Traveler Tips: Benefits And Challenges Of Traveling As A Team
By Stephen Stockhausen, PT, DPT, OCS, Contributing Writer, PT Adventures The travel physical therapist life is pretty incredible—bouncing around to new places, new jobs, new friends and new adventures! But it is no secret that life on the road alone can get lonely. This is where travel teams come in. Simply put, a travel physical therapist team is a pair of PTs (or any combination of PTs, occupational therapists, registered nurses, speech-language pathologists, dieticians, physician assistants, medical doctors/osteopathic medical doctors, respiratory therapists, etc.) that decide to explore the world together. Teams do not necessarily have to be in the same field, and often it is easier to have different professions in order to find jobs in the same locations. Travel teams have a few distinct challenges and benefits that should be considered before you combine powers with another fellow traveler. Challenges of being a travel physical therapist team Job selection via GIPHY As a pair of PT travelers ourselves, we have had to accept that most of the quaint mountain towns we want to explore do not have two openings for PTs at that exact same time. If we had separate specialties this might be a different story. We have accepted that for us to be in the same general location we must consider larger towns or cities to find two PT jobs at once. Neither of us is dead set on working for the same company or even in the same town as one another. However, with our new child, we do require that we can still live together regardless of where we are working. Commuting distance For this reason, we have created what we call the “60-Minute Rule” for job locations. We will consider jobs that are within a 60-minute drive from one another as long as there are viable housing options in between them. (Notice that we do not call it the “60-Mile Rule” California traffic can be crazy!) This ensures that, at worst, one of us will have an hours drive to work, and at best we each have only a 30-minute commute. Enacting this rule requires some research, however. In Alaska, Ellen took a job in downtown Anchorage, while I was in Eagle River. My facility provided us with free housing, walkable to the clinic, and it was only 13 miles from Anchorage, so obviously we lived in Eagle River. Initially, we thought this was going to be a simple solution and would fit our rule easily. What we did not consider was winter traffic on Glenn Highway! Road Rage GIF from Roadrage GIFs Anchorage sits on a precipitously skinny sliver of flat land wedged between the Chugach Mountains and the Cook Inlet. Flatland is at a premium in Alaska, so there is literally only one road connecting the two towns. Ellen would frequently have 75-90 minute commutes as the highway would be bumper to bumper due to a moose kill or black ice. Lesson learned. Being flexible with your job selection and keeping in mind the “60-Minute Rule” will keep your travel team resentment-free and happy as clams. Benefits of traveling as a team Travel physical therapist teams have some distinct advantages over solo travelers. Shared expenses, added safety, and friends are just a few. Shared expenses via GIPHY By far, the biggest benefit for a travel physical therapist team is shared housing costs. For most of us, housing is the largest single monthly expense (assuming you are not drowning in loan debt). Being able to split the burden between both of you will save some considerable cash. Even up-sizing to a two- or three-bedroom place won’t compare to the cost of renting a one bedroom apartment. Many travel teams can save $300-500 per month each by pairing up and splitting housing costs. Other shared expenses can also add a little extra cash to the coffers. One travel nursing team we are good friends with were big time city girls. They took jobs in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Denver to name a few. In doing so, they often only required one car, as city transportation in large metropolitan areas is frequently cheaper and less of a headache to manage. Plus, a bus pass is far cheaper than gas and parking in most major cities. Safety I only bring this up because of the huge number of questions regarding safe travel as a single person. Our fear-obsessed society loves bad news, and as we have all heard, “if it bleeds, it leads.” Having worked home health jobs in two of Californias most “dangerous” cities, I firmly believe the world is not out to get you. via GIPHY However, we all must do our due diligence to ensure personal safety. Traveling as a team provides one more layer of protection against a dangerous situation from happening. It’s one more set of eyes and ears, and one more rational mind to help make the good decisions that prevent problems from ever starting. Friends By far the best gift that this lifestyle has provided us is the friendships we have made across the country. That being said, there are some lonely times out there. Many of our solo travel buddies have lamented about periods of loneliness they deal with. Most often this is at the beginning of a contract before they have been able to settle in and meet new people, but it’s still a problem. Having a travel buddy helps to inoculate yourself from these feelings. You will have someone to explore with and someone to commiserate with on bad days. Someone to help you out of a jam and someone to push you into new, uncomfortable, and exciting situations. As you each branch out and make new friends, your travel buddy will provide a solid base that you can build a new community around. via GIPHY Being a travel PT team has been a life changer for us. We went from drowning in student loan debt in permanent positions to debt free in four years (less than 2 years as
