Should you travel to Florida or California on your next travel nurse assignment? Which hospitals offer better pay? Where will you have the best work culture? What if you have a housing emergency? When you get into travel nursing, you’re going to have lots of questions, some of which we just listed. Although healthcare agencies can answer some of your questions, it’s best to have an individual person on speed dial who knows you and can give you some guidance in the industry. You guessed it – we’re suggesting that you need a travel nurse recruiter! Now you’re probably wondering what to look for in a travel nurse recruiter. Here are the benefits of using a recruiter and a few traits you want he or she to have!
Benefits to Using a Travel Nurse Recruiter
There are several reasons why using a travel nurse recruiter will make your life easier. Recruiters help you with your job search, which makes the process less stressful. They also act as your lifeline as you traveling throughout the country.
Less job search work for you
The number one reason to use a recruiter is that they will help find the best assignments. Recruiters are good at finding you top paying jobs in hospitals that have a good reputation. It’s their job to look for available jobs and send them to you, so you that you can easily find your next assignment. This will make your life easier because you can spend your time working and enjoying your current destination without worrying about where you’ll go next.
They’re essentially your lifeline
When you’re working night shift and your agency is closed but you have an emergency – who do you call? Recruiters are ideal because they are almost always available via email or phone call whenever you need them. If things go wrong on assignment, your recruiter is essentially your lifeline. Since you may be working in a different time zone than your agency, or have an emergency outside of office hours, it’s helpful to have a point of contact and direct phone number.
What to Look for in a Travel Nurse Recruiter: Four Ideal Character Traits
Find a travel nurse recruiter who is personable, honest, knowledgeable, and easy to get a hold of.
Now that we’ve convinced you that you want (and need) one, here is what to look for in a travel nurse recruiter!
1. Friendly and easy to talk to
Your recruiter should be your friend. No, we don’t mean you should call them to chat about your personal life or to meet up for drinks. However, you should be able to have a candid conversation with them about what you’re looking for in a travel nursing assignment, from location to pay. It’s important that you can have an open conversation with your recruiter because this is the only way they’re going to know how to find you positions that meet your goals.
2. Readily available
Your recruiter should be easy to get in touch with. If you have to email them several times and then call them repeatedly in order to get a response, this isn’t a good sign. You want someone who’s going to answer when you call or at least call you back in a timely fashion. Jobs go fast in the travel nurse industry, so you won’t have time to play phone tag with an MIA recruiter.
3. A healthcare industry guru
Your recruiter should know the ins and outs of the travel nursing industry. Find a recruiter who’s been in the industry for some time. If they have a high success rate in placing nurses where they’re happy, this is a good sign. Recruiters learn a lot. They know which hospitals are unorganized and overcrowded. They know which states offer better pay and where nurses have the best overall experience on assignment. You want someone with industry knowledge on your side to guide you in your travels.
4. Trustworthiness
Honesty is important when considering what to look for in a travel nurse recruiter. If you can’t trust what your recruiter is saying, they won’t be much help to you. This trait goes hand in hand with having a recruiter who is friendly and easy to talk to. They should also be trustworthy. Just like you need to feel like you can be open and honest with them, it’s equally important that they are this way with you.
Now I bet you’re wondering how to contact a nurse recruiter. Let us help you! Check out the list of recruiters we work with and find the ideal person to lead you through your travel nurse career!
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