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

In Part 2 of this exciting 2-Part series, podcast host Gabrielle Bejarano sat down with Paul Shoe, RN, Suzanne Raymond, National Recruiter at Catapult Healthcare, and Shannon Kanakaole, Recruiting Operations Manager at Catapult Healthcare, to talk about how nurses and agencies can effectively work together and tackle challenges that arise while on contract.

Shoe, a registered nurse contracted through Catapult Healthcare, says that his experience with being hired through an agency has been smooth and he’s now preparing to extend his current contract. However, Shoe noted that traveling nurse contracts may have terms that those new to the industry may not understand. For example, many contracts include a floating clause.

Floating allows nurses to work on different floors and specialties to support hospital needs at any given time. Shoe noted that sometimes “people really get upset when they have to go to another place out of their comfort zone.” Recruiters would be prudent to discuss floating options with potential candidates, and candidates not comfortable with floating need to make sure their recruiter knows.

It’s important for nurses to “try to have communication as much as possible with your recruiter and the facility if need be,” recommends Shoe, RN. Travel “nursing can be very fluid… you’ve gotta be willing to roll with it,” said Shoe.

Suzanne Raymond, Recruiter with Catapult Healthcare, finds success with floating terms “if I tell people that upfront,” and they know what to expect. Of course, maintaining a comfort level with their skills and experience is essential. And if a nurse finds themselves outside of their comfort zone, they should get in touch with their recruiter right away. “We’ll do what we can from our side to advocate for our people,” said Raymond.