Overcoming Challenges in Travel Nurse Recruitment

Healthcare organizations can improve staffing solutions, patient care, and operational efficiency by understanding travel nurse challenges. Explore the challenges of hiring travel nurses and learn how to streamline the hiring process for these valuable healthcare providers.

1. The Rise of Vendor Management Services

Vendor Management Services (VMS) are everywhere now, making it easier for clients to work with multiple agencies simultaneously. While that sounds great in theory, it also means more competition—recruiters from different agencies are all chasing the same job openings. On top of that, VMS often step in as intermediaries, making communication between agencies and clients feel more distant and less direct.

2. Short Term Assignments

Travel nursing assignments are typically short-term, often lasting just three months compared to six months or more in other industries like IT staffing. This frequent turnover means recruiters and nurses continually search for new positions, requiring more resources and time.

3. Short Notice for Assignments

It’s not uncommon for hospitals to give agencies very little notice—sometimes just two weeks or less—to fill positions. This short lead time pressures recruiters to find and place candidates quickly, often leading to a frantic search process.

4. Heavy Submission Requirements

In travel nursing, recruiters have their hands full with more than just resumes. They’re tracking down skills checklists, references, licenses, and certifications—all the paperwork that keeps the process running. It takes time and can be a hassle for both recruiters and nurses, but it’s just part of the job.

5. Paperwork Overload

The onboarding process for travel nurses involves a significant amount of paperwork, which has only increased as hospitals now require travelers to complete paperwork similar to that of permanent staff. This can deter working with new candidates, as the time needed for onboarding may be too long to meet urgent job demands.

6. Strategies to Overcome Travel Nurse Recruiting Challenges

While travel nurse recruiting can be difficult, many recruiters find great success by implementing the following strategies:

1. Serve as an Informational Resource

Travel nursing can be overwhelming, especially for newcomers. Recruiters who act as resources, guiding candidates through the complexities of pay packages, tax issues, state licensing, and more, will build stronger relationships with their candidates.

2. Be an Excellent Communicator

Given the time-sensitive nature of travel nursing, consistent communication is crucial. Keep candidates informed about their job search progress. A quick text or email can maintain a strong relationship and prevent frustration.

3. Practice Honesty

Honesty is key to maintaining trust. Avoid making promises you can’t keep, such as implying there’s a job available when there isn’t. Transparent communication builds a stronger, more trusting relationship with candidates.

4. Embrace the Sales Aspect of Recruiting

Recruiters in the travel nursing industry must sell jobs and locations. Be prepared to sell the idea of different destinations, as travel nurses are often open to exploring new places.

5. Focus on Referrals

Ask for referrals once you’ve built a strong relationship with a candidate. Referrals are among the best ways to attract new candidates and grow your network.

6. Simplify the Application Process

Lengthy application processes can deter candidates. Simplify the process by helping them with paperwork or using tools like those available through TravelNurse911.com to streamline the application and submission process.

7. Consider Hiring a Virtual Assistant

If the paperwork is overwhelming, consider hiring a virtual assistant to help with data entry and other administrative tasks. This can free up your time to build relationships and source candidates.

TravelNurse911.com is all about making the hiring process smoother for both recruiters and nurses. With a free account, recruiters can connect with candidates, keep track of their professional network, and simplify the submission process. On the other side, travel nurses can build and update their resumes, skills checklists, and job applications in one place so that recruiters can access ready-to-go profiles without all the back-and-forth.

Using the right approach, travel nursing recruiters can tackle the industry's challenges, strengthen relationships with nurses, and see real success in their recruiting efforts.