Last Updated on November 30, 2021
Travel nurses are more in demand than ever. For hospitals and other healthcare facilities struggling to find and recruit the nurses they need, travel nurses have long been an effective way to stay fully staffed during seasonal ups and downs — anticipated and unanticipated. And the pandemic has only accelerated the surge in travel nurse recruitment companies available to meet this demand.
But more options have only made the choice of travel nurse recruitment partners more difficult. With so many new agencies and boutique services capitalizing on the travel nursing demand, it can be hard to know which of them are truly worth trusting. And with patient care demands intensifying in the wake of Covid-19, the stakes are higher than ever.
As always, the nurse recruitment experts at CareerStaff Unlimited are here to help. With that in mind, here are four things you should consider before partnering with a travel nurse recruitment company.
4 Things to Look for in a Travel Nurse Recruitment Company
1. An established, nationwide nursing network. The wider the range of nurses to choose from, the more valuable a travel nursing recruitment company can be to your facility. So, before you choose a partner, make sure that they have a presence across the United States.
Choosing a travel nursing recruitment partner with a nationwide network doesn’t just ensure you access to the nurses you need, but also access to recruitment professionals who can help expediate any issues with cross-state licensing and credentialing. And with the Nurse Licensing Compact, many nurses can practice in multiple states with a single license, giving you even a larger pool of nurses to choose from.
An established, nationwide partner can also offer travel nurses a bigger selection of jobs, so those nursing professionals are more likely to stay in the network and seek other assignments. You’ll also get access to nurses across all specialties, as well as other healthcare professionals you may need — including allied clinicians, respiratory and physical therapists, SLPs, pharmacists, technicians and technologists, administrators and HR professionals and many others.
2. The experience and expertise to get the job done. Hand-in-hand with the need for a nationwide network is the need for the experience and expertise to get the best possible use of it. With so many new agencies springing up in recent years to meet the demand for travel nurses, you’ll need to look closely to make sure they have the proven experience as well as established connections to get the job done.
That means choosing a partner with a long track record in healthcare recruitment, as well as experience in a diverse variety of facilities. This includes everything from sprawling health centers and modest-sized SNFs to rebab facilities, hospital ICUs, educational facilities and much more. When your partner understands the best practices for each of these facility types, they’re better able to provide nurses who are best qualified to do the job you need them to do.
3. The option to upgrade. Also, better-established companies with more experience can serve as larger strategic partners to make sure you’re hitting all your patient care metrics and working for continuous improvement in outcomes. Once you’ve found a partner you’re happy with, you may see the wisdom in extending their expertise to other aspects of your clinical workforce.
Choosing a travel nurse recruitment company that also offers a suite of healthcare managed services (MSP) means getting not just travel nurses but also access to a full suite of workforce management tools including vendor management, billing and payroll, and much more. You’ll have access to up-to-date expertise of clinical staffing situation in real time, empowered to make better decisions about managing your existing workforce, too.
4. An emphasis on a healthy culture. Your travel nurse recruitment company is only as good as the nurses who work for it. If the nurses and other workers they employ are passionate about their jobs — and feel safe, and confident in their future — that goes a long way towards letting you know you can trust that partner to help you deliver great patient care.
To that end, CareerStaff has frequently ranked among the list of Great Places to Work®, attesting to the passion and dedication of our recruiters and other administrative team. Even better, the nurses who work with us also rave about the experience, as we’ve seen again and again with our monthly CareerStaff Clinicians of the Month.
“The entire company, from my recruiter to the higher up office staff, were so incredibly supportive the whole way,” says Marni, a CareerStaff Clinician of the Month for January, 2021. “They answered all my questions in a timely manner and made me feel very welcome and supported. They continue to be there for me whenever I have any questions or concerns.”
We’re proud of that trust from the clinicians we work with, and in return, we offer them amazing benefits and competitive pay, and connect them with opportunities to help advance their career. Through it all, we emphasize our commitment to their happiness and safety. To that end, our Clinicians of the Month program is just one way of letting our nurses know that they are appreciated.
Looking for Travel Nurses?
As Covid-19 continues its worldwide rampage, the need for a travel nurse recruitment company that you can trust is more important than ever. Put our expertise to work for your organization — we’re standing by to offer a free consultation to help you figure out your precise needs. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help.