If you get the opportunity to travel while on the job, you immediately become the envy of all of your coworkers. There is something very satisfying about posting pictures of you relaxing by the pool during your downtime on Facebook while your cohorts are stuck in the office back home and plugging away on their computers. And you get paid for it! Many in the workforce will jump at the first opportunity to travel and even though traveling in the healthcare field means something different, there are still many benefits to being a contract traveler.
Whether you’re a nurse, tech, rehab therapist, or even a doctor, you have the opportunity to become a traveler. When a health professional discovers that traveling is an option, one immediately imagines a scenario where as soon as they finish their shift, they walk out on a beach and someone hands them a piña colada. That’s sounds great but isn’t the case for a great amount of opportunities. Knowledge is power and it’s extremely important to arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can before talking to a recruiter and making this life-changing career move.
1) Know How Much Experience Is Required To Be A Traveler
As mentioned in the above paragraph, there have been travel positions for any type of healthcare professional at some point. It is important for you to know how much experience you need in order to be qualified as a traveler for you will be expected to hit the ground running as soon as you arrive at your new assignment. It is very likely that the only orientation you get will be your manager showing you where the bathroom is. You will typically see a requirement of 1-2 years on the job outside of school. Every situation is unique but having at least one year of experience under your belt will often be a sufficient amount.
2) Know Where You Want To Go
There are hundreds, if not, thousands of companies that help staff medical professionals in contract roles. Some companies work only in local or regional scales but there companies that work on a national level that staff in all 50 states. If you decide to travel, be sure to have a couple of locations in mind before talking to your recruiter. Don’t go into the conversation so closed off to the point where you’re only looking at one city for a certain shift and just as importantly, don’t be aimless when you are asked where you want an assignment. Your recruiter is an expert in your field when it comes to knowing where the best jobs are in the country and he or she would be happy to give you feedback on your preferences.
3) Know What The Normal Day For A Traveler Is Like
Becoming a contract traveler is an entirely new way to live life. As cool as it is to travel new locations every 13 weeks, you do have to adopt a new lifestyle that can be difficult to adjust to especially if you’re traveling for the first time. Luckily, there are many blogs and forums about being a traveler so there are plenty of online resources as well as many travelers who are happy to share their experiences. To that effect, I help facilitate a group on Facebook called the Med Lab Lounge. This is a group where med lab professionals can talk about anything related to working in the lab. There are groups for cath lab professionals, rehab therapists, radiology techs, and nurses for all shifts.
These three points are obviously not the only things you need to know for a travel assignment but it is a simple start. I want to hear from the public, especially those who are experienced travelers about any advice you can offer to those looking to travel for the first time. Please share your wisdom below and happy trails!
Joseph Bastian is a Recruiter for the Aureus Medical Social Media Recruitment Team.