Modern Healthcare Recognizes Staffing Agencies In ‘Best Places To Work’ 2019 List
Modern Healthcare, an organization that focuses on healthcare business news, analytics, research and data, released their annual ‘Best Places To Work in Healthcare’ awards list last Saturday, and several travel nursing and allied healthcare staffing agencies were named among the winners. The ‘Best Places To Work’ awards seek to identify and recognize outstanding healthcare employers on a national level, according to their website. Companies that choose to participate for the award are selected for the list through confidential employee surveys. The surveys measure key factors to success, like work-life balance, benefits and employee satisfaction. “Organizations making this year’s list of ‘Best Places to Work in Healthcare’ stand out in their efforts to create an empowered and satisfied workforce,” Modern Healthcare said in a recent post. “They did so by nurturing a sense of loyalty and building engagement.” The alphabetical list released recognizes 150 healthcare companies, and the official rankings will be released on September 26 at the Best Places To Work in Healthcare Gala. They will also be featured in a supplement published with Modern Healthcare’s Sept. 30 issue, according to the post. Among the winners, travel staffing agencies LiquidAgents Healthcare and Aya Healthcare are both repeat honorees. This marks the 11th year in a row that LiquidAgents Healthcare, based out of Plano, Texas, has been recognized as a ‘Best Place to Work’, according to their company press release. “It’s an honor to be recognized among the nation’s top healthcare companies to work for in the country,” LiquidAgents Healthcare CEO Sheldon Arora said in a press release. “We’ve established a unique, collaborative culture with a key focus in mind: to help employees be as successful as possible in their roles and careers. Our team’s positivity and dedication shine through in everything we do.” Aya Healthcare made the list for the third consecutive year, according to a company press release. President and CEO Alan Braynin said the recognition highlight’s Aya’s focus in providing an engaging and exciting workplace. “This recognition is a testament to our belief that giving employees freedom, flexibility and a voice is beneficial for the entire company, including the clinicians and clients we serve,” Braynin said in the release. Other staffing agencies that made the 2019 list include CHG Healthcare, MPLT Healthcare, and several other non-travel specific staffing companies. The full list can be viewed below or on the Modern Healthcare website. COMPANY LOCATION Abrom Kaplan Memorial Hospital Kaplan, La. American College of Cardiology Washington, D.C. Atlantic Health System Morristown, N.J. Bailey Medical Center Owasso, Okla. Beach Cities Health District Redondo Beach, Calif. Black River Memorial Hospital Black River Falls, Wis. Bridge Connector Nashville CAQH Washington, D.C. CareSource Dayton, Ohio Carolina Caring Newton, N.C. Catholic Health Services of Long Island Centre, N.Y. CHG Healthcare Midvale, Utah Choice Recovery Columbus, Ohio Cleveland Clinic Cleveland CollaborateMD Orlando, Fla. Conway Regional Health System Conway, Ark. Corazon Pittsburgh Cox Monett Hospital Monett, Mo. Crothall Healthcare Wayne, Pa. Deaconess-The Women’s Hospital Newburgh, Ind. Divurgent Virginia Beach, Va. Elevate Healthcare Consultants Plano, Texas Encompass Health – Home Health & Hospice Dallas Epion Health Hoboken, N.J. Equiscript North Charleston, S.C. Excel Health Philadelphia Forcura Jacksonville, Fla. Galen Healthcare Solutions Chicago Guadalupe Regional Medical Center Seguin, Texas Harmony Healthcare IT South Bend, Ind. Health By Design Medical Group San Antonio Health Catalyst Salt Lake City Health Recovery Solutions Hoboken, N.J. HealthFirst TPA Tyler, Texas HealthRise Southfield, Mich. Heart Care Imaging Tequesta, Fla. Heart ‘n Home Hospice Fruitland, Idaho Hendrick Health System Abilene, Texas Henry County Hospital Napoleon, Ohio Hillcrest Hospital Cushing Cushing, Okla. Hillcrest Hospital Henryetta Henryetta, Okla. Hillcrest Hospital Pryor Pryor, Okla. Hosparus Health Louisville, Ky. IEP (Independent Emergency Physicians) Farmington Hills, Mich. Impact Advisors Naperville, Ill. Imprivata Lexington, Mass. Infusion Express Brentwood, Tenn. Innovative Health Scottsdale, Ariz. Intelligent InSites West Fargo, N.D. J2 Interactive Charlestown, Mass. Jackson Physician Search Alpharetta, Ga. Jamestown Regional Medical Center Jamestown, N.D. Jellyfish Health Panama City, Fla. KeyBridge Medical Revenue Care Lima, Ohio King’s Daughters Medical Center Brookhaven, Miss. Landmark Health Huntington Beach, Calif. Lee’s Summit Medical Center Lee’s Summit, Mo. Lexington Regional Health Center Lexington, Neb. Licking Memorial Health Systems Newark, Ohio LiquidAgents Healthcare Plano, Texas LiveData Cambridge, Mass. Loma Linda University Medical Center-Surgical Hospital San Bernardino, Calif. Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency Covington Lovelace UNM Rehabilitation Hospital Albuquerque Lovelace Women’s Hospital Albuquerque Marathon Health Winooski, Vt. Medasource Royal Oak, Mich. Medical Advantage Group Ann Arbor, Mich. Medpricer Walnut Creek, Calif. Melissa Memorial Hospital Holyoke, Colo. Memorial Healthcare System Hollywood, Fla. Mercy Health-Tiffin Hospital Tiffin, Ohio Mercy Health-Willard Hospital Willard, Ohio Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Hospital San Antonio Metrolina Nephrology Associates Charlotte, N.C. Morrison Healthcare Sandy Springs, Ga. MPLT Healthcare Coral Springs, Fla. MTS Physical Therapy & Wellness Lafayette, La. Nathan Adelson Hospice Las Vegas National Medical Billing Services St. Louis Navin, Haffty & Associates Westborough, Mass. NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants) Johns Creek, Ga. Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center Chanute, Kan. Nova Healthcare Administrators Buffalo, N.Y. Pacific Companies Aliso Viejo, Calif. Parkview Huntington Hospital Huntington, Ind. Parkview LaGrange Hospital LaGrange, Ind. Parkview Noble Hospital Kendallville, Ind. Parkview Wabash Hospital Wabash, Ind. Parkview Whitley/Warsaw Hospital Columbia City, Ind. Pelham Medical Center Greer, S.C. Physicians Surgical Hospitals Amarillo, Texas Propeller Health Madison, Wis. Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Mission Hills, Calif. Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance, Calif. Rendina Healthcare Real Estate Jupiter, Fla. Rio Grande Regional Hospital McAllen, Texas RiverView Health Crookston, Minn. Santa Rosa Consulting Franklin, Tenn. Seton Medical Center Harker Heights Harker Heights, Texas Shriners Hospitals for Children-Erie Erie, Pa. Signature Performance Omaha, Neb. Southern Tennessee Regional Health System-Pulaski Pulaski St. Bernards Medical Center Jonesboro, Ark. Stillwater Medical Center Stillwater, Okla. Sutter Amador Hospital Jackson, Calif. Sutter Roseville Medical Center Roseville, Calif. Tandigm Health West Conshohocken, Pa. TigerConnect Santa Monica, Calif. Tri-Cities Cancer Center Kennewick, Wash. TSI Healthcare Chapel Hill, N.C. Tulsa Spine & Specialty Hospital Tulsa, Okla. University Hospital & Clinics Lafayette, La. Uvalde Memorial Hospital Uvalde, Texas Wallowa County Health Care District Enterprise, Ore. Weber Human Services Ogden, Utah
Stocking Up: 4 Ways To Cheaply Furnish Your Travel Nurse Short Term Rental
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life Editor’s note: Stocking Up is a three-part miniseries that covers the essential travel items and furnishing methods Alex McCoy uses to make it feel more like home at each new travel assignment without breaking the bank. Click here to read part one, or click here to read part two. One of the best ways to save money on short term rentals is to do a little more leg work when it comes to furnishings, linens, or other household supplies. While fully furnished places might sound appealing, opting to furnish a rental yourself may be a great way to save money while on a travel nurse assignment. There are several ways to approach furnishing a short term rental, from bare bones furnishings up to move-in ready packages. This week I want to share some ways to save money while furnishing a rental yourself. These options won’t get you a decked-out crib, but hopefully, you will be able to weigh the pros, cons, and cost of each option and make the best decision for you. How To Furnish A New Rental As A Travel Nurse Option One: Bare bones furnishings. Most travel healthcare workers are minimalists at heart. If all of your belongings fit into your vehicle, chances are most of your life is pretty “no frills”. As a result, I have seen many travelers opt for the most basic of furnishings to save money and time. Many of these travelers will simply invest in a decent air mattress and use plastic tubs as tables in their home. They will sometimes buy inflatable couches or a cheap futon to act as a couch. Camp chairs also work well for watching TV or eating dinner if you want to avoid purchasing actual furniture. While this may seem extreme to some people, to others this is simply a practical way to live to save money. If you are not entertaining guests and sleep well on an inflatable bed, there may be no reason to spend money on any more furniture than what can fit in your car. Option Two: Purchase cheaply or find free furniture. Some travelers prefer to purchase gently used furniture at the beginning of each assignment or even find offers for free furniture on Facebook or Craigslist. One great way to source cheap furniture or other household items is to find a local traveler page for the city you are living in. By searching “City + Travel Nurses” on Facebook you can find a specific group for almost every major city in the United States. I have seen many furniture listings on such groups, and most travelers looking to sell will list their whole apartment as a lot for an incredibly low price. The downside to this option is having to then get rid of the furniture at the end of each assignment. However, it can be easy to simply offload possessions in the way you acquired them: by listing them for very cheap or free on different networks. This also requires some leg work the last few weeks of an assignment when you have to coordinate pick up times and meet-ups. One way to skip this hassle would be to simply donate items, or you could re-list as a lot for people to pick up in one go. Option Three: Rent cheap from a furniture store. If you go online and browse some of the more popular rental furniture stores, you will notice that a full apartment worth of rental pieces will run several hundred dollars. But what they don’t tell you is if you go in person to the store they will have a selection of gently used pieces that may not be as “pretty” as the online photos but will be just as functional. You don’t actually have to rent a full package—you can simply pick the basic necessities (think mattress, couch, coffee table, TV stand) and build your own perfect package. Some of these stores will even have furniture that can be sold and delivered for cheaper than renting it, but once again you will have to decide if purchasing and then reselling is worth the money you may save up front. Option Four: Scout out locally-owned furniture stores for deals. Last time we rented furniture ourselves, we found an incredible deal from