Traveling Echo Techs Sonographers Allied Health Perdiem Medical Professionals
Imagine living in fully furnished corporate housing, and driving a late model sedan along the shores of Key Largo Florida for three months with no out of pocket expenses? Not to mention a starting salary of no less than twenty-five dollars per hour and a daily per diem of thirty dollars for gas and food. Sounds great doesn't it? This is the average life of a traveling healthcare professional, whether a registered nurse or registered echocardiographer, life on the road can be pretty peachy. I know, you're probably thinking that you need umpteen years worth of experience to get such a fun job. Not exactly, there are tons of traveling companies looking for a wide range of experience levels. You can be a new grad or a seasoned pro, it all depends on the needs of the healthcare facility and company involved.So who travels? Just nurses? No! Actually, the majority of professionals traveling nowadays are comprised of allied health professionals. These are people in the following fields: registered diagnostic sonographers, vascular sonographers, echocardiographers, radiology technologists, nuclear medicine technologists, cat scan, mammographers, pediatric echocardiographers, and MRI techs, just to name a few. That is not to say that it is unheard of for other professions, such as operating room technicians, and licensed practical nurses to travel. However, those jobs can often be very rare.If you are interested in traveling, one of the things you need to consider is whether or not you have what it takes to not only be attractive to a potential agency but also have what it takes to remain on an assignment. Facilities in need of staffing often need people with enough experience to just come in and take the bull by the horns, so to speak. You should need very little intake training and be proficient in the technology to utilize any type of equipment. You're not just pushing buttons out there. In some places, you are responsible for preliminary interpretations which could influence the actions of a physician long before the reading physician has had a chance to review the study. If you aren't comfortable enough to be in such a position, don't bother traveling because you won't last very long.Another thing you need to consider is whether or not you have the personality to be on the road. Often, when you are sent to an assignment, it may be a place with a high turnover rate, which means usually that there is something causing others to leave. You have to learn to remain neutral but polite and positive. Grumpy people don't last because just like Newtons 3rd law, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. You may just meet an equally grumpy supervisor or immensely positive person who may not want to deal with a problematic personality. So keep that in mind.Not all assignments are as fabulous as Key Largo Florida, or Laguna Beach California. In fact, those are the lucky charms of traveling. There are some people who have managed to find themselves in Hawaii or the Virgin Islands. However, most travelers find themselves in places like Muncie Indiana or Sioux City, Iowa. If you travel, don't expect everything to be lavish because occasionally you may have to take a few clunkers. There is nothing like being a southern driver and find yourself in the middle of Minneapolis Minnesota traffic on the first snow fall. (I know that one personally). You take the good assignments with the bad, so be prepared.Now, if you are still interested in traveling. Here are some steps to get you on your way. One, type up a resume. Have one at least to submit to your first agency. Don't worry, if it is a little awkward, they will adjust it but at least have one, to cut down on your time and potentially attract employers. Two, get a subscription to either Advance magazine for Nurses or Radiology advance for allied health. This is considered the "bible" for travelers. Look in the back of the magazine and you will locate all of the travel agencies looking for techs. Usually the ones with the bigger advertisements are the more successful. Three, ask other techs about their experiences with some of the companies. There are a few out there who have had some questionable interactions, so do your homework. Four, send your resume out to all of the travel agencies, so that you are at least on a list of potential travelers. After that, sit back and relax. If there are jobs out there, they will call if you have what it takes. They'll set up a telephone interview and if you are successful, you may find yourself on the next plane to Key Largo.
Imagine living in fully furnished corporate housing, and driving a late model sedan along the shores of Key Largo Florida for three months with no out of pocket expenses? Not to mention a starting salary of no less than twenty-five dollars per hour and a daily per diem of thirty dollars for gas and food. Sounds great doesn't it? This is the average life of a traveling healthcare professional, whether a registered nurse or registered echocardiographer, life on the road can be pretty peachy. I know, you're probably thinking that you need umpteen years worth of experience to get such a fun job. Not exactly, there are tons of traveling companies looking for a wide range of experience levels. You can be a new grad or a seasoned pro, it all depends on the needs of the healthcare facility and company involved.
So who travels? Just nurses? No! Actually, the majority of professionals traveling nowadays are comprised of allied health professionals. These are people in the following fields: registered diagnostic sonographers, vascular sonographers, echocardiographers, radiology technologists, nuclear medicine technologists, cat scan, mammographers, pediatric echocardiographers, and MRI techs, just to name a few. That is not to say that it is unheard of for other professions, such as operating room technicians, and licensed practical nurses to travel. However, those jobs can often be very rare.
If you are interested in traveling, one of the things you need to consider is whether or not you have what it takes to not only be attractive to a potential agency but also have what it takes to remain on an assignment. Facilities in need of staffing often need people with enough experience to just come in and take the bull by the horns, so to speak. You should need very little intake training and be proficient in the technology to utilize any type of equipment. You're not just pushing buttons out there. In some places, you are responsible for preliminary interpretations which could influence the actions of a physician long before the reading physician has had a chance to review the study. If you aren't comfortable enough to be in such a position, don't bother traveling because you won't last very long.
Another thing you need to consider is whether or not you have the personality to be on the road. Often, when you are sent to an assignment, it may be a place with a high turnover rate, which means usually that there is something causing others to leave. You have to learn to remain neutral but polite and positive. Grumpy people don't last because just like Newtons 3rd law, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. You may just meet an equally grumpy supervisor or immensely positive person who may not want to deal with a problematic personality. So keep that in mind.
Not all assignments are as fabulous as Key Largo Florida, or Laguna Beach California. In fact, those are the lucky charms of traveling. There are some people who have managed to find themselves in Hawaii or the Virgin Islands. However, most travelers find themselves in places like Muncie Indiana or Sioux City, Iowa. If you travel, don't expect everything to be lavish because occasionally you may have to take a few clunkers. There is nothing like being a southern driver and find yourself in the middle of Minneapolis Minnesota traffic on the first snow fall. (I know that one personally). You take the good assignments with the bad, so be prepared.
Now, if you are still interested in traveling. Here are some steps to get you on your way. One, type up a resume. Have one at least to submit to your first agency. Don't worry, if it is a little awkward, they will adjust it but at least have one, to cut down on your time and potentially attract employers. Two, get a subscription to either Advance magazine for Nurses or Radiology advance for allied health. This is considered the "bible" for travelers. Look in the back of the magazine and you will locate all of the travel agencies looking for techs. Usually the ones with the bigger advertisements are the more successful. Three, ask other techs about their experiences with some of the companies. There are a few out there who have had some questionable interactions, so do your homework. Four, send your resume out to all of the travel agencies, so that you are at least on a list of potential travelers. After that, sit back and relax. If there are jobs out there, they will call if you have what it takes. They'll set up a telephone interview and if you are successful, you may find yourself on the next plane to Key Largo.
