A lot of healthcare travelers like to fly south for the winter, but there are still plenty who are looking for cold temperatures, snowy climates or a quick-start position with extension potential.

For those reasons, Colorado has been a highly desired winter assignment destination in previous years, and 2018 is no exception.

Agencies are seeing triple-digit needs for travel nurses and surgical techs across a wide variety of specializations, according to market data provided by Tailored Healthcare Staffing and LiquidAgents Healthcare.

“Most of [the hospitals] are looking for nurses to start within a couple of weeks,” senior recruiting team lead Shelbie Summers at Tailored Healthcare Staffing said. “No pre-books for January starts as of yet.”

Contact Shelbie Summers at Tailored Healthcare Staffing >>

Geographically, most of the jobs are located in or within a one to two-hour drive distance from Denver, the state’s capital. This includes popular tourist cities like Boulder and Pueblo close to the Rocky Mountain range

The most in-demand and higher paying specialties are for surgical positions which include OR, PACU and OR certified surgical techs, said Jamison Reitinger, a client advisor for LiquidAgents Healthcare. This falls in line with typical market trends, as more elective surgeries are scheduled near the end of the year in the U.S.

Openings for more common specialties like medical-surgical, telemetry, ER and ICU are available, but pay is on the lower end for these positions, ranging from $1,200-1,300 weekly gross. PACU is significantly higher with bill rates at or near $90, which can translate to more than $2,000 weekly gross depending on the agency.

Contact Jamison Reitinger at LiquidAgents Healthcare >>

Competition is quite high for Colorado positions currently, with at least 15 to 20 submittals for core specialties (medical-surgical, telemetry, ER, OR and ICU) and 10 to 15 for less popular specialties, Reitinger said.

Part of the competition is caused by nurses looking for a great winter vacation spot during the snowy season, Summers said.

“There are a lot of nurses who enjoy traveling to Colorado this time of the year, so you may not see the same opening if you wait too long to submit for a position,” Summers said.

Here are a few other things for travelers to consider before applying to work in The Centennial State.

Colorado is part of the Nursing Licensure Compact

• Colorado joined the enhanced Nursing Licensure Compact this year, so travel nurses with compact licenses can work in the state with no wait and no extra licensing fees.
• For non-compact license holders, you can still apply for a temporary single-state license, but be aware it can take 10-14 business days to process.

For RNs—prepare for a (potential) Prophecy exam

• “Quite a few CO hospitals require that you take a Prophecy exam before being submitted to the position, so be prepared to pass your core Prophecy testing,” Summers said.

For surgical techs—get your Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) certification

• Colorado is unique in that surgical technologists must get their DORA certification before submitting to any jobs, Reitinger said. This will involve a fingerprint background check with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
• You can apply for a DORA certification by clicking here: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dora/dpo

Expect good snowfall this year

• According to weather data from the NOAA, Colorado residents should expect to see above average precipitation totals and average temperatures, especially for those in the Southeast region of the state.