Your nursing or physical therapy degree can take you anywhere in the U.S. when working as a traveling healthcare professional with Aureus Medical.
From California to Massachusetts and all the states in between, there is a known healthcare staffing shortage, creating a high demand for nurses and physical therapists.
With a travel healthcare career comes travel to your assignment location and for someone who may go from one assignment to the next, it can make for substantial coordination. Fortunately, there are healthcare staffing companies that not only cover the cost of airfare (or other means of travel) but also assist with the arrangements. Aureus Medical is a healthcare staffing company that relieves all of the stress and time-crunching related to coordinating your travel assignments with its in-house travel agency AurTravel. We recently talked with Sharon Kuzela, an assistant manager at AurTravel, about the ins and outs of traveling as a healthcare professional.
The projected job growth rate for nurses and physical therapists is much higher than the average overall job growth rate.Scheduling your travel
To make travel arrangements for an upcoming assignment, an Aureus Medical account manager will work directly with AurTravel to coordinate the dates and specific destination. The traveler relays any special travel requests to the account manager who is the point of contact with the travel agent.
Kuzela says it is best if AurTravel knows about a trip as soon as possible to make sure accommodations are made according to the traveler’s preferences.
“Travelers should be aware that when booking last minutes flights, it can be very difficult to get their preferred seat assignment. The airlines will hold back a certain percentage of their seats for airport control and also for their preferred frequent flyer members,” she explained.
She specifically suggested a seven- to 21-day advance notice prior to the assignment.
“The more advance we have the better,” Kuzela said. “With the merging of the airlines and the airlines operating more regional jets, there are less seats to book and availability fills up quicker than it used to.”
Depending on the timing of the hospital’s request for contract staff, the booking window may be less than the 21-day window and require a tighter turnaround. Regardless, communication with the account manager is important when it comes to travel and securing reservations.
At Aureus Medical the cost of airfare is covered. However, travelers are in charge of the travel fees for baggage, pets, upgraded seats and guests. Any charges for a flight change unrelated to business will also be the responsibility of the traveler. AurTravel can also book train, bus or ferry tickets as an alternative to flying.
“Aureus relieves travel stress for your healthcare assignments.”
Preparing to travel
When packing for your trip, it’s important to keep TSA regulations and security in mind. The TSA website provides a detailed guide of the latest procedures and regulations. Kuzela recommends that frequent travelers should consider getting approved for TSA pre-check to expedite the security screening process at the airport.
If you are also traveling with your pet, there are airline-specific guidelines to be aware of.
“The airlines, especially Delta Airlines, have become very particular about the size of the kennel for carry on pets,” Kuzela said. “They must be able to fit the carrier beneath the seat in front of them, the pet must be able to stand and move around in the carrier. If traveling with a larger dog as baggage or as cargo, sometimes in the summer and winter months there are temperature restrictions that must be taken into account. Pets traveling as cargo can be at a hefty price depending on the size of the animal, too.”
It’s important, if you are considering taking a pet along for a travel assignment, that you share this with your account manager due to the special arrangements that must be made for travel but for housing as well.
Day of travel
AurTravel monitors travel reservations that do not have individual seat assignments for potential openings. Still, Kuzela proposes checking in to the flight the day before travel.
“It is always a good idea to check-in online for your flight 24 hours prior to departure,” Kuzela said. “Many times this is where a seat can be selected if we are unable to pre-assign a seat at the time of the reservation.”
Kuzela advises that all travelers arrive at the airport at least two hours before the flight’s scheduled departure because they need to be at their flight’s gate at a minimum of 30 minutes before takeoff.
What if …?
In the case of an emergency, such as a canceled flight due to weather or a family emergency that impacts travel, AurTravel has 24/7 call support where a live agent will work to customize a new travel plan. It’s this extra level of service that can be especially helpful and reassuring should something not go as planned.