a local furniture shop. We initially planned on just renting the basics, but the cost of an entire apartment worth of furniture was less than $200 so we splurged a little to make our place feel more like home. Because locally owned stores have less overhead they may be able to keep prices down. This is even more common in areas with large military bases where renting furniture is a much more common practice. These types of places may be easier to find in person once you arrive at your destination. You can simply plan on using an air mattress for the first couple of nights while checking out the local area for potential rental shops. Or, combine all of the above. Some travelers will simply rent or purchase a couch while sleeping on an air mattress and using a plastic bin for a TV stand. Regardless of how you make it work, all that matters is that you are comfortable and happy with your living space. By getting a little creative when deciding how to furnish your travel nurse apartment, you can skip the big prices and still end up with just what you need. Skip the major websites, look for local travelers offloading items, and itemize rather than renting full packages to save cash all around. Make note of what furniture you actually use on a regular basis rather than worrying about filling space, and it will be easy to see what the must-haves are for each assignment. << Part Two: Saving Money On Essentials For Your New Travel Home
Travel Healthcare Jobs: Market Healthy In April As Seasonal Shift Continues
It’s not just the grass that’s growing greener in April—recruiters and industry insiders say the job market is still quite hot following a job-heavy March. Travel nurses and allied healthcare professional are also officially out of their winter contracts and on the hunt for spring and summer positions, meaning competition has picked up significantly and created a healthy, active market for recruiters and agencies. There are plenty of states to choose from this month for job opportunities, but Florida sticks out as the most odd choice, said David Kinslow, a senior client advisor for LiquidAgents Healthcare. Florida is already one of the most popular destinations for travel healthcare professionals, and as such typically has no problems finding travelers to fill needs especially during summer vacation months. The difference this spring is because of Hurricane Michael, Kinslow said. The Category 4 storm devestated several cities in the Florida panhandle and along the coastline, and many of those communities are still recovering. This has caused serious problems when trying to find housing for travelers, but it has also caused a rare increase in job orders with higher bill rates for the state, Kinslow said. “A lot of the facilities in the panhandle are screaming for help and this also why they’re bumping up their bill rates,” Kinslow said. Travel Healthcare Jobs April 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 April, according to data provided by staffing industry sales and recruiting representatives. Arizona RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ICU. Limited options in other specialties. Allied: Surgical techs (OR, sterile processing) Other Notes: “A new hospital opening in Phoenix has taken full-time staff away from other hospitals. Also, government facilities (Indian Health Service) are needing more help.” Arkansas RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, PCU/IMC, ICU Allied: Respiratory therapists Florida RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ICU, ER Other Notes: “Bill rates are higher in the Florida panhandle where hospitals need the most help. Georgia RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ICU. Limited options in other specialties. Allied: Surgical techs (OR, sterile processing) Other Notes: “Georgia consistently lacks RN staff after the state went compact, so opportunities are regularly available.” Illinois RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, PCU/IMC, ICU Allied: Respiratory therapists Other Notes: “Bill rates have increased to slightly above the national average now, but may come back down as positions are filled.” Indiana RN: Cath Lab, labor and delivery, PICU, PEDS, ER, ICU, telemetry Other Notes: “Not as many job needs in Indiana compared to March, but still plenty to choose from and jobs move quickly.” Kentucky RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, PCU/IMC, ICU Allied: Respiratory therapists Maine RN: Medical-surgical, OR, ICU Allied: Surgical techs (Cath Lab, OR) Other Notes: “Maine is still on fire for jobs this month. Bill rates are up by $10 at least. Portland, Maine has multiple needs. A lot of allied as well, specifically Cath Lab techs.” Michigan RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ICU Allied: Surgical techs (OR, sterile processing) Other Notes: “Warmer weather is coming in and people are venturing out more, so census is picking up at Michigan hospitals.” Missouri RN: OR, ICU, telemetry most in-demand, but all specialties are available. Allied: Respiratory therapist Other Notes: “Bill rates have increased in April, and the candidate pool is steady. St. Louis, Missouri is specifucally increasing for ICU and telemetry needs at decently high bill rates. Also, any and all ER needs are closing quick—we have the nurses but not many jobs, so they fill quickly.” Nevada RN: Medical-surgical, ER, ICU, NICU, PICU, labor and delivery Allied: Rad techs, respiratory therapists, certified surgical techs Other Notes: “Renown Health alone has 47 positions available, but the competition will start to increase as people love Reno in the summertime. It’s best to start looking now.” New Hampshire RN: OR, CVOR, ER, telemetry. Allied: Rad techs Other Notes: “OR is very hot right now and will take nurses at a high bill rate.” (Around $2,000 weekly gross on average) North Carolina RN: Medical-surgical, ER, ICU, NICU, PICU, labor and delivery Allied: Rad techs, respiratory therapists, certified surgical techs Other Notes: “The state has 150 open jobs currently as many facilities have said they have seen a patient census increase. Competition is steady, but travelers should expect it to increase as we get closer to summer since the spring and summer seasons are so enjoyable in North Carolina.” Oklahoma RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ER, OR, ICU Allied: Rad Techs Other Notes: “Job needs are hot when posted. Not a lot of new jobs are posted regularly, but for those that are, calls and interviews will happen ASAP.” South Carolina RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ICU, ER Texas RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, PCU/IMC, ICU Allied: Respiratory therapists Virginia RN: ICU, medical-surgical, telemetry, with a steady increase in ER needs as summer approaches Allied: Surgical assistants, surgical first assistants, certified surgical techs Other notes: “There are lots of needs, jobs are closing fast, and bill rates tend to be higher. We are beginning to see a slow increase in ER needs. Also, we are seeing an increase in allied needs.”
Stocking Up: How To Save Money On Essentials For Your Travel Nurse Rental Home
By Alex McCoy, Contributing Writer, Owner of Fit Travel Life Editor’s note: Stocking Up is a three-part miniseries that covers the essential travel items and furnishing methods Alex McCoy uses to make it feel more like home at each new travel assignment without breaking the bank. You can read part one by clicking here, or jump to part three by clicking here. Finding housing can be one of the most stressful parts of working as a travel nurse. At the beginning of my career, I always looked for a place that had all the bells and whistles: furniture, linens, and dishes seemed like “must-haves” for a short term lease. I started to realize that this was actually costing me money as I have moved back and forth across the country. I could pay for the convenience of having everything I needed ready and waiting or I could spend a little extra time and cash up front and save myself hundreds of dollars a month at each assignment. Aside from corporate rentals or Airbnb, I have found that most apartment complexes that offer furnished options do not usually offer a “fully stocked” option. This means your apartment will have all of the big pieces of furniture, but smaller items such as dishes and linens will not be provided. I have found these rentals to be much cheaper than move-in ready versions, and for our last three assignments, we have gone this route instead. In the process, I have learned several shortcuts to get all the necessities we need without breaking the bank or overflowing the car. 1. Get familiar with Dollar Tree and other discount stores. My first stop is Dollar Tree whenever we have to purchase small household items including kitchen utensils, dish towels and bathroom accessories . I usually make a list of things we need and go their first and see if I can get lucky and find most of the items I need. After that, I go to Big Lots. I can usually find some of the larger items here like shower curtains or small kitchen appliances for $10 or less. By purchasing cheaper versions of some necessities, I can usually keep my first-day expenses under $150 and donate anything that won’t fit in my car at the end of the assignment. 2. Remember that you likely won’t be entertaining large groups of guests. I think one of the reasons we stress about having certain items in our home is because friends and family might be coming to visit and “need” something like a matching hand towel or an extra blanket if they get cold. When you start to think about what you personally use on a regular basis, the need for extra “stuff” will start to dwindle. Even when we do have friends come out to visit, we simply make a joke about the travel life and hand them our plastic silverware and a paper plate. 3. Pare down linens to the bare minimum. When it comes to bulkier items like blankets and towels, space gets taken up wdqquickly. As a traveler, you have to analyze what you actually use on a regular basis, and weed out items that you might have at home for “show” rather than usability. For example, traveling with a good quality fleece blanket or heavy afghan will take up less space than a comforter. Try to bring no more than two towels per person—one for everyday use and an extra in case you go to the pool, gym, etc. Use dish towels that can double as hot pads when cooking. 4. Opt for disposable options. Madeleine Olivia Get Rid Of It GIF from Madeleineolivia GIFs While producing extra waste is not my favorite way to live, often as a traveler, we have to take a few shortcuts here or there. One way I have learned to save space when packing is to utilize disposable silverware, plates, and bakeware when I can. One way I do this and cut back on overall waste is to reuse these items as I can. By buying the heavy duty plasticware, you can actually get quite a bit of use of them by re-washing. I have also rewashed plastic cups and aluminum pans that are meant to be disposable and then I try to recycle as much as I can when they are worn out. 5. Be willing to do dishes and laundry more frequently. If you only have one towel or just a couple sets of silverware it is inevitable that you will have to wash these items quite frequently. I often hand wash my dishes as I use them because I know I will be using them again soon. I also do a lot more laundry as a traveler than I did when I had a permanent home. This may seem like a little bit of a pain, but the other option would be to create more space in your vehicle for extra items or splurge on a few things you want to donate at the end of your stay. I personally am fine with washing my towel every couple of days to save a little money and space. 