One thing you might not know about our recruiters is that some are nurses themselves. Because they’ve worked bedside, in emergency departments and across different unit floors, they often have keen insights into how to connect the right nursing talent with the right positions and facilities. Our nurse recruiters also understand the concerns and hopes nurses bring to each new assignment.
That’s the case with Lexi Diodonet, RN. Healthcare runs in her family; her grandmother was a critical care nurse in the iron lung unit during the polio epidemic. Later, when Lexi was a child, she witnessed her other grandmother having a stroke. “I remember feeling so helpless,” she recalls. Her firefighter uncle and cousins encouraged her to work Emergency Medical Services to see if healthcare was her calling.
So Lexi worked on the ambulance and became a field training officer, teaching new hires how to respond to motor vehicle accidents and other calls. “Then I got a job in the Emergency Department and learned critical care and absolutely loved it,” she says.
After working at the same hospital for 8 years, Lexi transitioned into becoming a travel nurse. Her reason? She felt that jumping out of her comfort zone and experiencing new facilities helped improve her experience as a nurse – and she loved serving different patient populations. But soon she decided to make another transition and become a nurse recruiter.
We asked Lexi why she made the jump from nursing to nurse recruiter – and what she enjoys about her job.
Lexi, why did you decide to become a nurse recruiter?
As a travel nurse, one of my favorite aspects was talking with my recruiter about new hospitals, assignments, and locations to explore. I often thought to myself, What a great job she has, to be able to help others with their passion to travel and help others.
Now I love that I get to help other nurses go travel and have new experiences, have a change of pace and expand their career while helping patient populations in need. This was one of the best decisions I ever made as a nurse, and I’m happy to help nurses start a new adventure.
What is your recruiting focus?
To help bring nurses to a more positive and fun work culture. I worked in hospitals for many years and the demands can be a negative and toxic environment. I want to help travel nurses join Tribal Health to feel a change of pace in their nursing career – to feel they are appreciated and that they are making a positive impact in a Native American community. I also help travel nurses accrue PTO in case they need a sick day or vacation day, to opt in for benefits, and to work at a facility where they feel supported.
Your philosophy as a nurse recruiter?
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.” – Socrates
If you were going out on assignment, what would be your dream location?
Arcata, California! We have clinics near the beautiful redwoods and Pacific Ocean that accept any state license!
When you’re not at work, you are…
Being a Military Wife and Boy Mom. Also chasing our two rescue dogs, a mini-husky and lab-shepherd mix.
I love to read and paint, and I follow hockey and football. I also love being outdoors and in nature, as I find it very grounding. My 2022 goal is to build a garden.
Something that might surprise others about you is….
I love to learn holistic medicine. Coming from many years working in the ER and feeling a fatigue of treating the symptoms but not aiding in prevention of illness, I love to seek out natural herbal remedies and energy healing based on old Native American traditions and traditions from South America.
Want to talk to Lexi about your next adventure – or nursing in general? Get in touch! You can reach her at:
- Email: adiodonet@tribalhealth.com
- Phone: 480-701-0124 PST
