The Case for Travel Nurse Recruiters

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A great recruiter can be your friend and guide during your travel nurse journey.

Travel nurses and their recruiters are a dynamic duo in the healthcare staffing industry. Like peanut butter and jelly or mac and cheese, one without the other is unthinkable. That is, until now.

Nomad Health, a site that directly connects freelance doctors to healthcare systems without a middleman, recently expanded their services to travel nurses as well.

Before you jump on the recruiter-free bandwagon, you should carefully consider all the advantages you have with a recruiter on your side:

Pay: According to Nomad’s website, travel nurses will automatically earn more money since medical facilities are saving on recruiter fees. Taken at face value, this statement seems to make sense. However, you should keep in mind that no two bill rates are the same, so there’s really nothing “automatic” about better pay. In fact, in some cases, a recruiter can actually help you advocate for a better compensation package.

Jobs: Without recruiters, Nomad claims you can find job opportunities on your own terms. While that certainly sounds liberating, it’s simply not true. As a travel nurse, you don’t have to take any job you don’t want. Likewise, a great recruiter is your partner in your job search, and that means he or she can help you land your dream job. Your recruiter knows what hospitals are looking for in a candidate, so he or she can offer you sound career advice when needed. Plus, as an industry insider, your recruiter may know of jobs that haven’t even been advertised yet.

Safety Net: Besides job opportunities and pay, travel nurses also need to consider their safety while on assignment. In an ideal world, your travel nursing assignment would go off without a hitch, but that’s unfortunately not always the case. Just look at Travel Nursing Central’s Sticky Situations Q&A section! Your recruiter is your friend and safety net when something unexpected happens to you while on assignment. When you think of the alternative, who would you call? The Ghostbusters?

So, while it’s tempting to ditch your recruiter, this model probably wouldn’t add up to an overall amazing travel nursing experience. A recruiter offers you several advantages including industry knowledge, career advice, and a helpful ear should something unexpected happen.

What do you think? Is a recruiter-free agency appealing or do you plan to stick with your recruiter? Let us know in the comments below!

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2013 Travelers and Recruiters of the Year

HT Mag Dec 2013 - 2013 Travelers and Recruiters of the YearHealthcare Traveler magazine announced the winners for 2013 Travelers and Recruiter of the Year in its December issue.

From a process that started with their recruiters nominating them, the magazine’s staff chose 48 travel nurses and other traveling healthcare staffers to honor as standouts in the field.

One of the winners, Patricia Pitts, RN, who specialty is Labor & Delivery has been traveling for 22 years! Her recruiter, Stephanie Pucillo, with CRU48 nominated her.

To see a full listings of winning travelers for 2013, click here.

Following the same nomination process, but with travelers nominating recruiters, Healthcare Traveler awarded 51 Recruiters of the Year. The publication notes that trust is a valuable part of a traveler-recruiter relationship.

To see the full listings of winning recruiters for 2013, click here.

Congratulations to all of the 2013 Travelers and Recruiters of the Year!

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Recruiter of the Year 2013 Nominations Are Now Open

Trophy Holla - Recruiter of the Year 2013 Nominations Are Now OpenHealthcare Traveler magazine is once again hosting its annual Recruiter of the Year contest. Recruiter of the Year 2013 nominations are now open now and will continue through October 7, 2013.

Every travel nurse knows that having an amazing recruiter is a major part of having a successful career in the travel nurse industry. A good recruiter goes out of their way to make sure that their nurses’ needs are met ahead of and throughout all of a nurse’s assignments. A good recruiter is reputable and honest in all of their dealings with their nurses. A good recruiter always gets back to you right away.

At Travel Nursing Central we are always saying that the best advice we can give a travel nurse is to find a recruiter that they trust and who is a good fit for them. It’s best to find a recruiter that’s almost like a friend — someone who will take the time to get to know you and as a result has a better understanding of what you need out of jobs and locations. Once you have a trusted recruiter, the jobs tend to fall into place much more easily.

For someone so important to you professionally, it’s nice to recognize them for all that they do! Here are the full official rules for Recruiter of the Year nominations:

  • To qualify, nominees must currently be employed in a professional placement capacity at a travel staffing agency or travel division.
  • Voting travelers must have worked with the nominated recruiter during 2013. Mobile professionals’ employment history will be verified.
  • Recruiters need not be licensed healthcare providers.
  • Only one nomination per traveler will be accepted.
  • Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
  • Entries received after October 7, 2013, may not be counted.

If you have a great recruiter, visit the nomination form here. It only takes a couple moments to nominate your recruiter.

 

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