Travel Jobs: Competition Low, Opportunities High In March As Market Moves Into Spring
The travel healthcare job market is affected by a number of economic and environmental factors, but one of the most prevalent forces shifting job demand are the changes in season. As such, the spring season (and March in particular) represents a major transitional period for the market. Travelers are coming off of winter contracts and are looking for new opportunities in northern states that could turn into summer extensions. One could assume this would mean competition for jobs is fierce in March, but Oren Lavi with LiquidAgents Healthcare said the candidate pool is still slim despite the high number of open positions, meaning jobs are staying open for longer and are easier to book. Since the average length of most travel healthcare job contracts lasts 13 weeks, it’s reasonable to think that most travelers would have just finished their winter contracts from December and are now looking for new opportunities at the start of March. However, many travelers avoid working in December because of the holidays and instead wait until January to start a new contract. This means that, while competition is low for now, travelers can expect to see it ramp up towards the end of March and throughout April. “A lot of nurses need to make extension decisions, and once they do, the market will get flooded with available candidates,” Lavi said. Facilities are most committed to finding qualified candidates that are interested in extending through the summer, so travelers who have already found a breezy and adventurous summer vacation destination up north for their next contract are ahead of the curve. Keep an eye on states like Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington to offer enticing pay packages in March, because they may not stick around as we get closer to summer. Travel Healthcare Jobs March 2019 Here’s a quick breakdown of the states and travel healthcare job specialties that are most-in-demand now and are expected to stay popular in March, according to data provided by staffing industry sales and recruiting representatives. Arkansas RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, step-down/PCU Surgical Tech: OR, Cath Lab Illinois RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, step-down/PCU Surgical Tech: OR, Cath Lab Other Notes: Crisis bill rates were recently implemented at OSF HealthCare facilities in Illinois Indiana RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ER, ICU. Other Notes: Lots of openings in Indiana right now, but facilities are being more picky with candidates, so jobs are not moving as quickly as they did in February. Kentucky RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, step-down/PCU Surgical Tech: OR, Cath Lab Maine RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ER, ICU. Bill rates up by $10 more than usual on average. Other Notes: Maine is on fire—more than 20 medical-surgical and telemetry nurse needs have been posted in the past two weeks. Hospitals are staffing up for summer break. Nevada RN: Telemetry, OR, CVOR, ICU Surgical Tech: OR Non-Certified Surgical Tech: SPT Other Notes: ER needs are on the decline, but OR and ICU needs are picking up speed. Most positions are coming out of Reno. New Hampshire RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ER, ICU. Bill rates have remained high since the start of February. Other Notes: New Hampshire remains a hotspot for ICU needs offering premium bill rates. Oklahoma RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ER, ICU Other Notes: Not many job postings available, but when jobs open they close very fast. Quick on callbacks and interviews for qualified candidates. Pennsylvania RN: ICU, OR, medical-surgical, telemetry. Surgical Tech: OR Non-Certified Surgical Tech: SPT Other Notes: Bill rates in Pennsylvania are quite high compared to other states in the region, and have steadily increased in preparation for spring. Texas RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, step-down/PCU Surgical Tech: OR, Cath Lab
Travel Jobs: Where Travelers Applied In Sept., Oct. Market Predictions
October is a crucial month for the travel healthcare staffing industry as a whole. For staffing agencies, it marks the beginning of the busiest month of the year as healthcare providers recruit temporary staff at breakneck speeds. For healthcare providers, October is the final push to find as many quality temporary workers as possible to help carry operations through at least February. As a result, the last two weeks of September ramped up sharply in job board activity leading into October, mostly affecting states that are popular destinations for snowbird travelers who head for warm weather locations like Florida, Arizona and California. The record-breaking impact of Hurricane Florence also provided an unexpected boon for travel nurse needs in North Carolina, as hospitals located away from the coastline needed help dealing with the increased patient census due to hurricane evacuees. Travel healthcare jobs October 2018 In short, we expect the travel healthcare market and job board activity to remain red-hot throughout most of October, with the potential for a slight dip at the end of the month as less new needs hit the market. Most of the market activity is expected to be driven by core specialties—for travel nurses, this means a high number of medical-surgical, telemetry and ICU will be available. We are also starting to see a noticeable increase in OR job needs in the market, which is part of the expected year-end rush for scheduled elective surgeries. While most of the hospitals