Tag: travelhealth

Help Me Help You!

This famous image of Tom Cruise portraying a Sports Agent in the blockbuster movie, Jerry Maguire and the famous line “HELP ME HELP YOU” has never rang truer than it does today. Healthcare recruiters are shouting it from the roof tops. While sports agents get to show up at team practices and games to reach out directly to potential clients, healthcare recruiters work tirelessly and very non-conventional hours to connect with highly sought after healthcare professionals but never on site of any facility. Through cold calling, word of mouth, networking on the many social platforms, a successful healthcare recruiter never shies away from a challenge or the hustle.

In an industry that has lost a record number of professionals due to burn out, fatigue, and frustration with workplace politics, it is best to seek an experienced, successful, healthcare recruiter to be in your corner.

Another reason travel healthcare agencies have grown is we can provide a solution to help decrease employment stress and worry.

Additionally, a successful recruiter can help assist you in the process of going from agency to staff and back and forth as needed by what YOUR needs are at the time and in those transitions ensure you do not make any missteps that can affect your ability to return to travel again should the desire arise. In addition, our recruitment team can assist you in a direct staff position and negotiate the best offer possible.

A successful recruiter is the best option for falling in love with your healthcare career again. Having your own professional cheerleader in your corner, seeking advice on updating certifications, clinical skills, making yourself marketable, being paid competitive market wages are just a few of the ways a recruiter can help you.

Here are some tips to effectively work with your personalized Healthcare Recruiter here at Fidelity on Call:

‣ COMPLETE TRANSPARENCY. Be sure to communicate what your goals and objectives are. Share what your preferred method of communication is. Communication is half the battle in all successful working relationships! Also ask what your recruiter would like for communication. Communication is also a two-way street. Both you and your recruiter need to be on the same page.

‣ SEEK ADVICE. Before applying for a staff job, even if it is PRN, speak with your recruiter to ensure you discuss all the stipulations hospitals put on PRN staff that could potentially affect if you wish to travel full time or move onto another assignment. There has become an increasing number of strings attached to working staff in any capacity. It is best to have all the information prior to making any decisions so you do not limit your opportunities.

‣ RELATIONSHIP and RESPECT are critical in any professional or personal relationship. Your time is just as important to you as it is to your healthcare recruiter. Be sure you provide the same respect in return.

HELP ME HELP YOU. As shared in a very pop culture way, it really does ring true. If you feel you are an Elite Healthcare Provider and you are not reaching the success levels in your career that you are striving to do, pick up the phone and give one of our Elite Healthcare Recruitment Specialists a call today at 309.691.1500.

Things to Look for When You Are Screening for a Recruiter

Technology is always changing, making it easier to be connected today more than ever before. But is your recruiter available to you? In this video, Kellie Short, General Sales Manager and Sr. Recruitment Specialist, shares what to look at when reviewing a recruiter.

At Fidelity On Call, we believe your recruiter should be accessible, have your back, be your biggest cheerleader, and give you the foundation to be the best version of you. Watch to learn more.

If you’d like to reach out to one of our recruiters, please feel free to send us a message. We’re here to help you get started!

Why Travel Pay Is NOT Tied to Your Performance

The differences between travel healthcare pay and staff pay have long been discussed. But more so recently due to the rapid way travel pay went up and now is returning to a new normal range. Many travelers are upset as they feel the lowering of rates is a direct reflection of their work performance, skill set, etc. Nothing could be any further from the truth.

Travel healthcare pay has always been determined by contracted bill rates that are negotiated with either the Vendor Management company and hospital or the hospital directly. The rates are determined by supply and demand, industry standards, and geographic area.

They also vary based on specialties. How the travelers pay is then computed from the specific bill rate is: travel distance, meal allowance, mileage allowances, housing allowances and then the hourly rate. There are lots of factors involved as it is not a one size fits all approach. Rates are not determined by any specific nurse going into that position. The bill rate is determined prior to the need ever getting placed with the agency or vendor. Whether that traveler has been there for one contract or 13 contracts, that travelers pay is not an individually made decision.

Staff pay used to be based on seniority, tenure on the job, performance etc. Seemingly hospitals’ standards for pay packages have changed greatly as well. We have seen nurses with one year being offered staff job pay packages which are the same as a nurse with 15 years of experience on the same job. While in the past staff job performance and tenure would rate pay, that does not seem to be the case now.

Our best definition of a traveler’s success has never been defined by pay. In fact, we don’t believe you should determine your worth by money. In the travel nurse industry, money comes and goes and while we understand its importance at the end of the day, one’s pay does not determine who one is as a person or better yet how they are as a healthcare provider. After all, we have all worked with someone who has been paid higher than us, that was not as knowledgeable or as good. Being asked to extend, or being invited back to a facility to help again, are two ways healthcare providers can know they have been a successful traveler.

In addition, notes of appreciation from your employer of appreciation, or above expectation contract evaluations, are other ways, we at Fidelity On Call feel that our team is valued and appreciated. Moreover, you need to determine that your worth is not based on a dollar sign. Your worth is so much more than that.

Important Factors in Choosing a Travel Healthcare Agency

Whether you want to look at being a travel nurse or travel allied health professional, or if you’re a facility looking to find a supplemental health care agency in the state of Illinois, there are important things to consider when reviewing, including: The stability of the company, the financial stability of the company, its reputation in the industry, and contract policy. In this video, Kellie Short, General Sales Manager shares how Fidelity On Call meets those criteria.

The Benefits of Working as a Travel Healthcare Provider

Money makes the world go around. No doubt. Those incredible crisis pay packages were something we never imagined would happen. But one thing about travel healthcare is to always expect the unexpected. That is another reason so many high-quality professionals seek travel assignments to avoid the same routine day in and day out. Same people, same providers, same environment. Why not change your scenery every 8-12 weeks?

While those historic pay packages are probably gone, the compensation for a travel healthcare provider usually far outweighs the pay for a staff healthcare person. Along with that pay are the perks that come in so much higher on the list of top qualities veteran healthcare travelers look for in a company.

To be a successful healthcare traveler, you must ensure you work for a financially healthy travel agency. A company that has longevity in the industry and a successful track record of paying their employees. Additionally, what do the agencies’ clients say about them?

    • Is direct deposit available?
    • How simple is the payroll system? Is there a consistent pay schedule?
    • Are compensation packages outlined in a contract?
    • Does the agency have long-term established relationships with hospitals in the State you wish to work in?

Once you have ensured the travel agency is a quality reputable business, what about other perks the company offers?

      • What type of health insurance plan do they offer?
      • Is there dental insurance?
      • Vision options, short term disability, Life Insurance?
      • Is there a retirement savings plan?
      • Is there a continual education reimbursement?
      • Is there a new employee orientation process that outlines the company’s expectations, policies, and procedures?

Finally, how streamlined is the process from application to employment offer? Having a successful personal recruiter can make or break your experience and longevity in this industry that has been around over forty years.

      • Is your recruiter available and transparent?
      • Is the Agency available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is there an on-call team available?
      • Are you able to express your goals and feel heard about those expectations?
      • How streamlined is the hiring process and onboarding process?
      • Most importantly, are you able to switch recruiters and remain in the same organization if there is not a connection between the two of you?

Travel Healthcare has been around for decades and is clearly here to stay for the foreseeable future. One year minimum of experience can potentially get you started on a twenty-plus-year career. You can stay close to home or travel as far as the roads or airlines can take you.

The personal and professional growth you can experience and gain from this industry is a rare opportunity, as not too many careers have such experiences to offer. Whether you travel for one or two contracts a year or year after year, the flexibility the industry has to offer is hands down second to none.