What is Your Why?
A conversation with Travis Larche, BSN, RN

Just before entering the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), there is a bulletin board posing a simple question: Why did you first become a nurse? Many of the answers are inspiring, from some pointing to their family members for sparking their interest to others who answered the call after witnessing the care nurses provided. Over the past year, several nurses have spoken in-depth about what their why is, including Travis Larche, BSN, RN, a member of the Non-Invasive Cardiology team.
Q: What made you want to get into nursing in the first place?
A: I actually didn’t know that I wanted to get into nursing. I had applied to physical therapy school and was accepted. I was accepted to some schools for biology. And, I had a guidance counselor in high school who thought maybe I would be doing more. She wanted to know what it was that I thought I would do. And I was thinking of all the exotic things that I would do. And she told me, “You’re going to be at a desk for a lot of this. You’re going to be working in a lab. You love science, and you love people. I just think you’d be a really good nurse.” And so she made a couple of connections for me at the college. I went and took the tour, put in an application, they accepted me, and the rest is history. I just fell in love with the profession.
Q: What did you love about it?
A: I could see a good, solid career, work many years in the field and have a good retirement. And, the whole time, I could be rewarded by all these awesome experiences with patients. I can learn and grow as much as I want in the profession. I have gotten a variety of professional certifications, and I do all these different committees. I just find all these different ways to be fulfilled and contribute to improving care. I’ve never been tired of nursing. I absolutely love this. I will retire from this. I will give a good many years doing this, and maybe I’ll have different jobs along the way and serve the nursing profession in different ways over the years. But, I just know I want to be a part of it and help other people be passionate about it, too. I usually try to share that passion with a lot of other people.
Q: What makes you smile at work and at home?
A: So at work, it’s the social interactions that I have with my colleagues while I’m caring for patients. You try to have a lot of fun while you do it. And so that makes me smile all the time. Just meeting my patients and getting to have conversations with them and connecting with them makes me really happy. And then, the gratifying feeling of knowing you are brightening someone’s day, help them heal or ease their discomfort. Outside of work, I love running. I’m a distance runner, and that makes me really happy. I’m happy spending time with my 9-year-old son, we have tons of fun together. He’s a great kid. He’s involved in sports and different activities. I think about my childhood, and I enjoy helping him have similar experiences, it is a blast. My friends and my family, just having that great balance. Even during super challenging times like this, it doesn’t all have to be just about work. I try to have a good balance between work and life. I just love being around people. That’s my favorite thing, being very social.