near the North Carolina coast have reopened in the weeks following Hurricane Florence, there is still a heavy demand for travel nurses in Charlotte and Wilmington, according to staffing agency sources. States that were popular in September will continue to remain popular this month, including California, Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Tennessee and parts of Texas. This is a result of the regular “snowbird” traveler migration and because most of those locations—excluding California—are often the first places affected by high levels of flu activity early in the season. At the same time, northern states will also see an increase in job needs as they will look to fill vacancies left by snowbird travelers. Some of those areas include Michigan, Wisconsin, Oregon, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Maine. Hospitals in northern states will also typically increase bill rates for travel contracts during this time to entice recruiters to submit quality candidates who will stay through the winter, which can translate into higher pay packages depending on what agencies travelers use. This mostly applies to the coldest areas like Michigan, Wisconsin and Maine, and not so much for winter tourist destinations like Colorado or Utah. Core specialties are expected to be the most in-demand. For travel nurses, this means medical-surgical, telemetry, and ICU. We also expect to see an increasing amount of OR job needs, as more elective surgeries take place during the end of the year. Let’s take a closer look at what we learned from the StaffDNA job board about where travelers applied in September. Michigan, Missouri enter the Top 10 Michigan jumped eight ranks from August to September, moving from No. 17 to No. 9. Missouri made a smaller climb of three ranks to take the No. 3 spot. We may see both states retain their top 10 status as winter approaches. Of the two, Missouri is most likely to drop in total traveler applications in October. The late-August hiring surge in St. Louis may have been a factor in the increase of applications for September, but we expect it to at least hang around the top 20 states for October. September’s Top Markets California Florida Texas North Carolina Georgia Pennsylvania Arizona Tennessee Michigan Missouri Virginia South Carolina Indiana West Virginia Wisconsin Arkansas Kentucky Iowa Nevada Oklahoma Maine Idaho New Mexico Oregon Hawaii Colorado Washington Ohio Illinois Alabama Alaska Massachusets Maryland Connecticut Kansas New Jersey Louisiana Minnesota Wyoming Montana New Hampshire New York Washington D.C. Mississippi North Dakota Nebraska Rhode Island South Dakota Vermont Delaware Utah
Travel Jobs: Where Travelers Applied in July, Expectations for August
Expectations were high for July to be a very active month on the StaffDNA job boards after a sharp jump in application volume in June, and travelers did not disappoint. The volume of applications increased by almost 20 percent, making it the second month in a row with a significant increase in job board activity. This positive trend can be linked to several factors: August is a historically busy month for hospitals in the U.S., but especially for pediatric facilities. Most school districts in the U.S. start the school year in mid- to late August, so parents are likely to bring their children in for a check-up or to update their immunizations. Experienced travelers who took off in the summer were on the hunt for fall assignments. “Snowbirds” who headed back to northern states during the summer are looking to migrate down south for the winter. Job volume kept up with traveler demand. Needs for skilled labor and delivery and OR professionals ramped up in late-June, and less popular summer vacation states were offering competitive pay packages. Travel Healthcare Jobs August 2018 We don’t expect to see another dramatic jump in job board activity for August, but we do expect hospitals will already start recruiting for winter travelers late in the month. “[Pediatrics], ICU, step down, [telemetry]—you’ll see hospitals start to book in September,” a LiquidAgents Healthcare source told HCT Today. “Hospitals that are budgeting and planning early are already putting out January needs.” A quick look at the StaffDNA job board shows several new positions posted within the last two weeks that have scheduled start dates in December. Let’s take a closer look at what we learned from July’s top markets. State ranks are starting to shake up June saw almost no major movement among the ranks of states where travelers applied to the most, but July showed hints of the upcoming seasonal shift, with more Southern states holding or moving up the list. Since August is a transitional month for the traveler job market, we expect to see much more dramatic shifting trends in where travelers apply for jobs. September may prove to be even more volatile, as travelers who got contract extensions through August will start actively seeking jobs. Arizona and Tennessee enter the Top 10 After a month out of the big leagues, Arizona jumped 10 ranks back up to the No. 6 spot of the top 10 most applied-to states. Tennessee also re-entered the top ranks at No. 7. Tennessee seems to be a fairly popular state year-round, but as we’ve seen Arizona is much more prone to seasonal changes. We may see it hop around the ranks in August and September, but we expect it and New Mexico to be very popular with travelers in the winter months. Massachusetts makes the biggest jump, Illinois falls the farthest Illinois dropped 14 ranks, from the edge of the top 10 at No. 11 to middle of the pack at No. 25. Meanwhile, Massachusetts