Who From Our Team Attended?
Amy Berg – Great Recruiter Certified Healthcare Recruiter
Shaena Van Handel – Chief Nursing Officer
Amber Nelson – Vice President of Acute Care Recruitment
What We Learned Cruising With 3,000 Nurses
What does it look like when 3,000 nurses step aboard a cruise ship together for a week of education,
connection, and community? For PRN Healthcare, NurseCon at Sea was more than a conference it was a chance to show up in the same spaces our nurses inhabit, hear their real stories, and come home with a
renewed sense of purpose. Amy, Amber, and Shaena from our team were there at NurseCon at Sea, and here’s what they experienced.
A Ship Full Of Energy Unlike Any Conference We’ve Attended.
The moment our team stepped aboard the Celebrity Reflection, the atmosphere was unmistakable. “There was an immediate sense of excitement and connection in the room,” Amy recalled. “It honestly felt unlike anything else I’ve attended.” Shaena agreed: the ship was massive, the rooms spacious, the buffet stacked with options and every person on board, staff and nurses alike, was warm and welcoming. Amber put it simply: “It’s a ship full of people ready to connect, grow, and have fun. It doesn’t feel like a traditional conference it feels like a community.” Between themed nights, pool parties, educational sessions, and quiet corners for deeper conversations, NurseCon made room for everyone’s version of the experience.
Real Conversations That Started With A Game…
PRN had a booth on Tuesday and Thursday and both days were buzzing. One of our biggest draws was the “Shake of the Day,” a fun, low-pressure icebreaker that brought nurses over and made starting conversations feel natural. What began as a quick game often turned into something much more meaningful.
“People didn’t just stop by they stayed to share their stories, ask questions, and learn more about opportunities.” — Amber, PRN Healthcare
The Most Common Question Nurses Asked:
What sets you apart from other staffing agencies?
We’re focused on relationships and communication taking the time to know nurses as individuals, understanding their goals, staying transparent, and providing consistent support throughout the entire journey, not just during placement.
Shaena noticed something encouraging: even nurses who weren’t interested in travel nursing weren’t dismissive. They shared thoughtful reasons family obligations, strong local compensation, pension benefits and some said they wanted to travel simply for the experience of seeing new places. A surprising number had never fully explored what travel nursing actually involves. We made sure to let them know that connecting with a recruiter to receive occasional options keeps the door open for the future.
The Most Impactful Moments Weren’t The Sessions They Were The Conversations
Ask anyone from our team what they’ll carry home, and the answer is the same: Connection. Amy had the
chance to speak candidly with a traveling nurse about what makes recruiter communication genuinely effective. His honest feedback reinforced something we already believe but can always do better consistent check-ins and staying present go a long way in making sure no nurse ever feels like just a number.
Amber found that the nurses she spoke with were hungry for exactly that. “The clinicians we met were so happy to just sit, talk, and share,” she said. “That’s something we can always do more of.” Hearing firsthand accounts of what nurses face on the unit the demands, the meaning, the exhaustion served as a powerful reminder of the work they do every day.
Key Takeaways For How PRN Healthcare Supports Travel Nurses:
- Consistent, proactive check-ins build trust and prevent nurses from feeling overlooked
- Taking the time to understand each nurse’s individual goals not just their specialty makes all the difference
- Transparency throughout the assignment process (not just at placement) is non-negotiable
- Even nurses not ready to travel benefit from staying connected with a recruiter for future opportunities
- In-person connection deepens relationships that phone and email can only partially build
Chance Encounters, Nurse Blake, And A Hot Tub Reunion
Some of the best moments weren’t planned at all. Shaena was relaxing in her pool chair when she heard Amy and Amber talking behind her and turned around to find they were speaking with Nurse Blake himself. She jumped up, grabbed her phone, and he graciously took multiple photos with the group.
Then there was the hot tub. On a ship carrying thousands of people, Amber and Shaena ran into one of the nurses PRN had sent on the trip purely by chance. “On a ship that big, it felt like such a crazy coincidence,” Amber said. The reconnection felt personal in exactly the way a staffing relationship should.
Amy’s highlight was finally meeting a nurse she’d been speaking with for five years. Putting a face to a name after half a decade of phone calls and messages was, in her words, “so special.” And Shaena was moved when a nurse came directly to their dinner table to introduce herself and share that she never would have been able to attend NurseCon at Sea without winning the trip through PRN Healthcare.
“This was more than just an event for us. It was an opportunity to show up, listen, and build real relationships with the clinicians we support every day.” — Amber, PRN Healthcare
Amber’s last night at dinner captured it perfectly seated with three nurses from different states, the
conversation flowed easily, honestly, and without any agenda. “It was the perfect way to close out the trip,” she said.
We’ll Be Back With More Pens!
NurseCon at Sea reminded our team why this work matters. Between the booth conversations, the spontaneous hot tub reunions, and the quiet dinners that turned into real connections, we walked away with stronger relationships, better perspective, and a deep appreciation for the nurses we get to work with every day. And yes, we’re already planning to bring more pens next time.
Ready to explore travel nursing with PRN?
Connect with a recruiter who will take the time to get to know you, not just your specialty.