Have Credentials, Will Travel

In today’s tough job market and an economy that still has a 10 percent unemployment rate, a great niche for some health care professionals is that of a “traveler.”
 
From nurses and X-ray technicians to respiratory, physical and occupational therapists, the life of a traveling medical professional can offer adventure, professional development and, in many instances, an increased salary. Those looking to see more of the world and travel to destinations in style may want to check out the services of Jettly for a private jet charter.
 
“I was initially attracted to the adventure and the pay, especially living in the South,” says Phil Light, a registered nurse from Kentucky and president of the Professional Association of Nurse Travelers. “As a traveler for seven years, I immediately doubled my income.”
 
Founded by a group of healthcare providers in 2005 who were communicating via a social networking site, the 5,000-member association considers itself a leading voice and advocate for healthcare travelers in the U.S. Its site is a comprehensive repository of unbiased information that provides professional development, tools and resources.
 
“It’s definitely a work of love,” Light says. “We have periodic board meetings that are done by phone. No one gets paid.”
 
As for who is most attracted to this lifestyle, Light says it is nurses who work in traditionally low-paying parts of the country. California is a popular destination due to higher wages.
 
Agencies and Contracts
 
Travelers are generally hired on a contract basis, with most contracts lasting 13 weeks in. Occasionally, there will be four- or eight-week stints or contracts as long as six months.
 
Light says it is mostly acute care hospitals that employ travelers, who are often hired through an employment agency.
 
“Most agencies do offer benefits, but they are of poor quality,” Light says. “I’m not sure if it is because the risk pool is much smaller than a hospital or large corporation. A typical agency may only have 50 travelers working for them and some of the biggest agencies may have a few hundred travelers.”
 
Light adds that some of the smaller agencies don’t offer insurance at all.
 
“It’s a serious issue and one of the downsides,” he says
 
TravelMax and Reflectx, two Florida-based healthcare staffing agencies that operate under Maxim Healthcare – which is the country’s largest privately owned staffing company – have been providing jobs to healthcare professionals for more than a decade. TravelMax provides employment for nurses and nonrehabilitation positions such as pharmacists, laboratory and ultrasound technicians, while Reflectx handles positions, such as occupational and physical therapy and speech-language pathology.
 
“Our most popular demographic for travel is under the age of 30,” says Brent Healy, marketing manager for TravelMax and Reflectx. “We are really looking for experienced nurses at this point. They are almost always female and regularly single, but not always. There is also another demographic – empty nesters. The kids have gone to college or they didn’t have kids and are looking for some adventure in their 40s and 50s before they retire. We don’t have many people in their mid 30 to mid 40s since that is usually the family-raising time.”
 
Healy adds that their clients are looking for adventure and change, and also to “beef up” their resume by getting in at high-profile facilities.
 
“They get these 13-week assignments in places like the Cleveland Clinic that they would never get unless they were a traveler,” Healy says. “They also want to try different types of assignments or medical care or patient caseloads.”
 
And, like Light mentioned earlier, Healy says there can also be significant financial rewards. TravelMax and Reflectx have nearly 300 travelers, who are actually employees of the agencies.
 
“A traveler makes – on average – 20 percent to 30 percent more than a permanent employee because there are tax benefits associated with being a contract employee,” Healy says. “The IRS allows anybody – if you are working in a position that is more than 50 miles from your tax home – to claim living expenses as tax deductible.”
 
Sought-After Destinations
 
It probably doesn’t take a genius to guess that states like California, Florida and Hawaii top the list of most desirable locations requested by travelers. It is these states, plus Arizona, North Carolina and Illinois, with its seasonal populations, that provide the most opportunities.
 
“For instance, after Thanksgiving in Florida, hospitals get more crowded here,” says Healy. “As a result, demand in Florida for the winter is very good for travelers. They work December to April. After Easter – when the snowbirds move back up north – the demand for travelers in Florida drops.”
 
Light has worked in many destinations across the country and cites Crescent City, Calif., near the Oregon border, as his favorite spot, largely due to the hospital there as well as the scenery that includes rugged coastlines and redwood trees.
 
Though not traveling at the present time, Light, who is originally from Ohio, but who has called Kentucky home for the past three decades, is content to stay put so he can enjoy his 120-acre farm. Still, he doesn’t rule out traveling again at some distant future date.
 
“Once it gets in your blood, it’s hard to quit,” he says.
 
Lisa Kopochinski is a freelance writer.
 
Additional Resources
 
There are a number of resources that health care professionals can investigate if they are considering a career change includes various locales, adventure and an opportunity to further professional growth. Here are just a few:
 
Professional Association of Nurse Travelers
With its mission to serve as a comprehensive educational resource for health care travelers across the U.S., this nonprofit entity seeks to improve the conditions for travelers, hospitals and patients. Members are encouraged to lobby Congress and state legislative bodies on issues and laws that impact member constituents.
 
Travel Medical Professionals Conference
This year’s conference takes place September 26 to 27 in Las Vegas at the Embassy Suites Convention Center. With an informative array of speakers and organized and spontaneous gatherings, the TMPC welcomes all attendees-from those who are just thinking about traveling to those who have traveled for years. TMPC is organized and owned by RNs who have no affiliation with any travel nurse company in order to maintain complete independence.
 
International Society of Travel Medicine
With more than 2,500 members that include physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals, ISTM strives to promote the field of travel medicine through the dissemination of information, providing ample networking opportunities and developing educational programs.