regained most of the ground it lost in June, moving up 12 ranks from No. 41 to No. 29. The drop for Illinois is expected—the northern state enjoys more popularity in the spring, but travelers may be looking to get out before the winter season hits. The state experiences five severe winter storms on average between November and April, according to information from the state’s climatologist office. Massachusetts frequently hangs around the middle of the pack for total applications, so we expect it to mostly maintain its rank during the coming months. July’s Top Markets California Florida Texas North Carolina Georgia Arizona Pennsylvania Tennessee Michigan Virginia Wisconsin Arkansas South Carolina Kentucky Missouri Nevada Iowa Indiana Maine Oklahoma West Virginia New Mexico Oregon Indiana Illinois Colorado Ohio Hawaii Massachusetts Alabama Washington New York Minnesota Maryland Louisiana Montana New Jersey Kansas Mississippi Alaska Wyoming Nebraska Utah Connecticut District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) South Dakota Vermont North Dakota New Hampshire Rhode Island Delaware
Top 10 Highest Paying Travel Healthcare Jobs: July 2
Happy Independence Day week, everyone! As our nation’s birthday approaches, we can think of no better way to celebrate than by finding the hottest travel healthcare jobs in the good old U.S. of A. The highest packages this week come out of California, which should be no surprise if you’ve visited our Travel Nursing Pay Package state ranking list, but it does track with our story about how labor and delivery and OR jobs have heated up in the past two weeks. Going forward, we also plan to arrange our list by highest listed pay to lowest for your convenience. Want to see us highlight some other states, specialties or professions in our list next week? Let us know in the comments! Travel Healthcare Jobs: July 2-6 Editor’s Note: The details listed below are subject to change based on contract availability. 1. RN- OR, Travel Location: Palm Springs, California Weekly Pay: $2,898 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 2. RN- OR, Travel Location: Chico, California Weekly Pay: $2,680 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 3. RN- OR, Travel Location: Bangor, Maine Weekly Pay: $2,586 Duration: 15 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 4. RN- Labor and Delivery (L&D) Location: Atlanta, Georgia Weekly Pay: $2,050 Duration: 13 Weeks Night Shift View this Travel Job >> 5. RN- Medical-Surgical, Travel Location: Chinle, Arizona Weekly Pay: $1,996 Duration: 13 Weeks Day/Night Rotate View this Travel Job >> 6. RN- OR, Travel Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania Weekly Pay: $1,886 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 7. RN- Medical-Surgical, Travel Location: Reno, Nevada Weekly Pay: $1,860 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 8. Certified SurgTech- CVOR, Travel Location: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina Weekly Pay: $1,822 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 9. Certified SurgTech- CVOR, Travel Location: Brookfield, Wisconsin Weekly Pay: $1,784 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 10. RN- OR, Travel Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania Weekly Pay: $1,741 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >>
Top 10 Highest Paying Travel Healthcare Jobs: June 25
Another hot week of summer means another week of hot travel healthcare jobs, and we’ve got the scoop on great positions around the nation from StaffDNA job board data. If you’ve kept up with our posts each week, you’ll notice a subtle change—we’ve switched our headline from just “nursing” jobs to “healthcare,” because we’ve also found a couple of great travel surgical tech positions this week. We talk a lot about the travel nursing market on HCT Today, but we also want to highlight other opportunities from week to week for our non-nurse readers as well. Now that we’ve covered the fun part, let’s check out this week’s top jobs. Travel Nursing Jobs: June 25-30 Editor’s Note: The details listed below are subject to change based on contract availability. 1. RN-Telemetry, Travel Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania Weekly Pay: $1,741 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 2. RN- Telemetry (TELE), Travel Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania Weekly Pay: $1,881 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 3. RN- Medical-Surgical, Travel Location: Chinlee, Arizona Weekly Pay: $1,996 Duration: 13 Weeks Day/Night Rotating View this Travel Job >> 4. RN- Medical-Surgical, Travel Location: Reno, Nevada Weekly Pay: $1,860 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 5. RN- OR, Travel Location: Palm Springs, California Weekly Pay: $2,898 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 6. RN- OR, Travel Location: Chico, California Weekly Pay: $2,680 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 7. RN- Labor and Delivery (L&D), Travel Location: Atlanta, Georgia Weekly Pay: $2,050 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 8. RN- Telemetry (TELE), Travel Location: Memphis, Tennessee Weekly Pay: $1,746 Duration: 13 Weeks Night Shift View this Travel Job >> 9. Certified SurgTech-First Assist Location: Lafayette, Indiana Weekly Pay: $2,108 Duration: 8 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> 10. Certified SurgTech-Sterile Processing, Travel Location: Columbia, Tennessee Weekly Pay: $1,562 Duration: 13 Weeks Day Shift View this Travel Job >> Didn’t find the job you’re looking for? You can view more travel healthcare job opportunities here.