6. Don’t stress—you’ll get more efficient as you go along. Model Of Efficiency GIF from Model GIFs Any long term traveler will tell you that as your career progresses you will find yourself getting better at streamlining what you need and cutting back on what you don’t. I used to spend way too much money stocking up on “needs” at the beginning of each assignment and quickly realized how fast three months goes by and what we really use in that time frame. Now, if I end up needing it, I can always go back for it. Whether you decide to aim for the convenience of a move-in ready rental or to save a little cash by bargain shopping your first few days, you will find the routine that works best for your lifestyle
Are Travel Healthcare Social Media Groups Too Toxic?
Social media is a pillar of many people’s daily lives in spite of numerous controversies over the years. Currently, 68 percent of adult Americans use some type of social media, and a majority of them use it on a daily basis, according to data from the Pew Research Center. Daily social media use mirrors the original goal of the platform for many—to help them stay connected with their friends, family and loved ones, and to share their experiences with them. This is emphasized even further in the travel healthcare community, as travelers have an added incentive to use social media platforms. It not only lets them stay in touch with their friends and family on the road, but it provides a platform to network and share knowledge with a vast number of their travel colleagues on a daily basis. “I use Facebook the most for sure,” said Kayla Jones, a travel certified surgical technologist. “I would say mostly because of my job. I’m away from my boyfriend and my family and all of that so I use it to keep up with them. I’m part of a couple of different traveler groups obviously, and I’m also part of scrub tech groups so I use it for…keeping up my knowledge for my next assignment.” Despite these benefits, that same Pew Research Center study found a majority of adults say they would have no problem giving up social media entirely, and many have begun reducing their use of Facebook. It’s easy to assume the decline in usage is related to the barrage of privacy scandals that have hit Facebook, Twitter and other platforms in recent years, but several travel healthcare professionals have pointed to a different issue entirely. Toxicity on social media is not a new problem—studies have shown that social media has a negative effect on mental health—but some say it’s an even greater problem in the travel healthcare community, where a combination of career stress, misinformation, and a mixing of generations can cause a perfect storm of angry posts and nasty comments. “Sometimes it’s too toxic,” Jones said. “I have to close my computer.” Travel nurse Alex McCoy, who manages both a Facebook page and a social Facebook group for her blog website, Fit Travel Life, has reduced her daily social media use to avoid getting caught up in general travel group discussions, she said. “People have started to realize how unhealthy parts of social media can be, and this is across the board,” McCoy said. “It’s a time suck and can cause a lot of negativity, so I see more people talking about filtering.” The Platform: Facebook reigns supreme Social media use is ubiquitous, but not all of the platforms are equal. Facebook still reigns as the most popular social media platform by a wide margin, despite seeing a decline users last year for the first time since 2008. For travelers, one major appeal for using Facebook over competing platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or Snapchat is the ability to form groups. Groups can be created by any Facebook user and provide a public or private space for people to connect through shared interests. Use of groups grew rapidly in 2018, after Facebook changed its algorithm to encourage users to engage more with groups and friends instead of businesses or brands. Healthcare professionals have their choice of numerous different traveler-oriented groups, which range in size from a few dozen users to tens of thousands of members. The focus points of travel healthcare groups also vary greatly, from catch-all travel nursing discussion forums to hyper-specific premium job boards. LinkedIn has also offered a Groups function since 2004, but there are noticeably less groups on the platform targeted at or created by travel healthcare professionals. Thomas Piper, a travel nurse and admin for his own group Scrub Squad 1978, said he’s experimenting more with LinkedIn and Instagram but still prefers Facebook because there’s a lower barrier of entry to communicating with others. “You can connect more,” Piper said. “People don’t have to subscribe to your Instagram, and you can get more information and more messages across that way.” Alex McCoy prefers Instagram to Facebook because of its focus on photo and video content, but agreed that Facebook offers the best tools to connect directly with others. “Instagram can be good for connecting but there is just not really the capability of creating communities,” McCoy said. “It can be hard to get ahold of people. I have tried to connect with people on Instagram and they literally just don’t see my messages because we aren’t following each other so that makes it harder to connect unless you are commenting on posts.” The Problem: Stress, separation and a lack of information Researchers, bloggers and