In life, preparation is the key to success—so when it comes to planning your next travel healthcare assignment, it pays to think ahead. Whether you’re a nurse or allied health professional thinking about taking on the travel healthcare life, or you’re in the middle of an assignment and want to get your next job on your schedule, here are four tips to follow that will make planning a breeze.
1. Determine a Target Location and Duration
As a travel healthcare professional, you have the unique opportunity to create your own schedule—meaning you choose where you work, how often you work, and for how long. When you partner with a travel healthcare recruitment company like Barton Healthcare Staffing (BHS) to find an assignment, you’ll be set up with a recruiter who will learn your personal needs and professional goals and work to set you up with a job.Â
BHS places travel clinicians at facilities across the United States on assignments varying in duration, such as from just a few days to a few months. If you’re already a travel healthcare veteran, you likely have a good idea of where in the country you want to work, and what you want your schedule to look like. If you’re planning your first assignment, take the time to really think about if there are any states or cities that you want to live and work in, as well as for how long.Â
2. Update Your CVÂ
Before you put your name in the ring for an open travel healthcare job, it’s important to make sure your resume/CV is completely up to date. This includes your most recent education and your current experience if you’re currently working on an assignment.Â
You should be constantly updating your resume as new information becomes available so you can be ready to use it on a moment’s notice, but if you haven’t, it’s important to get it straightened out as soon as you can.Â
3. Start the Licensing Process ASAP
If you only want to work in a select few states, it’s smart to get a headstart on obtaining the state licenses you need to practice there. Luckily, partnering with BHS makes this process simple and easy.Â
As one of our travel healthcare clinicians, you’ll have access to our internal licensing team, who will work to proactively purchase state licenses for the states you’ll be working in. Like your recruiter, this team will do all the hard work for you—just make sure to have all of your documentation handy!Â
4. Talk with Your Recruiter Early
One of the easiest ways to get the ball rolling on your next assignment is to express your desire to take on another travel job with your recruiter. Not only will this get you on the path toward finding your next travel job, it will also put your recruiter into action to do all of the heavy lifting for you.Â
After you’ve talked to your BHS recruiter, they will scour job listings for a travel assignment that meets your requirements and wants as specified in step one. All you have to do is just respond to your recruiter when they call, and they’ll do the rest.Â
If you’re already on assignment, connect with your recruiter as soon as you feel ready. If you’re on a three-month assignment, it might be good to talk with them before the end of the first month, so that you’ll have a better shot to have something lined up by the end. Not on assignment yet? The best time to reach out to a recruiter is now!
Work with Us
Looking to take on an assignment as a travel nurse or allied health clinician? We have jobs open across the United States at a variety of facility types, check out our job board or reach out to us today!