by AnnMarie Fereday | Jan 13, 2022 | Uncategorized
How Does a Travel Allied Health Salary Compare to a Perm Position?
In the medical staffing industry, supplemental staffing continues to be in high demand. As opposed to their full-time counterparts, Allied Health travelers can travel the country, make significantly more money, and maximize their income by having few living expenses. Uniti Allied is here to give you the support and transparency you need to make the leap from full-time employee to a rewarding career as a traveling Allied Health professional.
But what is the average travel Allied Health salary? Our team did a comparison of a permanent Allied Health salary compared to a travel Allied Health salary across various specialties. The increases were substantial!
According to ZipRecruiter, the average respiratory therapist salary is $67,000, while the average travel respiratory therapist salary is closer to $100,000. This is almost a 50% increase for hitting the road! The average rad tech salary is $61,119 while the average travel rad tech salary is $90,995.
In every instance the traveler is making 14%- 50% more! This number also doesn’t include the savings that many Allied Health professionals experience through housing stipends, allowances and benefits.
“Typically, when I qualify a candidate in the respiratory or therapy field, I hear that they’re making anywhere from $1,200 – $1,600 per week at their perm positions,” said Sean Albright, Uniti Allied Recruiter. “My current travelers are making between $2,200 – $3,500 weekly. And I regularly see rates from $2,500 – $3,000 around the country.”
Need More Tips on How to Become an Allied Health Traveler?
Traveling assignments usually last 13 weeks, giving technicians and therapists both variety and flexibility. If you are interested in learning more about transitioning from a permanent to travel Allied Health job we can help! Our recruiters and logistics specialists will help you find the perfect position, housing and required licenses. Contact us today to start reaping the benefits of the traveler lifestyle!
by AnnMarie Fereday | Dec 22, 2021 | Uncategorized
8 Helpful Tips for First-Time Allied Health Travelers
Any Allied health professional will tell you that they had questions, doubts, and fears before they made the switch to travel. How do I get started? Where do I find jobs? How can I find the right recruiter and company for me? It can all be overwhelming and intimidating. Fortunately, we have you covered! If you are looking to start traveling, here are 8 tips to follow.
1.) Talk to Fellow Travelers
Chances are you have already met one at your staff job, or an old acquaintance has been traveling for a while and you’ve been following their adventures on social media. When it comes to answering questions big or small, you can’t do much better than asking someone who is already traveling. They’ll be able to suggest companies or refer recruiters to you that have helped them get started. Reaching out to someone who has been in your shoes is a good place to start.
2.) Be Flexible
The truth is, you might not get your first choice for the first assignment, and that’s okay! Be prepared to adjust and don’t be too rigid about the location, pay, and facility that you want. A lot of veteran travelers say that their favorite assignments have been in cities they never thought they would visit. Keep an open mind and stay calm if things don’t go the way you planned.
3.) Pack Light
Travel assignments are only 13 weeks long, so only pack what you’ll absolutely need and leave behind what you can live without for a few months.
4.) Explore
This is a big reason so many Allied health professionals start traveling in the first place – to see places they never have before. When you’re off the clock, make sure to check out the local eateries, breweries, and popular recreational activities. Make the most of your stay!
5.) Make Friends
Many travelers make lifelong friends while on the road. Find out what you have in common with the other therapists in your facility. Engage in small talk and suggest grabbing a coffee after your shift. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there! Traveling can be lonely, so making connections on assignment can help you feel more at home.
6.) Be Ready to Adjust
While the job itself doesn’t change from facility to facility, your method of operation may be different. Some hospitals use different systems, and some give less training time than others. You already have the skills and experience to do your job correctly, but you may need to shift to different ways of doing that job. Be prepared!
7.) Plan Your Housing Arrangements
Each city will have varying price points and locations for housing. What’s your weekly take home and how much do you want to spend on housing? Do you want to live close to the facility, or are you willing to make a longer commute? Do you have pets, and if so, does your new home allow them? Your recruiter can help you with this, but also do your own research to find the right fit for you.
8.) Remember, It Isn’t Forever
Sometimes, an assignment isn’t what you thought it’d be. Remember that you don’t have to work there forever. Like we said, 13 weeks passes by faster than you think! There’s always another job, another city, and a new experience waiting for you.
Need More Tips on How to Become an Allied Health Traveler?
