After being in business for 25 years, we’ve learned a lot! Here are some of the lessons learned about travel nursing that have stood the test of time.
1 Not every great nurse makes a great traveler.
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2 Not all travel nurses make great Fidelity On Call travel nurses.
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3 Trust only those who have proven to be trustworthy.
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4 Never hire someone whose first concern is the amount of money they will make.
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5 Always do the right thing. . . it will reap rewards.
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6 It is our job to knock on doors – we cannot MAKE them open.
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7 Don’t work with customers who won’t pay their bills without being hounded. It wears you out and they are using you.
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8 You cannot be all things to all people. Be targeted . . stay on your mission.
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9 Don’t staff at facilities that don’t share your mission. When we care and they don’t, it just burns our employees out.
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10 There are external factors that affect your business. Just keep targeted, continually research, change what needs changing, grow, and update.
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11 If you hire a staff member that complains about everything, it is not worth the energy it takes to keep them on board.
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12 Don’t take things too personally. Potential customers and nurses say no, they leave, they don’t always behave as we would like. Ultimately we cannot control them. We are only responsible for the way we react.
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13 Lies will always be found out. We have had employees who gave excuses for not being at work or failed to tell the truth about an event at their assigned facility. Needless to say, the real reason is always revealed. It is just better to say what is happening and deal with the facts.
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14 Sometimes you have to wait a long time to see your efforts pay off. Be patient. Don’t lose hope.
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15 Treat your employees fairly. Never break a promise.
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16 If someone is motivated by greed, they are not the right person for the job.
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17 Communication is the essence of every good business. And, your employees need to be good communicators – to our customers, while in the hospital and as a member of our team.
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18 When an employee thinks the grass is greener on the other side, let them go and find out.
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19 Continually invest in your business.
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20 Not all business is good business. It is okay to walk away from a customer.
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21 Agencies that are not reliable or honest don’t last. Eventually the word gets out.
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22 When in doubt – check it out (compliance issues). Documentation can be forged!
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23 Life is easier when you hire good people.
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24 You might not be the biggest company, but you can stand apart from others with your quality and integrity.
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25 Never, never, never give up – good advise from Winston Churchill.
