Voice of the Traveler Market Results Released

Travel Nursing & Allied Life

“We commissioned this study to gain a more thorough understanding of travel nurse perspectives,” said Steve Curtin, CEO of The Gypsy Nurse. “By knowing what drives – and erodes – their satisfaction, we can provide better resources to the travel nurse community, and to the healthcare facilities and staffing agencies relying on these professionals for critical roles.”
Steve presented the findings in detail on at TravCon22, the yearly conference for travel health professionals.
The Report Highlights:
- Current satisfaction: 79% of travel nurses are satisfied or very satisfied with their current role.
- Compensation: Competitive pay attracts travel nurses to the profession, but once they’ve established themselves as travelers, factors other than money take on greater significance in retaining them.
- Satisfaction drivers: Flexibility and the ability to make a difference in multiple healthcare settings are among the top factors contributing to travel nurses feeling fulfilled in their work.
- Other contributors: Healthcare facilities in which travel nurses work and staffing firms that arrange their contract assignments also contribute to satisfaction, with facilities having a slightly more substantial impact.
Room for Improvement:
The study pointed to several areas for enhancement. For uncommitted travel nurses – those who are uncertain or unlikely to continue their travel nursing careers – they noted the following areas as troublesome:
- Patient ratios: 33% are dissatisfied with patient-to-staff ratios.
- Treatment: 33% are unhappy with how they’re treated compared to staff nurses. More than one-quarter (27 percent) are dissatisfied with how they’re treated by hospital staff.
- Communication is a central issue as well. Among committed travel nurses – those who plan to continue working in travel – only 64% received regular communications from their healthcare facility. When rating their experience with staffing agencies, 72% noted their agency keeps them informed regularly.
This podcast is hosted by TravCon: The Travelers Conference which is an annual conference for Travel Nurses, Therapists and Allied Health Travelers. Find all the episodes and more at www.travcon.org/podcast/