Travel healthcare can be scary. You are uprooting your entire life and are leaving a comfortable permanent position for a temporary one. That’s why it’s important to find a recruiter and agency that you trust to take care of you. A good recruiter will always have your best interests at heart and will be there with you every step of the way. You’ll never know until you take the plunge!
by AnnMarie Fereday | Dec 4, 2021 | Uncategorized
Becoming a Travel Nurse: Benefits and Compensation
Leaving a predictable, permanent position as an RN can be intimidating. When considering the possibility of becoming a travel nurse, one of the first questions often is, “What are the benefits of travel nursing” and “What can I expect for compensation and benefits?” A good recruiter will advise how travel compensation works, answer questions that arise during your transition, and assist you at every turn of your newfound adventure.
In years past, transitioning from a permanent staff position to travel nursing came with an income boost in exchange for less stability and fewer benefits. To nurture a positive experience, the best agencies have found better ways to support their nurses’ physical and mental health, work-life balance, and the well-being of their families. Today, most supplemental staffing agencies offer competitive benefits in addition to a significantly higher compensation package.
Travel Nurse Salaries
The pandemic has significantly impacted the salary range a travel nurse can expect. The market has been tight for several years due to retirements, an aging population increasing patient ratios and several other factors. This staffing shortage has resulted in upward pressure on travel nurse demand and positively impacted wages. Add in the effects of pandemic caseloads and layoffs due to vaccine mandates and the shortage has only been exasperated. Some prognosticators believe there will be a correction coming at some point, but its doubtful wages will ever fall to pre-pandemic levels. What does this all mean for the nurse contemplating going on the road? There has never been a better time as there are no signs that demand or wages are going to subside in the foreseeable future.
One of the main benefits of travel nursing is salary. Compensation for travel contracts comes in the form of weekly pay packages. These packages are dependent on several factors, including assignment location, specialty, shift, length, and the severity of need. According to a survey of over 80,000 travel nurses conducted by Indeed, the average yearly salary of a travel nurse in the U.S. is $108,197, a significant increase from the permanent staff RN’s average yearly income of $75,330 (U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics). This equates to an additional $164,335 over a 5 year period!
The salary range can vary wildly depending on a facilities ability to pay crisis rates. Travel RNs can safely expect to exceed the national average of $2,075 in gross weekly wages on a traditional 36-hour schedule whether working for a large hospital system or a small community hospital.
Travel Nurse Benefits
Industry standard for agencies is to provide employment benefits to their travelers, so a travel nurse should be asking recruiters what benefits their company offers, not if their company offers them. An agency which values their healthcare workers will show this by offering benefits that support their employees at home as well as at work.
Uniti is traveler obsessed and we are proud to offer competitive benefits that reflect our core values. We offer health, dental, and vision insurance and cover 60% of the monthly premium. We offer basic and voluntary life insurance. Our 401(k) benefit is outstanding in the industry: our travelers’ retirement contributions are matched and vested on day one of eligibility. The first month following your contract’s start date, we match up to 4% and every penny we contribute belongs to you immediately; no years-long waiting period.
We offer another unique reward to our travelers: our newly released YOUniti app, wherein travelers can access their voluntary benefits as well as numerous perks and discounts through a carefully selected partner network. Our hope is that our app shows how valued our travelers are and supports them in creating a work-life balance. We do our best to ensure our nurses and allied health professionals are happy, healthy, and thriving to provide the absolute best patient care.
Travel Nursing: Personal and Professional Rewards
Beyond compensation, there are many other benefits of travel nursing. A career on the road can offer networking, exploration, variety and extra time off!
1.) Networking
Around here, we talk about community every day. Good recruiters value expanding their communities to include industry professionals around the country. As a traveler, a nurse has the unique opportunity to connect with colleagues from every state and from diverse backgrounds. Travel nurses can network, or grow their community, to encompass more professionals than one can hope for from a permanent staff position.
2.) Exploration
Travel nurses spend their careers gathering new experiences and seeing new places, potentially every 13 weeks. A standard 36-hour contract still leaves four days of the week for exploration. Whether an assignment is rural or in a large city, travel nurses can expect one thing to be consistent: there will always be new sights to see.
3.) Refresh with Every Contract
Burnout is a significant problem in the nursing profession, and the problem grew exponentially with the pandemic. The community depends heavily on nurses and their compassionate, demanding work. It is a lot of responsibility and pressure to shoulder, and hospital politics can often compound matters. A new contract, new hospital, and new coworkers come with every assignment. It is one of the best preventative medicines for burnout, second only to our impressive benefits offerings and caring, supportive recruiters.
