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You've decided to take a travel nursing gig that's landed you in the San Francisco Bay Area. Fantastic! Now that you're on your way, you may want to familiarize yourself with the area and spend some of your precious downtime exploring everything that beautiful Northern California has to offer. If you're in the area, you might as well make the most of it, right? Time to take a scenic drive! Here are our suggestions for seven drives to take in the Bay Area.

1) Lotion and hand sanitizer - Hospitals are well-stocked with sanitizer (""foam in, foam out,"" right?), but it doesn't ever hurt to carry extra for emergencies. It's not only important but necessary to disinfect frequently throughout the day, but all that alcohol really does a number on your skin. Dry, cracked hands can be distracting, so make sure to keep some quality unscented hand lotion in your bag for relief.

Negotiating for pay is stressful. We all know it. It's a test of wills between what you know you deserve and what your employer is willing to offer, and a lot of times those numbers don't match up. When you're working with a travel nursing company, there's often the additional stressor of wondering if you negotiated for high enough pay, or if you could've gotten more if you'd kept pushing just a little longer. Instead, that money might be going into the recruiter's pocket as incentive.

Beyond the Brown Bag Lunch: Phoenix

You're in the middle of your Phoenix travel nursing assignment, it's lunchtime, and you haven't had a bite to eat since about 4am. You're famished. Where do you go for good eats? Don't worry, we've got you covered. Here are a few of our favorite Phoenix area lunch spots!

Benefits of S1NGLEPOINT

A lot of travel nursing companies have recruiters who work with nurses to place them in great assignments that strengthen their skills and test their fortitude. No question about that. A lot of these same companies also make the assignment more difficult to navigate by transferring you from department to department while you make sure all the paperwork is in order, the pay is negotiated, and the details are in place. It's stressful and chaotic, leaving you feeling frustrated.

Great Reads…

We know it's unlikely that you have a lot of free time to read, but if you do have some downtime between shifts, there are a ton of fantastic nursing book out there that you can find at the local library about the nursing life. Whether you're looking for something by specialty or interested in a memoir that tells a story to which you can relate, there's a book out there we know you'll love. Here are two of our recommendations.

How to Adjust to the Night Shift

If you're used to working days and then you receive a travel nursing assignment that requires you to take the night shift, it can be a rough transition, especially when you're also dealing with a new living situation and possibly a different time zone. It's very easy for your entire sleep cycle to get completely screwed up, resulting in multiple wakeups or difficulty falling asleep. When your job depends on your attention to detail and reaction time, you can't afford to lose any of your precious sleep.