Those in the healthcare traveling industry can easily distinguish between professionals who prefer to fill a vacancy when
traveling assignments come up and those who prefer to fill a permanent staff position.
Photo: Getty Images/Comstock Images
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When these career paths overlap, however, many in the business think it's those who've tired of the around-the-clock grind
who choose to transition from full-time to a traveling position. In many cases, however, the reverse can be true.
"People do it all the time," says Shambra Speckmiear, a recruitment manager with Wakefield, Mass.–based Clinical One. "When
a healthcare traveler winds up in a location or at a facility where they feel particularly comfortable, they often extend
their contract. And sometimes they ultimately choose to stay on long-term. Temporary contracts are actually a great way to
find a permanent position, because you have already had hands-on experience at work and lived as a local in the community,
so you have a realistic idea of what you're signing on for."
Running the show
Barbara Craig, RN (Photo courtesy of Barbara Craig)
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Barbara Craig, RN, spent many years working in an operating room at a level I trauma in the southeast. "I was there for nine
years as a scrub tech and then stayed on long after I had earned my RN," Craig says. "I got a lot of great experience, which
definitely paid off along the road. Sometimes you don't know where you're going to wind up, but you can trust that all of
your experiences will be beneficial in some way."
Knowing that she would eventually retire to the southwest to be near her brother, Craig called Travel Nurse Solutions, (the
company recently changed its name to Jackson Nurse Professionals), based in Vestavia Hills, Ala. "A friend recommended the
company and I called on a whim. I didn't expect anything to come of it, but I wound up getting an offer that was too good
to pass up, and then another, and then another."
Then, about two years ago, Craig was offered a permanent position so appealing that she works there still. "I took a 13-week
assignment in a facility out west that needed help setting up their (operating room) program. My past experience made me a
good candidate for this position, and it turned out to be a great match. So good, in fact, that I am staying on indefinitely
as the OR manager."
When Craig made the decision to stay put as director of surgical services at Blue Mountain Hospital in Utah, she contacted
her staffing agent to hammer out the details. "I was upfront about what I wanted, and there was no problem. We still use Jackson
Nurse Professionals to help with temporary staffing (at her place of work), and they call me now and then to offer me nearby
temporary opportunities."
Switching gears from traveler status to full-time did take some adjustment, Craig says.
"I am in charge of the whole operating suite, which is very rewarding, but also a lot of work," she says. "We have two ORs,
and I set them up pretty much from scratch. It was a bit nerve-wracking at first, being in charge in a new place where I didn't
know anybody, but the people here are like one big family. At work and in the community, everyone is friendly and happy to
help."
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