Travel Nurse Jobs: Top 10 States in Spring 2018, Summer Market Predictions
There’s been a big shakeup in state rankings for where travelers are applying for jobs, according to Staff DNA job board data. Most of the movement is a result of the annual summer “migration”, where travelers who came south from their home states for warmer weather are heading back north, but there are a few surprises among the ranks. The main takeaway is the expected March spike in job applications wasn’t as high as we thought, although there was a gradual increase in the volume of applications in March and April. Part of the slower increase can potentially be attributed to the record-breaking flu season we experienced this year, which caused a large push for swamped healthcare facilities to offer contract extensions earlier. More extensions mean a delay in job applications, so we could see an increase in job applications by the end of this month, but we expect that number of submissions will plateau going into June as travelers lock down their mid-year, vacation contracts. “We’re not seeing additional needs at facilities, but instead it’s a transferring of needs,” said Oren Lavi, a director of client advisory at LiquidAgents Healthcare. “The net number of new nurses entering the market is not as high, but the job demand is still there as hospitals look to fill backfill positions and curb seasonal turnover.” Let’s take a closer look at changes to our state rankings. Ohio, Illinois, Arizona and Michigan crack the Top 10 Four states that typically hang around the middle of the pack in job applications quickly climbed the ranks this spring. The most dramatic jump was Ohio, which moved up seven spots, almost replacing New York in the top 5 most applied for states. Nevada makes the highest jump; Virginia falls from the top Nevada moved from No. 32 to No. 19 in the rankings, showing the most dramatic increase in job applications. Part of the state’s popularity could be attributed to recent job offerings out of Reno. Facilities in the city are offering noticeably high pay packages for both medical/surgical and telemetry contracts, according to StaffDNA listings. Meanwhile, Virginia has moved from its lofty spot at No. 7 down to No. 24, dropping 17 spots to the middle of the pack. It’s not unexpected to see this change as travelers move back north, but we expect some of that demand to return as Virginia is among the top five hottest travel destinations for summer 2018. Other popular summer vacation states like Hawaii and Colorado should also move up the ranks. May’s Top Markets Texas California Florida North Carolina New York Ohio Georgia Michigan Arizona Illinois South Carolina New Jersey Tennessee Missouri Philadelphia Alabama Colorado Mississippi Nevada Indiana Arkansas Kentucky Oregon Virginia Washington Hawaii Louisiana Oklahoma West Virginia Iowa Utah Connecticut District of Columbia Maryland Maine Montana New Hampshire New Mexico Wisconsin Delaware Kansas Minnesota South Dakota Massachusetts North Dakota Rhode Island Wyoming Idaho Nebraska Vermont Alaska Editor’s note: This list is created by analyzing the number of travel nurses applying for jobs in these individual states and Washington D.C. Is not necessarily an indicator of traveler interest in these states or of job volume. Application data comes from the StaffDNA jobs database.
Travel Nurse Market: High facility turnover expected as heavy flu season winds down
This year’s brutal flu season in the U.S. has lost its edge in recent weeks, according to the most recent Center for Disease Control data, but not without leaving a heavy impact on patients and facilities during the peak mid-winter months. An estimated 160 children died from the flu between fall 2017 and spring 2018, marking the deadliest flu season since 2012-2013 with 171 deaths, according to CDC data. That number is expected to rise once the data is finalized, according to a report on USA Today. <a href=’#’><img alt=’Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza HospitalizationsPreliminary cumulative rates as of 04-21-2018 * ** ‘ src=’https://public.tableau.com/static/images/CD/CDCFluData2017-2018/Sheet1/1_rss.png’ style=’border: none’ /></a> The season also saw cumulative hospitalizations across all age ranges of 105 out of every 100,000 people as a result of the virus. People age 65 and older were affected the most, with 454 hospitalizations out of 100,000 people at the peak of the season in mid-April. Facilities were swamped trying to meet patient care needs around the country, meaning travelers who locked down their contracts at the start of the year were offered extensions much earlier than expected, LiquidAgents Healthcare director of client advisory Oren Lavi said. “There was a major push for extensions early this year,” Lavi said. “On a typical 13-week contract, hospitals will wait 30 days or longer to offer extensions to travelers, but we were getting extension offers within two weeks of them starting at a facility.” During the seasonal transition in the next few weeks, travelers who impressed their facilities could potentially see additional extension offers as hospitals plan their summer staffing needs, Lavi said. The number of back-fill opportunities should also increase as hospital evaluate their staffing needs after the difficult flu season, Lavi said. “This is the time when hospitals will cut staff that didn’t perform as well as they hoped, but they still had to hire to meet patient care demands at the facility,” Lavi said. “Once those positions are cut, hospitals will have to back-fill to keep things running smoothly.”