4.) Time Off Between Assignments
In today’s healthcare climate, it is challenging for both travel and staff nurses to get their requested time off granted. Travel nurses enjoy the benefit of being able to choose when they pick up their next assignment. Upon completion of their contract, a travel nurse can immediately start a new assignment, extend their current assignment, or take time off before pursuing another travel position. There is no requesting approval or any work obligations to consider. Travel nurses are in full control of how much time they take off between assignments.
Should You Become a Travel Nurse?
The benefits of travel nursing are endless. Getting into the industry, whether you have got two years under your belt or 20, can be intimidating and confusing. The industry is filled with misinformation, particularly on social media platforms. The most important part of becoming educated about travel nursing is finding a patient, caring recruiter who is willing to take the time to support you and answer your questions. It is common and encouraged to work with 1-3 recruiters, particularly with your first contract. This will keep your options open and allow you the freedom and exposure needed to select a recruiter who values you, understands your work, and reflects your own values. If you are interested in travel nursing and have questions, please contact us and ask for one of our nurse recruiters. Pack your scrubs! We’ll take care of the rest!
by AnnMarie Fereday | Oct 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
Recruiting Resources – Our New Partner
Introducing the newest addition to the Uniti Med Partners family, Recruiting Resources! Our new partner will expand our staffing solutions to CRNAs and Anesthesiologists. Before we get into the details of our exciting new capabilities, we want to pull back the curtain and share how and why we have started this new partnership.
A History of Recruiting Resources
Recruiting Resources launched 18 years ago with a single desk, a phone, and a vision – to find a better, more efficient way to match CRNA and Anesthesiologist professionals with healthcare facilities seeking their services. They have been doing great work for their traveling anesthesia professionals ever since, growing their footprint across the Midwest.
“For 18 years, we’ve worked hard to establish good partnerships with our providers,” founder Christi Richardson says. “When we help anesthesia professionals with their job search, we’re not just helping them. They have families, and when we hear that they love their new job, and their families love their new community… it’s so rewarding. And that’s how we have built long-term relationships and friendships.”
But they’ve also got bigger goals – to connect more and more CRNAs and Anesthesiologists with jobs around the entire country, while maintaining their commitment to always putting their locums and permanent job seekers first.
Recruiting Resources has come a long way from that lone desk and is a perfect partner for Uniti as they continue to grow. We’re super excited to join forces with another great recruiting agency and add to the Uniti family of companies.
Uniti immediately knew this anesthesia staffing company was the right partner because they share our dedication to creating great experiences for their travelers – and we have the same philosophy!
“Recruiting Resources has an impressive reputation in the marketplace, and they’ve had it for 18 years,” said Rich Andersen, founder at Uniti Med Partners. “But more importantly, they have high standards, high integrity, and great relationships with both medical facilities and their locums.”
What does this mean for Recruiting Resources? Primarily, they are thrilled to have more resources at their disposal. For instance, a brand new logo and website were launched as part of the rebrand. In addition, several new team members were added to expand capabilities to a national level. For Recruiting Resources’ current CRNAs, Anesthesiologists, and facility partners, nothing changes. They can expect to keep getting the same excellent service they’ve come to expect.
We are excited about this new chapter, and we can’t wait to share more with you. If you are a CRNA or Anesthesiologist interested in learning more, Recruiting Resources offers a $750 referral bonus upon placement. Contact one our our talented recruiters today!
by AnnMarie Fereday | Aug 27, 2021 | Uncategorized
The Uniti Med team sends traveling nurses and Allied professionals to premier healthcare facilities across the country. In this ongoing series, we do a Q & A with our travelers to learn more about their unique experiences and adventures from wherever they are. Today, we are spotlighting Sydney, one of our Physical Therapist Assistants. If you’re getting the itch to join these nomads, reach out to one of our recruiters today!
Traveler Sydney Garber with her recruiter, AJ Ellerbee, on a field trip to the Omaha Zoo.
What is your current assignment?
I am currently working at three different nursing home facilities within the same company.
Where is your assignment located?
I am living in Osceola, Iowa!
What do you like most about being a traveler?
This is my first assignment as a traveling Physical Therapist Assistant. I’m enjoying learning from different clinicians and exploring in a new town.