many others have tried to identify the reasons behind social media toxicity with varying conclusions. Some have pointed to the growing political discord surrounding the upcoming 2020 presidential election, while others have aimed the blame at the “commoditization” of likes, comments and shares. Travelers and Facebook group moderators brought up several specific issues that they felt either contribute to the problem of social media toxicity—or make it worse. Picking a target Personal attacks aimed at a person, staffing agency, or healthcare facility came up as the most common type of toxic or negative posts in travel healthcare social media groups. “There are different levels,” said Andrew Craig, a former travel nurse who runs the Traveler Talk Facebook group and website. “The most subtle version of that is simply a sarcastic or condescending comment. We like to think it’s just a comment but in reality, it can affect the other person on the other side of the screen in a physical and emotional way.” Most agreed heated debates are not a problem. Discussions, even when people don’t agree, can be helpful for the community at-large, Kayla Jones said. The discussion crosses into toxic territory when it devolves into targeted, angry comments. “That’s kind of where things on Facebook and
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
SIA Announces 2019 ‘Best Staffing Firms To Work For’ List
Staffing Industry Analysts announced the winners of their 2019 ‘Best Staffing Firms To Work For’ Wednesday at their 28th annual Executive Forum North America in Austin, Texas, according to a company press release. Among the categories–which were split into eight sections based on company size, types of staffing and geographic location–four U.S. travel healthcare staffing firms took home Grand Prize honors, which are awarded to firms that score the highest in each category. Those four Grand Prize winners from the 2019 Best Staffing Firms To Work For list are: Fusion Medical Staffing (Firms with 201-500 employees) LiquidAgents Healthcare (Firms with 51-200 employees) Health Providers Choice (Firms with 21- 50 employees) Austin Major Group (Firms with 10-20 employees) Each category also had several notable travel healthcare staffing companies that didn’t win a Grand Prize but still placed in the top percentiles of their category, including Atlas Medstaff, Aya Healthcare and Medical Solutions. About 400 staffing agencies participated in the 2019 awards program, which was conducted by SIA in conjunction with Quantum Workplace, according to the press release. Internal employees at each firm were asked to complete a 40-question survey that measured specific quality-of-life and engagement categories, including trust in senior leaders, teamwork, manager effectiveness and more. Staffing firms are not charged for their participation in the awards program and must have a minimum number of employees participate based on their size to ensure statistically sound results, according to the press release. “Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Best Staffing Firm to Work For Awards,” Barry Asin, president of SIA said in a press release. “These high-performing companies stand out for their quality of leadership and as organizations that prioritize culture and employee engagement. There is a strong correlation between employee engagement and growth. These firms have made that connection and use it to excel in their business and drive outstanding results.” Readers can view the full list of winners and top-placing staffing firms here.
Travel Jobs: ‘Hot’ February 2019 Market Means More Location Variety, Fewer Premium Pay Options
As the last month of the busy winter season marches on, one of the main concerns circling around the travel healthcare community in recent weeks is the high amount of low-paying contracts advertised by recruiters or posted by agencies. While there is a kernel of truth in those concerns, recruiters and agency sales representatives say that the answer is not so simple. The travel nurse market is hot on both sides of the fence—healthcare facilities across the country have plenty of urgent needs, and lots of potential candidates are available and looking for work, said Oren Lavi, a director of client advisory for LiquidAgents Healthcare. “The market is hotter than it has been in the last 24 months. The time to jump in is now,” said Oren Lavi, a director of client advisory for LiquidAgents Healthcare. “More jobs means more variety. Hospitals are not going to list premium pay packages unless they see the nurse pool drying up. For now, the candidate pool is consistent so they have no reason to raise rates.” Some exceptions to this trend include northeastern states like Pennslyvania and New Hampshire, and Midwest states like Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan. Similar to our January predictions, cold weather is keeping seasonal travelers away, which mean travelers are more likely to find premium pay packages—$1,800 and up per week before taxes—in these areas. Additionally, most of the northern and Midwest states where bill rates have remained consistently high over the winter also saw a spike in traveler job applications in January, according to StaffDNA job board data. Travel Healthcare Job Market for February 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 February, according to data provided by industry sales and recruiting representatives. Arkansas RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, step-down/PCU Illinois RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ER, labor and delivery Indiana RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry. Much higher needs compared to January, close to 100 open positions as of February 8. Job