As a medical traveler, your phone is your lifeline. It’s your way to communicate with friends and family, a map in your pocket for navigating new cities and a place to house all your personal information. If you’re looking for a way to be even more dependent on your cell phone (as, if!), here are a couple must-have smart phone apps.
Apple Maps or Google Maps
We know that you may have a strong sense of loyalty when it comes to what map app you use. Whether you an Apple Maps loyalist or your fully immersed into team Google Maps, the point is that you need one of them. Driving or even walking through an unfamiliar city means you need something to help you get where you want to go. As a bonus, these apps are free, come with traffic alerts and one of them is probably already loaded on your phone.
GasBuddy
When you’re on the road, knowing where the nearest gas station is can be vital. The last thing you want to do is get on the road and then get stranded in the middle of nowhere. With GasBuddy, you can use your location to find gas stations and even the price of gas at the station.
Do you travel with a furry friend? If so, Rover is a great place to find someone to come walk you pup during those long days. Or, use it to find a doggy daycare, which means your dog will be just as tired as you are after a long day at work.
Even caregivers need care. With BetterHelp, you can connect with a professional, licensed therapist. With more than 15,000 therapists in its online program, you can choose from video or phone calls and there’s even a messaging option.
NurseGrid is a scheduling app that nursing managers can use to communicate with staff. While you won’t be able to fully use it unless your hospital or unit also uses NurseGrid, it’s used by more than half a million nurses in thousands of hospitals across the country.
Get NurseGrid on the Apple or Google Play app stores.
Calm
Whether you’re looking for a way to disconnect and meditate for a few minutes or you’re having problems sleeping and need something to help you at the end of the day in an unfamiliar setting, Calm can help. Calm has both a free and paid version, but if you’re looking for Matthew McConaughey to read you a bedtime story, you’ll have to pony up for the paid version.
What apps can’t you live without when you’re on the road? Got any suggestions? If you’re a current #TeamTriage traveler, head over to our exclusive Facebook group and let us know what your favorites are. If you’re not yet rollin’ with #TeamTriage, check out our allied and travel nurse jobs and connect with a recruiter today.