What’s the biggest challenge you have faced while working on the road?
So far the biggest challenge has been adjusting to being on my own with my dog and expanding out of my comfort zone.
What’s your favorite memory so far from your time in Iowa?
When I decided to come to a place where I did not know anyone I was intimidated and scared. I could have let those feelings stop me but I decided not to let them. I joined an app called “Bumble BFF” to make friends in the area. I made a great friend who has shown me Des Moines, and making memories with her has been the best part of my assignment.
How has Uniti Med supported you in your journey?
Uniti Med has been very helpful with this transition all the way through. I could not have found a better company. I have been working with AJ who has been so thoughtful and honest. I was lucky enough to be within driving distance of AJ’s hometown on this assignment, we met at the Omaha Zoo and had a blast!
What tips would you give to new travelers?
- Do your research
- Explore all you can wherever you are
- Have an open mind to new learning opportunities
If you could travel and work anywhere, where would it be?
At this point in my life I have the opportunity to be an open book. I am excited to explore, work and live in different parts of the country and beyond! This is truly a unique experience and I intend on taking full advantage of every aspect each assignment has to offer.
by Jamie Zarlingo | Jul 18, 2021 | Uncategorized
As doctors and nurses fought on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare systems began needing more qualified employees to meet demand. Demand for travel nursing, in particular, surged during the pandemic, according to Marketplace. The need continues today, and as the country transitions back to normal, it is a great time to explore new locales while furthering your nursing career.
But what’s travel nursing all about and what is a travel nursing agency? Uniti Med Partners breaks down the basics of a career transition that can take you cross-country and how a travel nursing agency can help you further your career goals.
What are the benefits of taking a travel nursing job?
Travel nursing jobs are a great way to explore your career and learn how different healthcare systems operate, all while getting the chance to learn about a new part of the country.
Elsa Meyer, Vice President of Operations for Uniti Med Partners, says she is always excited to hear about new experiences the firm’s travel nurses have before they make more permanent decisions about where they want to direct their careers.
Working in different healthcare systems in different parts of the country can help a travel nurse learn how different facility’s systems operate, and what he or she does and doesn’t want in a future employer, Meyer says.
How much travel nurses make varies state by state, but according to ZipRecruiter, the average annual salary for a travel nurse ranges between $74,000 and $118,000, depending on where the job is located.
“It’s a good way to explore and feel financially secure while getting to experience new places,” says Meyer, who has 20+ years’ experience in the staffing industry, including seven in medical staffing and the travel healthcare industry.
What role does a healthcare staffing agency play once I’m working in a new location?
The best travel nursing agencies are there to support its nurses through every step of the process, from connecting the right employee with the right job to providing support during the highs — and lows — of a 13-week stint, which is the standard length of an assignment.
The Uniti Med Partners team places high value on respect, integrity, and maintaining long-term relationships with employees and business partners, Meyer says.
“If there’s a problem with the facility and the traveler can’t work through it themselves, then we’ll have our client managers jump in.” Uniti’s business development team of client managers is always available to provide support. This kind of support is even more critical as travel nurses and other healthcare professionals work through the lasting effects of being on the front line during the pandemic.
“You want to have someone that’s going to be able to be there for you and support you, and be your advocate for you,” Meyer says. “I think that is so important.”
Why should I use a travel nursing agency to find a travel nursing job, instead of seeking individual employment?
One of the benefits of using a travel nursing agency like Uniti Med Partners is they have existing relationships with hospitals and health care systems, which can provide better access to a wider range of open positions.
Many hospitals don’t offer direct contracts to individual travel nurses, preferring to work with travel nursing agency due to their access to larger pools of talent and liability requirements.
What sets Uniti Med Partners apart from other travel nursing agencies?
Uniti Med Partners launched in 2020, but its experienced team has more than 100 combined years of experience. Meyer says the travel nursing agency places a strong emphasis on its relationships.
“We’re traveler obsessed. We want to ensure our people have the best possible experience in each new location. We are always looking for ways to evolve as a company, and that includes adopting the latest technologies to improve the speed to market we offer our travelers. This is a competitive industry and timeliness is key.”
At the same time Meyer emphasizes Uniti maintains an old school mentality when it comes to customer service and personal relationships. “We want to pick up the phone and have a conversation with you and get to know you.”
To talk to one of our recruiters, just fill out our contact form and someone will be in contact with you shortly!
