2. What is a travel health care
professional?
Travel health care professionals have the same
types and durations of training as other health
care professionals, but rather than serving one
area, they work in different temporary
assignments all over the world. If you’re a
licensed health care professional, you might want
to consider joining a travel health care agency. By
doing so, you can help to alleviate personnel
shortages, to assist during seasonal upticks in
demand, or to fill a temporary position until a
permanent candidate can be found.
3. Job Requirements
In addition to fulfilling the usual training and
certification requirements, travel
health care professionals also have to meet a few
other requirements before going on assignment.
First, virtually any staffing agency that deals with
travel health care placement will require you to
have at least a year of experience under belt, and
possibly more. They also have to be adaptable
not only to different locales and customs, but
also to different facility policies and approaches
to care because these will differ from location to
location.
4. Perks
If you meet these criteria, you’ll have the opportunity
to reap all sorts of rewards. Not only will you be able
to aid people across the country, and around the
globe, but you’ll have the chance to experience new
surroundings and take in different cultures. Plus,
expenses for housing and travel are often covered for
the length of the assignment, and families and pets
may be accommodated for. Another perk is that you
won’t need to sign a contract with the facility you’re
working with, but you may still be eligible for benefits
like health insurance, bonuses, and retirement funds.
5. Work on Your Schedule
These positions also offer a level of
flexibility that allows you to work on
your terms. For instance, if you wrap
up an assignment and you want to
take a vacation to recoup and
recharge, simply let your agency know
and give them your next available
date. Taking some time off work can
give you the chance to catch up on
home improvement projects or go on
a much-needed vacation.
Another excellent use of your time off
is keeping up on your CE courses.
While many health care professionals
find it difficult to juggle these courses
while working 40 hours or more a
week, you can take them at your own
pace, without the daily responsibilities
of a regular position.
6. Potential Issues
Of course, every position comes with its own set of challenges in
addition to the benefits. In this case, you’ll need to be ready to take
on all of the normal issues you might associate with health care
positions – from belligerent patients to poor communication among
staff – but you’ll also have to cope with some problems unique to
traveling professionals. For one, you may not have your friends and
family around to keep you company throughout the weeks or
months that you’re away. Not only does that mean that you won’t
be able to look after your kids or keep your spouse company, but it
also means you may get lonely and homesick. To banish these
feelings and prevent a bout of burnout, you’ll need to commit to
making connections with the people in your new facility. After all, it
only takes a few friendly faces to banish the blues.
7. Learn More
If you believe you can meet all of the
challenges a travel health care professional
faces, and if the perks sound appealing,
contact your staffing agency of choice to find
out more details.