submittals around Indianapolis close within 24 hours. Kentucky RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, step-down/PCU Missouri RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ER (On the lower end, but needs are increasing). All core specialties in demand in St. Louis. Allied: X-ray/radiology techs New Hampshire RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry. Bill rates much higher than average. Surgical Tech: OR Oklahoma RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry. Job needs are filling very quickly. Pennsylvania RN: ICU, OR, medical-surgical, telemetry Texas RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, step-down/PCU January 2019 Top Markets Editor’s note: This list is created by analyzing the number of travelers applying for jobs in these individual states and Washington D.C. This data is not necessarily a historical indicator of job volume. Application data comes from the StaffDNA jobs database. Florida Texas California South Carolina Georgia Pennsylvania Tennessee Arizona Michigan North Carolina Indiana Arkansas Kentucky Missouri New Mexico Oklahoma Virginia West Virginia Iowa Nevada Oregon Wisconsin Idaho Maine Colorado Alaska Hawaii Illinois Ohio Washington Alabama Louisiana Massachusetts Connecticut Kansas Mississippi Maryland Minnesota New Hampshire New Jersey Utah Vermont Wyoming Washington D.C. Deleware Montana North Dakota Nebraska New York Rhode Island South Dakota
New ‘Healthcare Travelers Take Omaha’ Conference Set For Early April
Travel healthcare professionals have said pursuing a travel career can be a lonely experience. Travelers are spread all across the country, which can make it difficult to connect with their colleagues outside of social media. So when the idea for a new travel healthcare conference came about during TravCon 2018, it wasn’t out of a desire to create a competing conference, but instead to provide another event where travelers can network and connect, travel nurse Thomas Piper said. “We wanted to provide people another option to supplement TravCon,” Piper said. “Not everyone can make it to Vegas every year in September, so this conference is another place where travelers can connect.” Piper is helping organize the new conference Healthcare Travelers Take Omaha, which is set to take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 5-6 at the Holiday Inn Omaha Downtown-Airport in Omaha, Nebraska. Tickets cost $50, which covers the cost of food provided during the conference, Piper said. Only 150 tickets will be sold and the number of travel company exhibitors for the event is capped at 30, Piper said. So far, around 20 percent of the tickets have been sold, but Piper said he expects that number to increase as travelers settle into their first contracts of the year and plan time off. As of Wednesday, 21 of the 30 exhibitor slots have been filled, according to the conference website. Piper’s traveler Facebook group Scrub Squad 1978 along with Gypsy Soul Travel Nurses and Adventures In RV Travel Nursing are the official hosts for the event, according to their website. Along with a keynote speaker, recruiter panel and CEO panel discussion, the conference plans to offer several learning sessions with industry professionals and special group events, including a charity golf tournament benefiting autism research, a 5K fun run/walk and a meet-and-greet mixer. The learning sessions will cover topics like traveler taxes, fitness on the road, breaking a contract, RV travel and housing, according to their website. Small setting, good conversation Part of the reason why Healthcare Travelers Take Omaha is only accepting a small number of travelers and exhibitors is out of necessity, Piper said. Planning for the conference began in April, so with only six months to pull the event together, venue options were fairly limited. Organizers also wanted to keep the cost of entry as low as possible for both attendees and exhibitors, which is why Omaha was selected for the first year of the conference, Piper said. “Omaha is a central hub for travel nursing companies,” Piper said. “It’s also centrally located, so it’s very inexpensive for travelers to access who may be on the edges of the country.” More than a dozen travel healthcare staffing companies call Omaha home, including Aureus Medical Group, Atlas Medstaff and Fusion Medical Staffing, all of which are exhibitors for the event. The conference won’t be held in Omaha every year, however. Another reason why organizers wanted a different conference was a chance to meet up with travelers in new places, Piper said. Organizers are already looking ahead to next year’s conference in Orlando where they plan to offer more tickets for travelers and space for exhibitors. “We’re travelers—we like to travel the country and don’t want to go to the same city every year,” Piper said. “TravCon is great and a lot of fun. I plan on going to it every year. But it can be expensive to visit Vegas every year if you’re working on the East Coast or want to bring your family along.” Another reason why organizers wanted a smaller setting was to offer more time for travelers and companies to network with each other, Piper said. “We’ve set a lot of time aside for people to have actual conversations with agencies and recruiters,” Piper said. “It’s definitely going to be a more intimate setting for networking and forming relationships.” Piper was encouraged by how quickly Healthcare Travelers Take Omaha has come together and hopes this conference will provide another great option for travelers to connect with each other, he said. “Talking after TravCon last year, we weren’t sure we would be able to throw it all together within six months, but it’s coming along nicely,” Piper said.