It’s been a whirlwind past two months. How the pandemic affects healthcare professionals and our industry will be in flux for a while yet. Here is what we’re seeing now that is (for the most part) across the board.
- Bill rates are going down. This period will be hard on facilities, especially hospitals that lost significant revenue from canceled elective surgeries and quiet emergency rooms. We have seen a slow-down in COVID-19 rates and the beginning of lower bill rates for most specialties, as facilities are having to furlough their permanent staff and deal with the financial implications of the pandemic. Likely, travelers will not see $2,000 to $2,500 weekly take-home pay right now.
- More travelers, fewer jobs. Generally, nurses and therapists are very rarely unemployed. This drop in job volume has impacted the openings-to-job-seeker ratios we’ve been accustomed to. We are talking to more permanent staff who have been furloughed, let go, or are looking for alternatives to their drastically reduced hours. The competition for travel jobs is very high, with facilities receiving dozens of traveler submissions for open positions within minutes to hours. One thing to be mindful of with this change is gaps in your resume. Anyone taking unemployment for an extended time, or taking long breaks from travel, should be prepared to explain gaps longer than 30 days on their resume. With interest in travel as high as it is right now, avoiding long gaps is ideal.
- We are all dealing with this shift. These are supply and demand problems and everyone involved in the recruiting/placement process is dealing with this continuously shifting situation. But we’re still a collective team. One of the best things you can do in response to these changes is to be open and flexible. Most travelers will ride out this storm by being flexible and choosing pay, location, settings and/or specialties that they may not normally have considered. This is not the landscape it was two months ago, and only you know how long you can go without working. Recruiters are here to help, and you can help them by making sure they have a complete, accurate profile created for you that is ready to go when new jobs open that fit your criteria.