Healthcare Traveler - November 2008 - (Page 32)

Perks & preferences When given the choice, current travelers preferred to receive allowances rather than reimbursements for health insurance (60% versus 28%) and travel (54% versus 44%). Forty-seven percent favored getting reimbursed for continuing education, and three times as many preferred receiving a reimbursement (72%) over an allowance for licensure fees. Although 37% favored reimbursement for tuition, 38% had no preference. current travelers (48%) and previous mobile practitioners (57%), who cited them as their “most preferred” alternative. Gift certificates ranked second at 42% for those now on the road, up from 34% for professionals who traveled in the past. As in our 2006 study, free auto club memberships (23%) and long-distance phone cards (13%) ranked third and fourth, overall. When compared by age groups, rankings were the same for current travelers, with the exception of professionals between 35 and 39, who most preferred gift certificates to computers. Discounts and other free stuff Remember the old saying, “It’s the little things that count”? Programs offering savings on hotels, airfare, auto rentals, and other travel-related amenities once again took top spot, followed by discounts on uniforms/apparel, computers, and phone services. Retail merchandise rounded out the top five mean rankings for programs offered by staffing companies, with discounted memberships in auto clubs moving above those for health clubs this year. In terms of free products and services from agencies, computers garnered the greatest response from Professional services After putting in long shifts on the job, and acclimating to a new community, travelers have limited time left to seek out professional services, like legal or educational assistance. Of course, some of this can be taken care of online, but even then, it helps to be referred to reliable resources. According to the current results, tax assistance was the “most preferred” service offered by staffing agencies; however, fewer current and former travelers preferred the tax service this year (49%) than in 2006 (57%). Current travelers appeared to be spread out in terms of other services. There was fairly equal representation among financial planning (26%), legal services (22%), and investment counseling (20%). For people who traveled before, more selected legal services (23%) than financial planning (19%) as the most preferred benefit in this category, with investment counseling representing only 16%. It should be noted, however, that this trend could change depending on national economic developments. If markets do not recover quickly, more travelers may seek out investment counseling and financial services to protect their personal wealth. About the Respondents Healthcare Traveler collected data from 1,201 individuals, with 58% identifying themselves as current mobile providers, another 21% as previous travelers, and 20% as healthcare professionals interested in a travel career. Nurses comprised the majority of total respondents (90%). Nearly all current travelers and previous mobile practitioners (95%) accepted assignments on a full-time basis. Three-fifths of current and previous travelers had practiced as mobile clinicians for 1 to 6 years, with 16% on the road less than a year, and nearly a quarter traveling for more than 7. An overwhelming 95% of current and former travelers were satisfied with their choice to become mobile providers. The top non-compensation-related benefits current travelers found “extremely important” when choosing or considering a travel company were personal support (68%), reimbursements/allowances (54%), insurance (54%), and housing (51%). Former mobile providers listed personal support (70%), reimbursements/allowances (62%), housing (59%), and insurance (55%), while potential travelers noted insurance (61%), housing (56%), personal support (53%), and reimbursement/allowances (50%). The mean age of the current mobile professionals was 46 years, while former travelers averaged 49 and those interested in traveling were 45 years old. Eighty-six percent of previous travelers and 88% of current travelers were female. Of those interested in this practice alternative, 84% were women. Education The importance of ongoing education for nurses, therapists, and technologists cannot be understated. Finding traditional classroom seminars on the road, however, is not always the easiest of endeavors. Therefore, staffing companies offer continuing education classes to their travelers or at least help cover the costs of courses. Nearly seven out of 10 current and previous mobile providers favored free continuing education units (CEUs), down from 2 years ago when roughly threequarters of travelers named this the “most-preferred” perk. Perhaps this finding resulted from a greater variety of free and low-cost classes being offered from numerous online sources these days. A full third of both current and previous travelers noted the Internet as their most preferred method of obtaining CEUs. www.healthcaretraveler.com 32 Healthcare Traveler November 2008 http://www.healthcaretraveler.com

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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