3 min read
Chloe Mumford
We were lucky enough to attend TravCon 2020 last week, and it did not disappoint. We had a great time meeting all the attendees and gathering the insights of our industry peers. We’d like to share some of the things we learned, and the key themes that came up in our conversations surrounding the world of travel nursing.
What we learned
Staffing agencies are multiplying
A handful of attendees told us that this year the number of staffing agencies has doubled and that this was because agencies are taking advantage of the pandemic. However, they feel like some of these agencies don’t know much about healthcare and are just cashing in for the profits.
This means that travel nurses have to be careful about what agencies they’re signing up with. Unfortunately, in the industry, there will always be some staffing companies who don’t perform their due diligence.
As a travel nurse, it’s critical to conduct your own background checks. Make sure to ask a lot of questions to determine if an agency suits your needs. This is why it’s beneficial to go to events like TravCon to find agencies that actually have experience within the healthcare industry.
Recruiting practices aren’t up to standard
Travel nurses are finding that some recruitment practices they encountered aren’t up to standard, and staffing agencies are recruiting for a career they don’t know much about. They want transparency and clear communication, not to be hounded by countless emails. Maintaining a steady flow of communication is necessary, however, many travel nurses claim that their agencies aren’t good at doing so.
Travel nurses want benefits
It’s no longer the case that the best-paying job wins. Travel nurses also pick the agencies that offer good benefits, which may include healthcare benefits, sick pay, etc. Benefits are very sought after so agencies should be supplying them.
Remote is the new trend
New York who? Alaska is now the place to go. Travel nurses are choosing to travel to remote places, away from busy cities. It provides different experiences, and a different reality some may not have experienced before. One travel nurse we spoke to had an assignment in Nebraska where no one knew who Drake was, which was something she never experienced before – it turned out to be her favorite assignment.
The global healthcare talent shortage
Something surprising that we found out is that there is a nurse shortage in Australia. One staffing agency was even looking to bring over US workers. This got us thinking… is there a global nurse shortage? According to the World Health Organization, there really is a global shortage of healthcare workers, especially nurses and midwives, who represent more than 50% of the shortage.
Final Thoughts
Overall, TravCon was an amazing event, that gave us a lot of insight into what travel nurses want and need. It’s given us a great deal of thought on what we can do better for our travel nurses, and what other staffing agencies should reflect on after this event. We heard the best stories from travelers and appreciate how open and kind they were towards us. Travel nurses know what they deserve, and they’re not afraid to ask for it. Staffing agencies need to have a better understanding of what travel nurses go through on their assignments and an understanding of the healthcare industry as a whole. Travel nurses are human, and they deserve to be treated that way. Recruiters need to stop hounding them on emails, the more you do that the less they will reply.
We would like to thank TravCon for the wonderful event. We look forward to the next one!
