March 29, 2024
#Featured #Hot Markets #Industry Trends #Market Data

Travel Jobs: Competition Low, Opportunities High In March As Market Moves Into Spring

Flowers-spring-bangor-maine-travel healthcare jobs march

The travel healthcare job market is affected by a number of economic and environmental factors, but one of the most prevalent forces shifting job demand are the changes in season.

As such, the spring season (and March in particular) represents a major transitional period for the market. Travelers are coming off of winter contracts and are looking for new opportunities in northern states that could turn into summer extensions.

One could assume this would mean competition for jobs is fierce in March, but Oren Lavi with LiquidAgents Healthcare said the candidate pool is still slim despite the high number of open positions, meaning jobs are staying open for longer and are easier to book.

Since the average length of most travel healthcare job contracts lasts 13 weeks, it’s reasonable to think that most travelers would have just finished their winter contracts from December and are now looking for new opportunities at the start of March.

However, many travelers avoid working in December because of the holidays and instead wait until January to start a new contract. This means that, while competition is low for now, travelers can expect to see it ramp up towards the end of March and throughout April.

“A lot of nurses need to make extension decisions, and once they do, the market will get flooded with available candidates,” Lavi said.

Facilities are most committed to finding qualified candidates that are interested in extending through the summer, so travelers who have already found a breezy and adventurous summer vacation destination up north for their next contract are ahead of the curve.

Keep an eye on states like Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington to offer enticing pay packages in March, because they may not stick around as we get closer to summer.

Travel Healthcare Jobs March 2019

Here’s a quick breakdown of the states and travel healthcare job specialties that are most-in-demand now and are expected to stay popular in March, according to data provided by staffing industry sales and recruiting representatives.

Arkansas
  • RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, step-down/PCU
  • Surgical Tech: OR, Cath Lab
Illinois 
  • RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, step-down/PCU
  • Surgical Tech: OR, Cath Lab
  • Other Notes: Crisis bill rates were recently implemented at OSF HealthCare facilities in Illinois
Indiana
  • RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ER, ICU.
  • Other Notes: Lots of openings in Indiana right now, but facilities are being more picky with candidates, so jobs are not moving as quickly as they did in February.
Kentucky
  • RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, step-down/PCU
  • Surgical Tech: OR, Cath Lab
Maine
  • RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ER, ICU. Bill rates up by $10 more than usual on average.
  • Other Notes: Maine is on fire—more than 20 medical-surgical and telemetry nurse needs have been posted in the past two weeks. Hospitals are staffing up for summer break.
Nevada
  • RN: Telemetry, OR, CVOR, ICU
  • Surgical Tech: OR
  • Non-Certified Surgical Tech: SPT
  • Other Notes: ER needs are on the decline, but OR and ICU needs are picking up speed. Most positions are coming out of Reno.
New Hampshire
  • RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ER, ICU. Bill rates have remained high since the start of February.
  • Other Notes: New Hampshire remains a hotspot for ICU needs offering premium bill rates.
Oklahoma
  • RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, ER, ICU
  • Other Notes: Not many job postings available, but when jobs open they close very fast. Quick on callbacks and interviews for qualified candidates.
Pennsylvania
  • RN: ICU, OR, medical-surgical, telemetry.
  • Surgical Tech: OR
  • Non-Certified Surgical Tech: SPT
  • Other Notes: Bill rates in Pennsylvania are quite high compared to other states in the region, and have steadily increased in preparation for spring.
Texas
  • RN: Medical-surgical, telemetry, step-down/PCU
  • Surgical Tech: OR, Cath Lab

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