We all know being a traveler or recruiter can be hard at times because all the conversations take place over the phone. I think it’s very important to know that when a person verbally commits to a job we take that as signing on a dotted line. I know it’s very easy to verbally commit to a job and then see if something better comes up with a better location, but that can put the company in a tough spot. When a traveler commits to an assignment the travel company gets the ball rolling on the compliance documents, finds clinics, and most importantly sends a confirmation to the hospital. At that point the hospital puts the traveler on the schedule and stops looking for additional help. We took that verbal commitment as a “sure thing.”
Conversely it’s very important when a company tells the traveler they have a job that they are 100% sure. They have the buy in from the hospital and it’s all approved from the hiring managers. When a traveler is offered and accepts they might start looking for housing, researching the area to find fun things to do, and let their family know where the next adventure is going to be.
This is why “your word is as good as gold.” To have a good working relationship between a company and traveler, we must always remember that we take each other’s word for face value and honor those verbal commitments. The jobs can happen so quickly that we can’t wait for signatures on a contract. We all have lots of work to do before the traveler steps foot in the hospital. It’s very important that “your word” is as good as a hand shake would be between someone making an agreement in person.
Tyler Bliemeister is a Team Lead for the Aureus Medical Group Cardiopulmonary division.