Q: Why do facilities hire travelers? Are they bad facilities?
A: Facilities hire travelers for various reasons. The quality of the facility is very seldom the reason.
Most commonly, I see facilities hiring because of a rise in census. With more patients coming through the facility, it makes logical sense to hire more healthcare workers. However, the rise in census could be seasonal or very temporary. So, instead of hiring a brand new full-time permanent person and risking not having enough work for everyone, they elect to take someone for 13 weeks.
In addition to that, I commonly see facilities hire travelers to fill a void when they are actually looking for a full time employee and it is taking longer than anticipated. It can be difficult to attract talent to areas in rural areas to work permanently. Instead of going without coverage, they will at least get help temporarily.
Maternity leaves and medical leaves are also high on the list of reasons to hire travelers. It’s obvious that you will need coverage while someone is taking care of their little bundle of joy or if someone were to get injured. One good thing about maternity leave openings is that those positions are generally posted far in advance so the facility will have that three months of coverage solidified.
With all of that that said, it is very seldom that a hospital is desperate for employees because they are bad facilities. Many of them are quality and have satisfied travelers who end up staying permanently!
Whatever the reason, travel healthcare workers are an amazing asset to facilities.
What questions do you have about traveling? Comment below!