Six Tips for New and Potential Travelers

Think you’re ready to take the plunge and begin your travel career? First of all, congratulations and welcome to the family! Second, take a deep breath and take off those rose colored glasses. There are so many rewarding things about working in the travel industry, but it’s not all sunshine, butterflies, and a six figure salary. Here are six tips I recommend every first-time traveler follow to help guide them through their decision-making process, regardless of their medical specialty.

1. Six month rule – How long have you been thinking about making this career change? If it’s been less than six months, assuming your current employer didn’t just close its doors unexpectedly or some other unforeseen event just happened, then you probably aren’t fully prepared to make this change. Guess what? That’s 100 percent okay. There is SO much that goes into starting your travel career, and that is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. This is your career, your livelihood, and how you support yourself and your loved ones (if applicable). Make sure you are truly ready to make this change because this industry is not for everyone. For example, if you just renewed your lease and/or your significant other has no idea you want to travel, you may not be ready. On the other hand, if your cousin has agreed to housesit for you and you’ve already talked to your manager about dropping down to prn status once you take an assignment, I see a contract in your very near future.
2. Three letters make up the most important question in the world – WHY? Why do you want to travel? Everyone has different reasons and motivations, and you need to figure out the main motivating factor for you. The “why” is going to dictate where and what assignments your recruiter pitches and sends you to so don’t keep your cards close to your chest when it comes to the why. If you don’t know why you want to travel, you probably are not ready.In addition to the “why”, it’s important to recognize what your must haves are and what you can compromise on. For example, if pay is the most important to you, be prepared to go to a location that may not be as desirable. If you are dead set on a specific location, then shift, pay, etc. can’t also be deal breakers. Typically the higher in demand your specialty is, the pickier you can afford to be, but if you are coming in with a laundry list of demands and won’t budge on any of them, this industry is probably not for you.
3. Don’t believe everything you read – Oh the lovely internet. Google any staffing agency and you will see a mix of glowing and terrible reviews. It’s enough to make anyone never want to get into this industry. I STRONGLY caution you from reading too much into anything you see online. Odds are, for every negative review there are 20+ positive reviews that were never written. A few weeks ago, in one of the Facebook groups, a current traveler was posting about how much she loved her new company and how easy and great they were to work with. It was a new company love-fest. Fast-forward to a week later when her contract got cancelled, her posts were full of negative, colorful language about the same agency. Go figure huh? Here’s the deal; things just happen and/or can change on a dime. Recruiters/agencies do screw up, and so do the medical professionals working for them. We’re all human. If you find a recruiter you like and trust, but see a bad review on the company they work for, remember there are three sides to every story and you are only seeing one of them. Ask to speak with a few people currently on assignment with that company, specifically the recruiter you are working with to help you make your decision whether or not to work with that company. We ask for references from you; we should give you the same courtesy.
4. Get organized (agencies and paperwork) – I recommend every traveler work with multiple agencies. Maybe that seems strange, but it’s in your best interest to know what jobs are available. Do many agencies have the same jobs? Absolutely, but they also have their different niches and markets that they monopolize, get exclusives, lead time on, etc. Remember, this is your career and livelihood, and as a recruiter, my main goal is that you have a job. Whether that’s through me, obviously I hope it is, or another agency, as long as you have a job when you want one, I am happy because that means you are taken care of.Regardless if you work with one or multiple agencies, you are going to fill out applications for each of them, which will ultimately lead to getting submitted to jobs by each agency. Find some way to keep track of each agency, your main point of contact for each, likes and dislikes, their benefits, each job they submit you to and the specifics you agreed to on each, etc. Whether it’s a spreadsheet, app on your phone, or a good old fashioned notebook, find an organizational method that works for you so can keep track of everything. It’s also helpful to obtain and scan copies of your certifications, immunizations, transcripts, etc. so they can be easily sent to your agency. The last thing you want is to find yourself frantically digging through boxes in the darkest corner of your mom’s attic to find your CPR card so you can start your first assignment on time. If you find yourself in this situation, I would refer back to Tip #1. =)
5. Communicate, communicate, communicate – The travel industry is WAY different from finding a staff position on your own. Assuming you are working with multiple agencies, keep all parties in the loop about what positions you are submitted to or apply on your own so you aren’t double submitted. On the flip side, have a conversation with every agency about NOT to submitting you to a job without your permission. We want you to agree on the pay, shift, location, facility, etc. before we send you over because if you agree to that, barring anything major that comes up during the interview, by submitting your profile to the facility you are giving the agency your word that if offered the position you’d accept. If you take a job with another agency, we’re not going to be mad at you. We’ll be mad at ourselves for not finding you something faster, but we’ll be happy you got a job. Just let us know. If you change your mind about travel altogether, tell us. We won’t be upset; we work at your pace, so if you aren’t ready, we don’t want to put you on assignment. Please don’t disappear. Cheesy as it sounds, we legitimately care about you. If this helps drive the point home, you will get contacted more from an agency by not calling/emailing/texting back, so as long as you keep us informed, we can enjoy a long and happy working relationship for many months and hopefully years to come.
6. Trust your gut – This can be applied to every tip on this list. If something doesn’t feel, sound, or look right, RUN THE OTHER WAY!

Emily Peterson joined Aureus Medical Group in 2006 as a Recruiter for the Respiratory Therapy division. For the past two years she has worked as the Recruitment Branch Manager for the Nursing division. In between her role as Recruiter and her current position, Emily was the Team Lead of Recruitment for the Training Department, focusing on new hire training for all of the Medical divisions. In her free time, Emily enjoys spending time with her husband, Chris, and two sons, Jack and Sam. She loves Netflix and anything pop culture related. She loves to travel, especially to Vegas. She enjoys shopping, but will only buy if it’s an amazing bargain.