Overcoming Challenges in Travel Nurse Recruitment

By understanding travel nurse challenges, healthcare organizations can improve staffing solutions, patient care, and operational efficiency. 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) have become prevalent, enabling clients to work with multiple agencies simultaneously. This increases competition among agencies, as more recruiters are vying for the same job openings. Additionally, VMS often act as intermediaries, leading to less direct communication between agencies and clients.

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 are continually searching 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 puts pressure on recruiters to find and place candidates quickly, often leading to a frantic search process.

4. Heavy Submission Requirements

Recruiters in the travel nursing industry must gather extensive documentation for candidates, far more than a simple resume. A complete application often includes a skills checklist, references, and copies of licenses and certifications, making the process time-consuming and challenging for both recruiters and candidates.

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 be a deterrent to working with new candidates, as the time required for onboarding may be too long to meet urgent job demands.

7 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. Even a quick text or email can maintain a strong relationship and prevent frustration.

3. Practice Honesty

Honesty is key in 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 not only sell jobs but also locations. Be prepared to sell the idea of different destinations, as travel nurses are often open to exploring new places.

5. Focus on Referrals

Once you’ve built a strong relationship with a candidate, ask for referrals. Referrals are one of the best ways to bring in 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 Travel Nurse 911 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 focus on building relationships and sourcing candidates.

Travel Nurse 911 tries to make the recruitment process easier for both recruiters and candidates. By creating a free account, recruiters can connect with candidates, manage their professional network, and streamline the submission process. Travel Nurses can use the platform to create and control their travel nursing resumes, skills checklists, and job applications, making it easier for recruiters to get submission-ready profiles quickly.

By implementing these strategies, travel nursing recruiters can overcome the industry's unique challenges, build stronger relationships with candidates, and achieve greater success in their recruitment efforts.