We were lucky to catch up with Ronnie Robinette recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ronnie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

My whole life has been a series of connect the dots. I didn’t know in each moment that my decisions were actually driving me to where I am now but I can look back and connect each event to the next.

I was a traveling nurse and I won a trip through an agency that I had never worked with, to a big conference in Las Vegas called Travcon. I met my recruiter with the company I was working for there and she told me that I would work for them one day. I was a little confused because I was already working for them but she said no, as a recruiter! I then went to an event the next day and met another travel nurse who was becoming a recruiter with my company and it seemed like fate had brought us together.

I helped my new friend build her book of business from the outside through constant referrals and word of mouth on Facebook. A few years passed and I talked my husband into applying for a recruiter position. He wasn’t hired. I was so upset at the time but that was the best thing that could have happened! Two years later I applied to become a recruiter and got the job.

Travel nursing was my passion, it’s why I went to nursing school, so it was easy to pour my heart and soul into recruiting. The values of the company I worked for aligned with my own personal values and allowed me to truly care for the nurses that worked with me. I quickly became the top recruiter in my company despite no prior sales experience. I won recruiter of the year in 2019 and another award in 2020 for the company that I worked for. In April of 2022 I was named recruiter of the year by a national conference which is a huge honor.

When the pandemic started in 2020 it was a rollercoaster for the travel healthcare industry. We went through a time where there were hardly any jobs and many of the nurses I worked with were unable to maintain employment but the rebound was massive. By June of 2020 I was quickly growing to the height of my career so far. I surpassed any record within the company that I worked for and my book of business was thriving.

In December of 2020, the company I worked for made some changes to their pay structure for nurses and recruiters. I felt that the culture that I wanted to be a part or was changing and I was no longer able to take care of those who needed it most, my traveling nurses.

In March 2021 I was approached by a former colleague who had started a new travel agency the year before. They were doing really well but wanted to bring on some big players in the game to help accelerate their growth. Their vision and values aligned with mine, so I was ready to take the leap but skeptical since I was still continuing to grow at my current agency.

In early May 2021 I had a vision that I was going to help build something great and that really sealed the deal for me. I decided that I was going to join my former colleagues in their venture to build the best travel agency in the industry.

I am now working for Summit Medstaff as a Nursing Leader/Manager. We have grown by four fold since myself and some other key people joined the business. We have been on the Inc. 5000 list in 2021 and 2022. We are the fastest growing travel healthcare staffing agency in the country.

I attribute our growth to the ability to truly care for our travelers. We are constantly looking for areas of improvement and keeping the traveler’s experience at the forefront of our minds. We work with some of the best travelers and are always looking to add great people to our travel team. We have the best recruiters, many of which are former travelers themselves, client managers, and support staff in the entire travel industry. I am excited to see where we go next.

If I had never applied to win that trip to Travcon and met my recruiter and friend, I would probably not be where I am now. I am extremely proud of things that I have accomplished in my life and career currently. Without those who believed in me, I would be nothing. I can’t thank them enough.

Ronnie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I want to share my entire story with everyone! It’s so much deeper than my career. I grew up poor, in a small town in Tennessee. My dad was an alcoholic and a drug addict. I was over 450 pounds at 18 years old and have lost over 250 pounds. I was on a TV show called SkinTight in 2018 with my husband Michael where we talked about our weight loss journey and underwent a body transformation. I still battle with a food addiction daily but try to remain focused on maintaining healthy habits and inspire others to do that too!

I have overcome so much adversity in my life which has led me to the success I have had thus far. My philosophy is to look at every situation in your life and ask yourself what opportunity has this brought me? What opportunity did growing up poor bring me? What opportunity did being morbidly obese and facing a young death bring me? What did growing up with a parent addicted to drugs and alcohol bring me? I can pinpoint many opportunities that those situations brought me. I hope to inspire others to overcome their own adversities by sharing mine!

As far as my career, I am a nurse and I love my career. I started as a bedside nurse which afforded me the opportunity to travel the country and meet so many amazing people. I then transitioned into travel nurse recruiting, which is considered sales. I have recruited for over 4 years and continue to be a leader in that industry. It’s because of my passion and love for nursing that I have been able to excel in my position as a travel nurse recruiter.

I am now a nurse leader/manager in my company, Summit Medstaff. We are a nurse owned and veteran owned travel healthcare agency. We staff traveling healthcare professionals throughout the US. Over the last two years we have grown four fold and have landed on the Inc. 5000 list for two years in a row and were recognized as the No. 2 Fastest-Growing Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S. and the No. 1 Fastest Growing Healthcare Staffing Firm in the U.S. for 2022 by Staffing Industry Analysts.

My mission is to grow an empire of change. I envision myself making a difference in so many people’s lives by inspiring them to be better in all aspects of their being by helping them see the opportunity in every situation!

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

If I could go back I would definitely choose my field and specialty again. I love being a registered nurse. I love taking care of people and creating a connection with others. There is so much to learn from everyone you need if you just take a moment to listen.

The career opportunities are almost endless with a nursing degree. I would have never thought that I would be using my degree in a sales role and a leadership position or have the opportunity to travel the country!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I pride myself on my reputation. I believe that I am honest, transparent, supportive, and a driven individual. All of these traits plus more have helped my build my reputation in the travel nursing industry. I strive to learn daily and to share my knowledge with others. I take concerns seriously and will always advocate for those who work with me. I have to recognize that I would be absolutely nothing without those who work with me. They are my biggest cheer leaders and have helped build my reputation and my book of business in this industry. I cannot thank them enough for the support!

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rkrobinette?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnie-robinette-rn-bsn-154962217
• Instagram: @Ronnie.Robinette_RN
• Other: Tik Tok- @Ronnie.Robinette_RN