As a travel nurse, we expect a recruiter that is honest with a great personality and one who will help us find the perfect assignment for the next thirteen weeks.  We also need to realize that the road between the traveler and the recruiter is one that can be full of potholes or one that is easy as flying down I-80 in the middle of Wyoming.

Just what do recruiters want in a traveling nurse?  Well, this is a question that I recently asked of several recruiters, and here are a few of their replies.

*Someone with a good heart and is looking for a friend and not just a recruiter.

*Someone that the recruiter can believe in and who will be a partner in the business. 

*Someone who is focused on their career and experiencing various opportunities at both small and large facilities in various locations.

*Someone who wants to expand their location beyond their backyard.

*Someone who not only represents themselves well but would represent our company well. 

*Someone who is dedicated enough to work their committed hours fully and comply with paperwork and contractual requirements.

*Someone that has an open mind and willing to team play with their recruiter.

*Someone who is willing to be a flexible person with a great attitude. Attitude is 85% of a good traveler.

*Someone who is willing to extend their contract.

*An “ideal travel nurse” would be someone who is experienced and well skilled in several different modalities, giving them the ability to float.

*Someone who can walk into any hospital and get to work. 

*Flexibility is also very important; they must be flexible with their shift, schedule, and geography. 

*Someone who has great people skills, interacts well with patients and staff and acts like a professional. 

*Someone who is responsive and updates information upon request turns in their timecard in a timely manner, etc. 

*Someone who is a nurse because they love it, they love taking care of people. 

*Someone who you trust and are proud to have to work for you.

*Someone who is knowledgeable about the industry and what is realistic.  I receive a lot of requests that are difficult and sometimes impossible to place. 

*Someone that is honest with a good work ethic.

Now is the time to take an honest look into your career as a traveling nurse.  When you look at yourself in the mirror are these qualities reflected back?

Reading back through the list, I personally think that a nurse’s attitude is one of the greatest ingredients to a successful assignment.  When you get a bad attitude, it reflects in the nurses who are around you.  The other nurses may have bad attitudes because they are “stuck” in that job, but just remember that you can move on in thirteen weeks.  Smile while at the hospital, then go home and curse.

A big thanks to the following recruiters for helping out with this list:  Jack from OneStaff Medical, Greg from Convergence, and Jenny from Aureus Medical.  Look for more of what they say about other aspects of being a recruiter in the book, “Highway Hypodermics:  Travel Nursing 2019”