Healthcare Traveler - September 2008 - (Page 38)

Joining together years, creating a disconnect between those travelers and the staffing industry. Healthcare travel should be an exciting, mutual partnership. If clinicians decide not to become part of the pool that will provide supplemental staffing services to hospitals, the problem is just going to grow exponentially. What can we do collaboratively to help? I think the major issue is not poor intentions, but rather a lack of knowledge of some of the complex standards and practices, and what goes into running an ethical travel healthcare organization. NATHO’s educational efforts can serve to improve the quality of services provided by agencies and, in turn, enhance the overall travel experience. MS: By increasing the level of quality of all of our firms, and our industry, we’ll be able to attract more travel professionals because there will be fewer companies that are misinformed about proper procedures. We want travel healthcare professionals to have great experiences and to tell their friends about it. SW: The industry’s greatest challenge continues to be—and will always be—the supply of qualified healthcare professionals available and willing to travel. The supply constraints prevent us as an industry from meeting the staffing needs of client facilities, which has a direct impact on the quality of care they are able to provide our communities. I believe one of the most important responsibilities of NATHO will be to further educate healthcare professionals on the great opportunities that we offer as an industry for those wanting to travel far or near, expand their skills in various clinical settings, create flexibility and better balance between their career and home life, and increase their satisfaction as professional caregivers. JW: Getting more nurses or allied healthcare professionals interested in the travel staffing profession is difficult for each individual agency to do. We typically market our companies to attract people who are ready, interested, and in the marketplace looking. NATHO could actually play a collective role in getting more people interested in the traveling as a career or way of enhancing their clinical skills. How will NATHO assist client facilities in meeting their top challenges? LK: Prior to joining Club Staffing, my background was in hospital administration, and on many occasions, I used temporary healthcare staffing agencies. I found when I needed temporary clinical staff, the challenge was not only getting clinicians in quickly, but also knowing that I could count on the company to provide high quality staff. Our goal is to establish a reputation where healthcare clients view NATHO members as agencies that consistently provide quality staff and maintain high ethical standards. SB: Educating clients on how to manage peak staffing levels during high census periods is an issue on which NATHO will be focused. Having the flexibility to handle different staffing levels through contingent staffing can benefit long-term permanent personnel as well as become an economic benefit to organizations. What are some future industry trends that may impact NATHO’s long-term goals? LK: I believe that the travel staffing industry will continue to grow and there will be an increase in the number of companies providing these services. Therefore, it is important to have an association that focuses on setting standards and tracking industry trends, while educating clients and travelers, so there is some consistency across companies. SW: Right now, in travel nursing especially, we predominantly staff the nation’s acute care hospitals. As healthcare services and access to care become more diverse, there will be more opportunities for travelers to work in various non-acute care healthcare settings. More travel assignment opportunities in outpatient and specialty clinics, miniclinics in retail stores, remote and home healthcare opportunities. Our client base will become much more diversified than it is today. JW: With the concern regarding the nursing shortage, and current immigration laws, www.healthcaretraveler.com NATHO MEMBERSHIP FACTS Must be Joint Commission-certified or in process of gaining HCSS certification For travel healthcare companies with proof of insurance coverage Initial annual fee is $500 per organization, with revenue tier structure in future Associate member category planned for vendors and suppliers Annual membership meeting tentatively planned to coincide with Healthcare Staffing Summit Fifty applications from travel healthcare firms in first month 38 Healthcare Traveler September 2008 http://www.healthcaretraveler.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Traveler - September 2008

Healthcare Traveler - September 2008 Editor's Desk Contents In a Flash Paws for Thought Field Notes Regional Differences in the ED Joining Together Drug Update Clinical Tips Cityscape Advertiser's Index Name It Travel Tips Big Deals Tax Facts Dot.com Contest Rules Allied Corner Going the Distance Classifieds Tales from the Road

Healthcare Traveler - September 2008

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