Catapult Healthcare: Traveling Nurse Agency Recruitment Is on the Rise (Part 1 of 2)

Choosing an agency as a registered nurse can be a daunting task. According to Nurse.org, “Hospitals are trying to cut costs by reducing the number of travel nurses and renegotiating contracts with staffing agencies, but some agencies are still making big promises to travel nurses that can make the whole situation seem like a bait and switch.”

Gabrielle Bejarano sat down with Paul Shoe, RN contracted through Catapult Healthcare; Suzanne Raymond, National Recruiter at Catapult Healthcare; and Shannon Kanakaole, Recruiting Operations Manager at Catapult Healthcare, to discuss recruiting best practices and how to work effectively with an agency, in Part 1 of a 2-Part podcast series.

“Communication and transparency are at the forefront of the relationship between the agency and the provider,” said Kanakaole. Nurses need to give recruiters clear direction on what they want and expect from a job. Recruiters need to understand the full range of responsibilities and expectations of the roles they are filling to ensure they are finding the best candidate.

“From the initial call, the first and most important thing is understanding the external factors of where they need to be for their next position or assignment,” said Kanakaole. Recruiters need to be clear on the top three priorities of their candidates. Establishing clarity on must-haves and nice-to-haves ensures recruiters can meet candidates’ needs and create a foundation of trust in the relationship. For nurses, that means knowing their desires and communicating them to a recruiter effectively.

As a nurse coming to an agency, Shoe recommended, “make sure all paperwork is up to date” including everything from licenses, medical records, shots, and vaccines. “The more you have ready to go, the quicker we can get you started after an offer,” said Raymond. It streamlines and simplifies the entire process. Once hired, nurses should continue to have open, honest, and frequent conversations with their recruiters. Maintaining the relationship will help when issues or conflicts need to be addressed.

Listen in to learn more about what to look for when seeking agency representation, how to work successfully with an agency, the role of communications, the changing landscape of the traveling nurse industry, and more. And don’t forget to come back for Part II.