Best Recruiting Process for Travel Nurses

Travel nursing has grown to be a crucial part of the healthcare sector, giving nurses the chance to travel while playing important roles in a variety of healthcare settings. Travel nurses have specific needs that must be taken into consideration in order to achieve a successful recruitment process. The top five recommendations for a successful recruiting process for travel nurses are covered in this article.

Having knowledge about travel nursing

Travel nurses are licensed nurses or other healthcare professionals who work intermittently at various healthcare facilities, usually for a few weeks to many months. Due to things like a lack of staff, seasonal changes, or special events, these specialists go to places where there is a high demand for medical services. Travel nurses fill in staffing gaps, giving hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities the knowledge and assistance they so desperately need.

The opportunity to see new areas, different medical specialities, reasonable pay rates, and frequently receiving extra bonuses like housing allowances and travel reimbursements are just a few advantages of travel nursing. These nurses must quickly get familiar with new hospital protocols, technology, and patient demographics, therefore they must possess a high degree of adaptability.

The Procedure for Hiring Travel Nurses:

Posting a job: Make a thorough job description that lists the duties, qualifications, and advantages of the travel nursing position.

Making Posts on Specific Platforms: Reach a focused audience of travelling healthcare professionals by using online job boards and other venues. To guarantee that your job posting appears in pertinent search results, include relevant keywords.

Application evaluation: To verify that applicants have the required skills and credentials, review incoming applications.
A history of successful assignments and experience in pertinent specialisations are desirable in candidates.

Initial Consultation: To evaluate a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and personality fit, conduct a virtual interview.
Discuss the applicant’s reasons for choosing to work as a travel nurse and their preferred places for assignments.

Licencing and Credentialing: Help candidates obtain the credentials and licence needed for the particular assignment location. Work with the candidate to ensure all required paperwork is filed on time.

Interview at the Client Facility: Set up a virtual or in-person interview between the prospective travel nurse and staff members of the client facility. Talk about mutual compatibility, facility procedures, and employment expectations.

Providing and Accepting: Send a job offer with information on pay, insurance coverage, the length of the assignment, and other pertinent conditions to the chosen applicant. As you address any queries or worries, give the candidate time to review and accept the offer.

Travel and Accommodations: Help the travelling nurse organise travel, including booking flights or other means of transportation. Give assistance or support in locating a place to live close to the assignment site.

Orientation and Onboarding: Give the client facility a thorough orientation that covers the policies, practises, and expectations. Introduce the travelling nurse to their new colleagues and provide them details on the tools they can use while on assignment.

Ongoing Assistance: Throughout the assignment, stay in constant contact with the travelling nurse to handle any worries or problems. Give assistance with adjusting to the new environment and give access to any necessary resources or training.

Finishing an assignment and moving on: As the assignment comes to a conclusion, assist in facilitating a smooth transition, including any required paperwork or documentation. Discuss prospective upcoming tasks or opportunities based on the preferences of the travelling nurse.

Suggestions for Improvement: Obtain feedback from the client facility and the travelling nurse to evaluate the assignment’s progress and pinpoint areas for improvement. Utilise this input to improve the hiring procedure for upcoming travel nurse postings.

Top 5 Tips for Best Recruiting Process for Travel Nurses

1. Using Specialised Platforms

Specialised internet platforms have become a potent recruiting tool for travel nurses in the current digital era. Platforms like “WanderMed” are dedicated to serving travelling medical professionals. Take John, a capable paediatric nurse who enjoys experiencing different cultures and favours transitory jobs. John can access a large selection of travel nursing possibilities that are suited to his preferences by posting his profile on WanderMed.

2. Simplified Interview and Selection Procedures

Effective interviewing is essential, especially given that travel nurses may work throughout the nation. Using virtual interviews, recruiters may efficiently evaluate candidates’ abilities and personalities. Consider an instance where Emily, an ER nurse, does a video call interview with a hospital in a different state. This method ensures that candidates’ strengths are adequately examined while saving time and resources.

3. Assisting with Transition and Onboarding

For travel nurses, moving to a new healthcare institution might be intimidating. Employers should offer thorough onboarding so that nurses are familiar with the policies and procedures of the facility. For instance, Mark, an OR nurse, values hospitals that give him a mentor to help him throughout the first few weeks of his employment. This support network makes the transition easy and increases confidence, which ultimately benefits the nurse and the medical centre.

4. Creating Transparent Compensation Packages

When considering assignments, travel nurses evaluate compensation very carefully. In order to foster confidence and draw in quality people, transparent compensation packages that provide information on base pay, stipends, housing allowances, and other benefits are often created. For example, giving higher pay for regions with high demand might enhance the attraction of a work opportunity.

5. Promoting a Supportive Workplace

Retaining travel nurses requires creating a friendly and encouraging work environment. Nurses feel respected and cared for when resources like counselling services, access to educational opportunities, and open lines of communication are made available. Jen’s experience demonstrates how a healthcare institution that places an emphasis on employee well-being generates a sense of loyalty and devotion.

Travel nurses frequently look for assignments that can meet their specific scheduling requirements. Offering flexible schedule options, such as shorter contracts or designated shifts, shows that you know their lifestyle preferences. For instance, a nurse like Daniel is more likely to examine possibilities that fit his tastes because he favours three-week assignments owing to family obligations.

Also Read: Certifications Required to Become a Registered Nurse (RN)

Conclusion

In conclusion, an effective hiring procedure is essential for luring and keeping skilled travel nurses. Healthcare organisations can successfully hire travel nurses who add valuable skills and novel perspectives to their teams by comprehending their particular motivations, developing compelling job descriptions, utilising specialised platforms, conducting efficient interviews, and providing strong onboarding support.

References

5 ways to attract the most highly qualified travel nurses: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23173359/
Lived Travel Nurse and Permanent Staff Nurse Pandemic Work Experiences as Influencers of Motivation, Happiness, Stress, and Career Decisions: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9162069/
Nursing Research and Participant Recruitment: Organizational Challenges and Strategies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2901155/