An entire industry has been built up around the fact that, in many medical facilities, the demand for qualified healthcare professionals exceeds the local availability. This can be a short-term need due to a brief personal leave by one individual with a highly specialized skill set, or occur on a larger scale in places where healthcare services and facilities are growing in leaps and bounds.
Nurses and More
Although you may have heard the term “travel nurse,” the concept really applies to a wider variety of healthcare positions, including nursing (of course), but in RTG’s case, we’re also talking about radiology, therapy, pharmacy and laboratory professionals.
Hospitals and other healthcare facilities must maintain certain staffing ratios to ensure they can provide a high standard of care, and they can’t just quickly train anyone off the street. When patients’ treatment, recovery, and lives are at stake, it’s important that they’re in the hands of educated and experienced professionals. That’s where the traveling healthcare professional comes in. This qualified, experienced individual can join a medical team, in any community, temporarily to provide day-to-day relief or even stay up to a full year.
The Intermediary
Here’s how the process works: a recruiting and staffing agency like RTG establishes long-term relationships with healthcare providers and also screens applicants in advance so a placement can be made quickly when needed or for a longer term that could even lead to a permanent offer. The agency then serves as an intermediary to match healthcare professionals with facilities, negotiating contracts and pay packages, managing the paperwork, coordinating payroll, and even organizing housing.
Because staffing specialists act as a single point of contact for both the facility and the individual, they ensure a streamlined, efficient approach from profile submission to placement. Because they are already familiar with the traveling professionals and the facilities they serve, staffing specialists are able to find a good fit between the availability and preferences of the traveling healthcare professional and the needs of the medical facility.
Good for Everyone
There are numerous benefits for the traveling professional, too. Not only is this career choice lucrative, but the experience gained in various healthcare settings is valuable for the long-term. Plus, with travel allowances and housing assistance, the traveling professional can try out a new locale without the risk of pulling up roots permanently. And let’s be honest: it’s fun, too, for someone who enjoys visiting new places and meeting new people.
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