Location and Legislation: Factors Impacting the Traveler Job Market (Part 2)
In this two-part series, HCT Today asked Oren Lavi, director of client advisory at LiquidAgents Healthcare, about what major factors impact where travel nurses tend to work and why. To read Part 1, click here. Fewer staff nurses, more jobs One of the more obvious factors that drive travel nurses to a location is to fill the gaps at understaffed or overworked facilities around the country. The aging Baby Boomer population is the primary catalyst for this staffing void; as the senior citizen population grows, demand for ongoing care will skyrocket. Aging also affects the staff nurse population, as one-third of the current nursing workforce is expected to retire over the next decade. It’s not all doom and gloom–the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of registered nurses to climb 15 percent by 2026, meaning more than 435,000 nurses are expected join the workforce. Until then, hospitals will lean on travelers to ease the employment shift. “Just generally speaking there’s a nursing shortage,” Lavi said. “When I started in this market 10 years ago, there was a demand, but it has just exploded recently. The volume of needs has increased. Not only the numbers of facilities that use travelers in general but the number they’re asking for has actually increased.” Hospitals are also seeking travelers as a cost-effective stop-gap to hiring permanent staff, according to a 2017 U.S. hospital nursing labor cost study conducted by KPMG. While staff nurses typically see a much lower base wage, hospitals also have to account for insurance, training and recruiting costs–things that are handled by staffing agencies for travel nurses. Since these extra costs are handled by agencies, travel nurses actually end up costing less on average than staff nurses, according to the study. Mergers and acquisitions Hospital and staffing agency mergers were announced at a record-breaking pace in 2017, and that trend is expected to continue this year. These mergers can be a double-edged sword for the market, Lavi said. Hospital mergers could bring benefits to nurses, depending on if they are acquired by larger hospital systems. In most cases, a larger hospital system that is already used to having supplemental staff will implement the same policies at new facilities they acquire, Lavi said. Hospitals acquired by smaller entities will often try to cut down on supplemental staff to manage operating costs–but this usually has a negative effect on full-time nurses, which generates even more need for travelers. “It creates a complete 180 [degree] effect,” Lavi said. “Hospitals realize their permanent staff is overworked; they’re working with higher ratios; they’re working too hard, and they actually now need more supplemental staff than if they had supplemented just a little more in the beginning.” The goals of the traveler It’s up to individual nurses to decide where they want to work and why, but knowing these market factors can help travelers plan proactively, Lavi said. One of the best ways to stay informed is to find a source you can trust, like a good recruiter, and to ask plenty of questions. “If a nurse is not asking questions, sometimes their recruiter will be so focused on finding their next position that they forget to give them the information to make the proper decision,” Lavi said. Sometimes the best question a traveler should ask themselves is why they are traveling in the first place. “Some nurses want to go to a destination because that’s where they want to go,” Lavi said. “Some of them have family in the area and it’s a good way to spend 13 weeks. Some nurses want to try out a state before potentially relocating there, and some nurses just want to go for the adventure. “It could be just about anything, but really it’s the nurse’s individual preference as to what factors guide them to either get into travel nursing or traveling to certain destinations.”
