Meet the award-winning Clinical Navigator team

The Clinical Navigators are an experienced team of nursing and allied health clinicians who are dedicated to helping our travelers be the best healthcare professionals they aspire to be. To us, every clinician matters.

We’re proud to say that our team is a recipient of the 2023 American Staffing Association Elevate Award for the "Best Job Training Program in U.S. Staffing." This award recognizes our excellence in training, reskilling, and upskilling Nomad travelers in over 30 specialties. Simply put—we're really good at helping our travelers be confident and prepared for their assignments. 

Hourig Karalian, MSN, BSN, RN

Education: Villanova University (BSN), New York University (MSN)

Why Nomad: Nomad puts clinicians in the driver's seat by allowing them to choose their next adventure. The values and culture consistently demonstrate alignment with having the best clinicians provide high-quality, safe patient care. Best colleagues (kind, smart, and innovative)!

Hobbies: Interior decorating, Orange Theory Fitness

Fun Fact: I went trick-or-treating at President Nixon's house as a child. He had such a presence! I will never forget his kindness and eggplant suit.

Caffeine choice: Dunkin Donuts unsweetened French Vanilla, black

Favorite meal: Manti (Armenian dumplings)

Favorite artist: Taylor Swift

Clinical pet peeve: Alarms that aren't responded to and keep ringing, IV tubing lines (spaghetti).

Favorite self-care act: Exercising

JoAnne Salreno, BS, ASN, RN

Education: Mercy College of Ohio (ADN), Youngstown State University (BA)

Why Nomad: I love working for Nomad as it gives me a chance to not only advocate for patients as a nurse, but for fellow clinicians who are on assignment.

Hobbies: Reading, spending time with my family, going to the beach.

Fun Fact: I interviewed Katie Couric at SunDance Film Festival in College for our school newspaper.

Caffeine choice: Coffee

Favorite meal: Pasta + Meatballs

Favorite artist: Taylor Swift

Clinical pet peeve: Not emptying the dirty linens at the end of the shift

Pets: A fluffy labradoodle, Chewbacca

Favorite self-care act: Doing the NY Times Crossword in the morning

Michael Guidry, MSN, BSN, RN

Education: Nicholls State University (BSN), University of South Alabama (MSN - Executive Nursing Administration)

Why Nomad: Nomad allows me to take my love of creating a safe and functional environment for nurses and have a much further reach than I could in the typical nursing setting.

Hobbies: Anything sports-related, I am in.

Fun Fact: I once quit a nursing job via email to backpack around Southeast Asia for four months (not my best professional moment).

Caffeine choice: Coffee

Next travel destination: Iceland

Favorite meal: Anything Thai. Or sushi.

Favorite artist: It varies by genre, but The Neighborhood probably.

Clinical pet peeve: Unlabeled IV infusion lines!

Pets: Milo (an eight-year-old Jack Russell mix)

Favorite self-care act: I love playing golf and tennis (slowly venturing to pickleball). Or just jogging to clear my head.

Tiff Miller, AAS, RT

Education: Collin College (AAS in Respiratory Care)

Why Nomad: I had been at the bedside for almost a decade and the thought of working on the other side of healthcare was interesting to me. I was also intrigued by being a part of building out Allied Health at Nomad and working to provide a friendly and usable platform for clinicians to find their next travel assignment.

Hobbies: Propagating plants, pilates, and creating art and cozy spaces.

Fun Fact: I am a double descendant of the Mayflower and my great-uncle invented the plastic twist-tie

Caffeine choice: Coffee with oat milk

Next travel destination: Washington D.C.

Favorite meal: I love Korean food - kimchi soup is a favorite and I don't want it if it is not volcano lava hot.

Favorite artist: Rembrandt. I’ve read many books about his work and it fascinates me. 

Clinical pet peeve: Albuterol "for fun" or being called to the bedside for a low pulse ox alarm only to find the pulse ox probe lying in the bed or on the floor.

Pets: Douglas Po, Augustus Bear, and Ramona Bea (all French bulldogs)

Favorite self-care act: I have this neck stretcher thingie that is supposed to be done for 10 minutes a day. I try to be religious about it and be in a quiet room when I do it. 

Valerie Gale, MS, BSN, RN

Education: University of Calgary (BSN), Dallas Baptist University (MS - Organizational Management)

Why Nomad: I loved the guiding light that Alexi, our CEO, shared with me from the beginning. I appreciate that he’s a clinician leading the company, and I believe we will always be able to "speak the same language".  

Hobbies: I love to cook, bake, and entertain for my family and friends. I also love to decorate my house and anyone else that will let me. And parties - my daughter and I would love to have a business one day where we do that ALL the time

Fun Fact: I've always wanted to be a nurse; when I was a little girl, I had my mom pin toilet paper to my head to make me a nurse's hat. I also gave all my dolls pretend medicine in the form of jelly beans.

Caffeine choice:  151 Coffee here in Plano; oat milk, half sweet lavender latte - hot or cold.

Next travel destination: Somewhere that I can lay by the beach, the pool, and in my room - and then repeat all of that while someone brings us food and drinks.

Favorite meal: I could eat a burger daily (like a really good one with french fries). But I also love good pasta and pizza.

Favorite artist:  I love so many–Morgan Wallen, then Sade and Nora Jones!

How can the Clinical Navigators help you?

We offer different services depending on where you are in the travel journey– here are some things we can do for you:

One-on-one coaching

Professional development doesn’t have to stop when you start traveling. We want our nurses and allied health clinicians to develop their skills and become more proficient in their clinical practice as they take on assignments. We do this by offering one-on-one coaching to our travelers. Sometimes, this can look like behavioral and professional conduct coaching. Other times, we may talk you through a clinical situation that you may not have felt comfortable with and give you additional resources to help you feel prepared next time.

Educational remediation

We provide educational support for our travelers, similar to how a unit educator would on staff. Before the first day of your assignment, you may have to pass various competencies and skills assessments. If you don’t pass some of these tests the first time, we can offer one-on-one educational remediation for topics you struggle with. Even the most seasoned clinicians need a refresher every once in a while—and our goal is to ensure that you’re as competent and prepared as possible going into your assignment.

Facility and clinician advocacy

Clinical Navigators also take on the role of an advocate for both Nomad's clinicians and the facilities they work with; this can look like gathering feedback from the facility about clinician performance along with clinician feedback about the facility where they worked.