens – located in nearby Durham, this is a nice place to head to in the spring (summer or fall also) and see the variety of plants, flowers, waterponds, bridges, etc, which are a feast for the eyes to any garden enthusiast.  This is located adjacent to Duke University, which is accessible to one another.

Shelley Lake (on West Millbrook Road) – offers a scenic trail that loops around the lake and connects to other trails.  Approximately a 2 mile long walk, the Shelley Lake trail will provide you an opportunity to get some exercise in the great outdoors and with the abundance of tree cover on the far side of the lake, provide respite from the heat on one of Raleigh’s many warmer days.  An occasional picnic table can be found for those looking to bring a backpack with lunch and enjoy the serenity of the lake.

Boxcar Barcade – with a location in both downtown Raleigh and Durham, Boxcar is a fun place to spend an hour or two, whether solo, a couple, or a family.  Plenty of arcade games to take you back to your childhood, a bar to enjoy your favorite adult beverage, and if you time it right, a live band on the weekends (I personally experienced the outdoor area at the Raleigh location for live music – very cool space).

9th floor of the Dillon building (terrace view of downtown Raleigh) – Just around the corner from the Boxcar Barcade, you will find the Dillon.  This building has a 9th floor terrace that is open to the public and provides great views of the surrounding downtown area, as well as the very special Shimmer Wall.  Artist, Thomas Sayre created this public work of art made of approximately 80,000 sheets of metal that produces a visual effect of a large oak tree gently swaying in the breeze.  At night, the Shimmer Wall illuminates in various degrees of light, to correlate with the sunset.  This is located on the side of the Raleigh Convention Center that overlooks the Red Hat Ampitheater (very cool outdoor concert venue).

Beasley’s Chicken & Honey – One of my favorite places in Raleigh to get a chicken and waffles meal is Beasley’s on the corner of S. Wilmington and E. Martin Street.  If you want a taste of the south, this is a great, casual restaurant to do just that.  They offer plenty of other food on their menu, but they are known for their chicken and waffles.  If you have never tasted the savory – sweet combo of chicken and waffles, you are in for a surprising treat.  Beasley’s does this better than any place I have tried in my 10+ months in Raleigh – the chicken is crispy and delicious and the waffles are cooked to perfection.  The only sad thing for me is that because of all the other culinary treasures found in Raleigh, I only made it to this place once (and that was NOT even on this assignment, but years ago).

Duke Homestead Tour and Tobacco Museum – if you are eager to learn more about this part of North Carolina and its tobacco history, as well as the Duke family and their role in that and the formation of Duke University, this is a perfect place to spend a few hours.  Tobacco was BIG business back in the day and this tour helps bring that era to life with the walk around the museum, existing buildings, and the stories that are told.

Durham Bulls baseball game – head over to Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Blackwell Street in Durham to enjoy a baseball game when the Bulls are playing in their impeccably maintained ball field.  Grab some food and a cold beer, and together with your enthusiasm for the game, enjoy an afternoon or evening in this special place.  If you are lucky, you may even get a free fireworks show after the game.   After, before, or during the game you can get a great meal at Tobacco Road Sports Cafe & Brewery.  They offer great pub food, beer, etc in a venue that overlooks the ball field.  Another option, just down the road from the ball field is Bull City Ciderworks, where you can try a huge variety of some delicious and creative hard ciders on tap – two of my favorites the Cherry Tart (made with Montmorency cherries) and the Sasquash (butternut squash, maple syrup and Carolina Reaper peppers for a spicy, but sweet, kick – I know it sounds weird, but trust me on this!)  They have a variety of games that you can play both indoors or out and occasionally food trucks.  Family and dog friendly, to boot!

I could go on and on about Raleigh, but will put on the brakes for now, to give you a chance to digest all that this wonderful place has to offer and hope you have a chance this week to get out there and enjoy some of it!