Healthcare Traveler - November 2008 - (Page 19)

s congressional policymakers and presidential candidates haggled over the details of the national economic rescue legislation last month—and President Bush strategized with G-7 and G-20 financial leaders to infuse money into the world’s banks to ease the credit crunch—the general public waited with bated breath, wondering how the final outcome would affect their personal investments and financial futures. While our nation’s immediate fiscal forecast remains unpredictable, the bright news is that mobile nurses, therapists, and technologists continue to enjoy myriad perks, thanks to their travel careers. In addition to earning lucrative incomes, growing personally and professionally, enjoying scheduling flexibility, avoiding hospital politics, and visiting new geographic locales, travelers have accumulated a bevy of benefits from healthcare staffing companies over the years. These perks include core offerings, such as companyprovided housing and housewares, as well as the more extravagant, like cash rewards, vacations, and even computers. In this, the third Healthcare Traveler Benefits Survey, we examine what current and previous travelers prefer in terms of benefits, and how such offerings influence their choices in staffing agencies. Additionally, those professionals who are interested in the mobile lifestyle, but who have yet to accept assignments, weigh in on what they expect from a travel company partnership. A Paychecks are not the only measure by which travelers and potential travelers gauge industry players —benefit packages count, too. Generally speaking Likely a reflection of these tough economic times, compensation was the main factor considered by all respondents—current, previous, and potential travelers—with 79% citing it as “extremely important” when choosing a travel company, up slightly from 2006 figures that showed three-quarters of participants felt this way. However, paychecks are not the only measure by which travelers and potential travelers gauge industry players. Companies provide a variety of employment packages that may include such perks as retirement plans, performance rewards, and insurance options. According to this year’s results, 76% of all respondents considered benefits, in general—and customizable benefits, in particular—to be either “extremely important” or “very important” when selecting an agency. Slightly more (80%) valued immediate access to perks starting with the first day of employment. In addition, half of all those aged 50 to 54 believed benefits were “extremely important”—more than any other age group—while more respondents 55 to 59 years of age deemed firstday (55%) and customizable (42%) benefits so. Those interested in trying the mobile lifestyle put more weight on the importance of benefits (83%), customizable benefits (80%), and first-day accessibility (83%) than their counterparts who are or had been travelers. Fifty-two percent of those 40 to 44 years of age believed benefits in general were “extremely important,” with 47% each of would-be mobile professionals 35 to 39 and 50 to 54 rating importance this way. First-day benefits were considered most important by those over 60, followed by clinicians aged 40 to 44. Nearly half of the participants considering travel who were between 55 and 59 years of age evaluated customizable benefits in this fashion. When ranking specific non-compensation-related benefits that were “extremely important” in their decision-making process, all participants named personal support from companies (65%); health, vision, dental, life, and disability insurance (55%); and reimbursements and allowances (55%) as their top three preferences, overall. Since 2006, housing (54%) dropped from second to fourth place but remained one of the most crucial benefits under consideration. (In fact, 95% of respondents deemed it “important” to some degree when selecting a travel agency.) Similar to the last survey, participants also appreciated licensure assistance (40%) as a benefit of extreme importance, as well as shift premiums (37%) and bonuses (36%). Tax advantage plans (33%) and retirement programs (31%) jumped ahead of professional insurance and continuing education, which tied for tenth this year, at 28%. Current and previous travelers, in particular, found personal support from travel companies to be the most important factor and put more stock on reimbursements and allowances than insurance, whereas potential mobile clinicians ranked insurance as the benefit of highest import, followed by housing, personal support, and reimbursements and allowances. In addition, current travelers considered tax advantage plans more important in their decision-making process than bonuses or shift premiums, while those interested in the lifestyle were more concerned with shift premiums and retirement programs than bonuses. What role did age play in their rankings? Current and former mobile professionals, regardless of age, ranked personal support from travel companies as the most important factor when selecting or thinking November 2008 Healthcare Traveler 19

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

Healthcare Traveler - November 2008 Editor’s Desk Contents In a Flash Paws for Thought Field Notes You Said It Perks and Preferences A Latitude Adjustment Drug Update Clinical Tips Advice of Counsel Cityscape Advertiser’s Index Name It When In. . . It’s in the Bag Contest Rules Big Deals Tax Facts Going the Distance Allied Corner Classifieds Tales from the Road

Healthcare Traveler - November 2008

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