Advice from the other side: What do travel companies look for in a travel healthcare professional?

There are forum websites all over the internet, housing the opinions of travel healthcare professionals across the nation. The good, the bad, and the ugly are all thrown out there for the world to see. Some are true, some are untrue, and some thoughts are just opinions of who to work with, what to do, and how to work through difficult situations.

These forums provide healthcare workers the opportunity to weigh the pros and cons of different travel companies and navigate what is most important to them and what they are looking for in a travel company. This is the exact reason I was inspired to write this blog – to help educate the travel nurse, travel therapist, and all other travelers around the world about the other side: What are 5 things travel companies look for in a travel healthcare professional?

1) Trust & honesty

The most important element in any relationship, is TRUST. Our business is tough. It’s the relationship and consulting business, without the handshake. 95 percent of our business is done over the phone and we do not meet many of our employees in person. Due to this, it is even more important to be up front and honest in every conversation, be transparent, and make our relationship a true partnership built on trust.

2) Consistent communication

Due to our business being primarily over the phone, it is very easy to disappear when it’s convenient. I urge you not to disappear and to communicate effectively with your Recruiters and Account Managers. I am not naive; rarely does someone solely work with one agency. If I was a traveler, I would talk to 2-3 agencies myself, but I would be 100 percent up front and honest with all my contacts. If I took a job with another company, I would notify all the other companies and let them know. Set expectations on your relationship. When I was an Account Manager, I had a same day call back policy, and I communicated that and expected that from all my employees as well.

3) Don’t believe everything you read & hear online

When something bad happens to you, you tell 100 people. When something good happens, you tell 10 people. That is our society in a nutshell; we are a blame society, and gravitate towards the negative. You will read many things online that are positive and find great information on the travel healthcare industry. Problem is, those 1000 great comments can be washed aside by 1-2 bad comments that may, or may not, be true. I would encourage you to have an open mind and realize that anyone can write anything on the internet and there are always two sides to every story.

4) Give us feedback

We care about you and your career. Please give us feedback on how we are doing and what we can do better. If you have certain expectations, please relay that information to your Recruiter and/or Account Manager. Your success is our success, but we can only improve if we know about it. Please let us know how we are doing on a consistent basis.

5) Separate your needs vs wants

We all want a million dollars but we don’t need a million dollars. When talking about jobs, please separate what you actually need to make ends meet financially, shifts, location, etc, from what you want. For example, often times people want $35/hr, Dallas, TX, and day shift, when they would actually consider $33/hr, Austin, TX, and nights. We will always try to get you what you want, but please consider jobs that meet the requirements of what you need as well. Negotiating and playing mind games are songs of the past, and in this market it is most effective for everyone to communicate and consider jobs that may be only part of what they actually want.

Jeff West has been employed in the travel nurse industry for 11 years. Prior to being a Branch Manager, he was an Account Manager and Recruiter for 7.5 years while working with over 100 hospitals in 17 different states.