Travel Nursing Jobs: Midwest States To Consider
Part of the appeal of a travel nurse career is the adventure–the opportunity to discover places you’ve never been before. But those places aren’t just on the coast or in the mountains. There are literally travel nursing jobs everywhere, and America is a big place. We want to take a look at some of those markets that you may have missed in your last job search. We start in the Midwest. Illinois travel nursing jobs Where are the jobs: All over, and more are being added every day. What specialties are these hospitals looking for: Any and all, the jobs are plentiful How quick are the hospitals hiring: Almost immediately. Most interviews are being done the same day resumes are submitted. How easy is it to get a state license: This is where it can get tricky in Illinois. It takes between four and six weeks for a state license to be issued, so accepting your first Illinois assignment takes a bit of preparation. Where many get hung up is submitting an incomplete file. When the state receives an incomplete file, it uses the U.S Postal Service to notify the nurse and requests missing documents be sent back to the state in the same way. That creates a nearly two week delay. Then once the state receives the documents, the four- to six-week clock starts over. So, if you aren’t careful, getting an Illinois nursing license can become a months long process. One way around this, if you’re applying from a neighboring state, is to go to either Chicago or Springfield to the state nursing board’s offices with your full file and ask for a review before you submit your application for a license. It will still take up to six weeks to get the license, but you avoid those delays caused by missing documents. Indiana travel nursing jobs Where in the state are the jobs: Obviously, there are jobs in Indianapolis, but there are also several opportunities in Fort Wayne and Evansville. What specialties are these hospitals looking for: Right now there seems to be a growing number of Med Surg/TELE positions as well as ICU How quick are the hospitals to hire: The answer here obviously depends on the facility, but some hospitals are interviewing the same day candidates are submitted. How easy is it to get a state license: Indiana is not a member of the Enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact, so before accepting a placement there you’ll need a temporary license. Indiana isn’t a walk-through state either, so make sure you leave two to four weeks for the state to issue your license once it’s received all of the required documentation. The license is valid for 90 days. Here are the documents you’ll need to provide: Completed application — notarization is required for a temporary license A 2 ½ X 3 ½ Photo signed on front Proof of current active license Verification of original state license Verification of ALL licenses held, current or expired Completed fingerprint card, not complete prior to sending in the application Missouri travel nursing jobs Where are the jobs: Sedalia, Springfield, St. Louis and surrounding cities What specialties are these hospitals looking for: Med Surg & TELE RN’s are the biggest needs at this time. How quick are the hospitals to hire: Interview typically happen within 48 hours How easy is it to get a state license: Missouri is a compact state, so if you already have a multistate license then you are cleared to work. If you don’t have a multistate license, Missouri is a walk-through state. Go to the board of nursing in Jefferson City and you can leave with an active Missouri temporary license. When you go, you’ll need a completed application, a copy of your current active state license, and proof of your fingerprint registration.
Where Did The ER Jobs Go?
If you’ve made your career working in the emergency room, it may feel like those ER jobs that had become harder to come by are now coming back. While the harsher-than-expected flu season may have made that temporarily true, the reality is that eventually the tighter market for ER jobs will return. Overall, limited needs have off-set the market, making it more difficult for some to find the ideal assignment. There are a couple of reasons for that. First, health systems are opening more and more free-standing ERs as a way to alleviate some of the wait times at the more traditional emergency rooms inside of a hospital. Second, insurance companies are incentivizing the use of urgent care facilities by lowering the copays for urgent care visits to a fraction of what it costs to visit the ER. Both of these tactics are working, so hospital emergency rooms are seeing more true emergent cases, but, overall the number of cases coming in is down. That reduces the need for ER staff and, in turn, the need for ER travelers. So, what do you do if you’re an ER specialist caught in that crunch? Here are a couple of ideas. Consider other departments Yes, you love the ER, but have you ever stopped to consider why? Is it the pace? Is it the adrenaline rush? Is it the interaction with a specific type of patient? Take a moment to make that list then share that list with your recruiter. Chances are good that there is another department inside the hospital that would give you those things that you enjoy about your ER job. For instance, the pace in some med/surg departments can be very similar to the ER if you are in the right hospital. Or a job in the ICU could keep you in contact with patients needing critical care, just like the ER. And don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you have to take a staff job to get the experience you need to be considered for a placement in a new hospital. Yes, it would help, but if you enjoy the traveling lifestyle there are hospitals that will consider your overall experience and hire you for a position outside of your specialty. Your recruiter should know where those hospitals are and help you find a placement that’s open to considering you. Optimize your resume If you’ve been relying on a bare bones resume that lists little more than dates and locations of employment to land you your next job, then it’s time for you and your recruiter to get to work. You two need to build a resume that highlights you and your actual capabilities not just your work history. Start by giving more details about those places you’ve worked. How many beds were in the facility? How many in the unit? This will tell any future employers about the kind of pace you can handle. Did you float? Indicate to where; it implies potential additional skills or experience that a hospital could consider valuable. Most critically, though, is telling more about what you actually did at each assignment. Who did you provide care to? What did you do when providing that care? Did you pick up any special skills, like being able to provide critical drips? All of that shows what you are capable of, and it can be the difference between getting an interview and not. So, yes, the ER job market is tightening up, but that doesn’t mean you have to leave traveling if ER is your specialty.