What is a Traveler-Friendly Hospital?

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| posted by Charity Crawford

What is a Traveler-Friendly Hospital?

As a recruiter, I’ve thrown out the phrase “traveler-friendly” when I’ve been discussing potential job options with travelers and candidates. I’ve used it often as a selling point. Still, I’ve not always done a good job explaining what I mean when I say that a hospital or facility is “traveler-friendly.” I will attempt to remedy that with this blog post!

Here are a few things I consider when I determine whether or not a facility is traveler-friendly:

1. Are travelers extending their contracts there?

Whether it’s my travelers or travelers I’m staying in touch with who extend their assignments, I pay attention to the hospitals in which they’re extending. Suppose I hear the same hospitals popping up repeatedly in conversations, or I have frequent extensions at the same facility. In that case, it’s a sign that the hospital or facility is an excellent place to work. Travelers don’t usually extend if they’re not happy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKG1qGxzdiM&list=PLmlPStQOMOe-2CTWzTDdlXwrBx6bkua65&index=10

2. How safe is it to work there as a traveler?

“Safe” can mean different things to different travelers. In my opinion, the safer hospitals or facilities will have decent nurse-to-patient ratios and keep floating to units where the traveler is competent and qualified to work. They have sufficient PPE if we’re in a pandemic-type situation and generally take patient and clinician safety seriously.

3. How welcoming are they to travelers?

Some hospitals and facilities will go out of their way to make sure their travelers feel welcomed and appreciated. We have a client in Georgia, for example, that hosts Traveler Appreciation Dinners every so often for their travelers. Others like to include travelers in activities and events for their regular staff nurses, like Nurses Week pizza parties, etc. When the hospital makes an effort to ensure that the traveler feels a little more at home, the hospital is usually traveler-friendly.

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While this isn’t an exhaustive list, these are a few key factors I’ve often used to determine traveler friendliness. I use these criteria, particularly when working with brand new travelers. They benefit greatly from working in traveler-friendly hospitals for their first assignments.

I rely on the feedback of my travel nurses often to determine whether a hospital or facility will be a good match for any of my future travel nurse candidates. I would encourage you to chat with your recruiter(s) often about things your hospital may be doing (or not doing) for their travel nurses. We are taking notes! Your feedback helps us make better decisions about which positions to present to our candidates.

We’d love to hear from you – what do YOU think constitutes a traveler-friendly hospital or facility?

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Charity Crawford
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