What is a "professional" traveler?
Aug 1, 2006
By: Stephen Halasnik
Healthcare Traveler

My company has worked with thousands of healthcare providers. Some of them were new to the travel lifestyle when they registered with our staffing agency, while others were seasoned mobile providers.

While familiarity with being on the road is a plus, it is not necessarily the key characteristic of a quintessential traveler. A true professional is best defined by the endorsement of a hospital executive who says, "The clinician you placed is a good hire."

Providing support

Professional travelers maintain upbeat perspectives and make the best of any circumstances. They understand that many facilities are in need of their services due to a larger than expected census or a lack of available resources­and that permanent staff wants qualified practitioners who can provide much needed support quickly and competently.

Avoiding the unproductive

Professional travelers steer clear of hospital politics. In fact, a number of nurses, therapists, and technologists enjoy the traveling lifestyle because they're easily able to avoid this issue.

Mobile providers are often brought into facilities that are trying to boost morale as they cope with serious staffing shortages. To alleviate apprehension, management needs to educate core staff on the types of assistance supplemental staff can provide and encourage permanent employees to support travelers coming on board. While some staff members may still be resistant to change, it's important for traveling healthcare professionals to focus on patients and the tasks at hand, always being mindful to sidestep gossip and unproductive discussions that may arise in such challenging situations.

Being dependable

Professional travelers are reliable, arriving to work on time and competently fulfilling shifts. They recognize concerns of hospital administrators who turn to contingent staffing as a solution because of reliability issues experienced with registry or per diem providers.

Honoring a commitment

Most important, professional travelers appreciate how the healthcare travel industry operates. These clinicians realize assignments are commitments between agencies, specific facilities, and themselves­and that they are paid up to 30 percent more than registry providers because they can offer levels of experience and continuity of care not typically found through other avenues. All parties are expected to fulfill their ends of the bargain for the duration of contracts, which is typically a 13-week period. If problems arise, professional travelers endeavor to solve them or seek direction from their managers, directors, or recruiters. Ultimately, members of this group are defined by their attitudes and viewed as model healthcare practitioners for not only being highly skilled, but also becoming positive influences on those around them.

Attention Company Representatives

Healthcare Traveler invites you to share your perspectives and helpful "insider" information with nursing and allied health mobile providers and those considering careers in healthcare travel. Articles must be written as overviews of the industry as a whole and should not pertain directly to a particular staffing agency. For more information, please contact Managing Editor Bobbi Harrison at 800-948-8728 or bharrison@advanstar.com.

What can you learn from experienced travelers
May 1, 2006
By: Stephen Halasnik
Healthcare Traveler

For several years, my company has placed hundreds of travelers on assignments, and there is no doubt about it: expertise counts. From an agency perspective, my colleagues and I believe new healthcare travelers and clinicians interested in this career alternative can profit from the wisdom of veteran mobile providers. Here, I am pleased to share a number of their valuable insights.

Understanding your needs

For starters, experienced travelers know exactly what they want­and what they don't­in their next travel assignment. Those who have been on multiple assignments will tell their recruiters upfront the shifts they are willing to work, the facility sizes they prefer, which parts of the country they are interested in visiting, and the minimum hourly rate they'll consider. In general, nurses, therapists, and technologists accustomed to the mobile lifestyle grasp the consequence of communicating all their expectations.

To ensure they have an assortment of possibilities, many of these clinicians register with three to five staffing agencies when looking for new assignments. Typically, they select these firms based on a couple of factors, like representatives with whom they feel they have the best chemistry and their responsiveness.

Getting good company support

Because they deem solid company support as one of the most important employee benefits, seasoned supplemental staff members work with reliable recruiters. To determine whether or not a recruiter is sensitive to their needs, travelers will ask themselves more than a few questions. When we spoke, did the recruiter pose significant inquiries? Has she helped me­or someone I know­in the past? Is she straightforward? Does her agency offer assignments in geographic areas I find desirable? The bottom line: Within 5 minutes, most accomplished travelers can tell if a recruiter will be a good fit for them, and if he or she isn't, they aren't shy about finding another who is in sync with both their professional and personal goals.

Learning the ins and outs

When it comes to their income, experienced mobile providers understand the term "tax-free per diem." It's the government-published allowance for housing and meals not to be taxed if a traveling practitioner has a primary residence. Savvy travelers are familiar with their finances and know how to maximize nontaxable income.

Keeping it real

Above all else, veteran healthcare travelers are practical and flexible, recognizing that they are contracted to assist with serious staffing shortages at a variety of hospitals and other healthcare institutions throughout the country. While these professionals know their recruiters will try to make them happy, they also appreciate the difference between realistic and unreasonable requests. In summary, experienced travelers work with their companies to ensure all parties enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship­and every patient receives quality healthcare.