Your medical staffing agency has a huge impact on your career as an allied health traveler. Therefore, you should definitely evaluate each agency you try to make sure it’s the right fit for you. Too many travelers fall into the trap of assuming all agencies are the same or that a good fit isn’t necessary. However, this can seriously affect your experience! If you’re not sure where to start with deciding whether a medical staffing agency is right for you or not, keep reading. We’ll go over some reasons why you should think about your agency’s report card and some things to think about to help you with that process.
If you’re looking for an agency to help you find travel allied health jobs, check out our job board and reach out to our recruiters to get started.
Why It’s Important to Evaluate a Medical Staffing Agency
As we mentioned, the medical staffing agency you work with as a traveler can have a pretty big impact on your career and life as a traveler. After all, they’re the ones helping you source jobs, act as an intermediary between you and the facility, and also are the ones essentially signing your paycheck. So, just like you would with any other company you work for, you should take some time on a regular basis to make sure that it’s working well for you. Agencies are not all cut from the same cloth, so make sure the one you’re working with is right for your goals.
Your Medical Staffing Agency Affects Which Allied Health Jobs are Available
One reason to take time to evaluate the medical staffing company you work with is that it can impact which opportunities are open to you. Facilities typically work with just one agency or sometimes a small group of them to fill their open travel positions. Therefore, the agency you choose has a direct impact on the types of allied health jobs you will have access to. This, obviously, is a big deal, because it affects where you travel, how much you make, which facilities you work for, and so much more.
Your Agency Impacts Your Experience as a Traveler
The medical staffing agency you work with also affects basically every facet of your life as a traveler. Not only do they control the jobs available, but they also affect things like the types of housing available during your assignment, how much support you get for things like credentialing, and even how easy the process is of finding and applying for travel allied health jobs. Of course you want to have a great experience, so make sure you think about the type of experience and help you’re getting from your current agency.
Your Medical Staffing Agency Negotiates Compensation Packages
Another thing to remember is that the medical staffing firm is the one that negotiates the compensation packages with the facility. Often, there is flexibility within a certain range for each job that a facility needs to fill. You want to work with an agency that does negotiate to ensure you get good, fair compensation for every assignment you take. Don’t work with an agency that leaves money on the table! You want to work with a company that makes sure both the traveler and the facility are happy and satisfied, including when it comes to compensation,
Considerations When Evaluating a Medical Staffing Firm as an Allied Health Traveler
So, now you know why you should be looking at the agency you work with and determining whether it’s the right fit, you might be wondering what exactly you should be looking for. Often, this will depend on your exact goals, but there are several things you can add to your “report card” for the agency. This way, you can give each section a grade as an easy way to determine if you should stay or if you should look for a different medical staffing agency to work with. Here are some things to consider:
Look at the Allied Health Jobs
One easy thing you can do is to just look at the allied health jobs they have to offer. Basically, you’re looking for whether there are many jobs that you really want to take. If it’s slim pickings based on your goals and criteria, that’s probably a sign it’s time to move on to a different agency.
Of course, how you decide whether the jobs are ones you want is usually pretty personal. Some things you might look at include:
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- Location: Are there jobs available in places you want to travel?
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- Pay: Is the pay competitive for similar jobs at different agencies?
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- Facilities: Are there jobs in facilities you want to work in?
You’ll also want to make sure that there are jobs available in your specialty area. If there are few jobs that you really want to take, then you might be in heavy competition with many others and struggle to find assignments that suit you.
Check Out the Contracts
Think about the contracts for the travel allied health jobs you’ve had so far with the agency. They’ll be different for each job, but there’s a lot to mull over for these. For instance, contracts usually detail your pay (which is important, as we mentioned above), stipends you’ll receive, benefits, as well as things like hours guarantees and other key details. Are those contracts working for you and do they provide you what you need? Think about that when evaluating your medical staffing agency.
Assess Your Medical Staffing Recruiter
Your recruiter is your lifeline. They help you find jobs, apply, and also assist with basically everything you need during your assignment. They put you in touch with housing specialists, credentialing specialists, and any other people you need for support as a traveling healthcare professional. So, think about your interactions with your recruiter and whether they’re a good fit for you.
Some questions to ask yourself might include:
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- Was it easy to get in touch with your recruiter?
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- Was your recruiter helpful?
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- Did you like talking to your recruiter?
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- Did your recruiter learn important things about you like your goals?
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- Was the recruiter available during your assignment in case of any problems?
Look at Reviews, Awards, and Credentials
Now, you probably looked at reviews, awards, and credentials for the medical staffing agency before you took your first assignment with them, but it helps to check again to see if anything has changed. So, look at their online reviews and testimonials, see if they’ve won any new awards, and make sure that they’re still certified by the Joint Commission. All these act as indicators of dedication to quality, so take some time to do some research about how people feel about the agency you’re working with now.
Find the Perfect Job Today with AHS MedStat – Specializing in Allied Health Staffing
Our team is here to help you build an exciting and adventurous career as an allied health traveler. Whether you’re looking for surgical tech jobs, rehabilitation health jobs, or other jobs in the allied health sector, we are here for you. At AHS MedStat, we specialize in allied health staffing, so we really understand you and what you need. Our recruiters get to know you and your goals so we can match you with the perfect opportunities all over the nation. Contact our recruiters or browse our job board now to get started.
