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According to Terry McDermott, Vice-President of Marketing for Travel NurseSource, the travel nurse agencies he spoke with seem better positioned toweather an economic slide than many other companies. "Travel nursing hasalways been about filling staffing holes with qualified professionals. Inspite of the economy, those holes still exist and it takes a special type ofperson to come into an acute care environment, in many cases, and hit theground running. Hospitals still look to travel nurses to fill the void andmaintain high standards of patient care."
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"It is no secret that patient census is down in many hospitals," saysChris Eales, president of Premier Healthcare Professionals, a Georgia-basedtravel nursing agency. "People are postponing elective surgeries and beingselective about various other medical procedures." But Mr. Eales also believesthat the core factors that have contributed to the ongoing nursing shortageare still in place. "An aging population, a lack of qualified nurse educatorsand older nurses opting for retirement will continue to fuel the demand fortravel nurses."
Jesse Sabo, Vice-President of North American Operations for ID Medical inNew York City, believes that travel nursing offers more stability than otheroptions in the current circumstances. "Compared to per diem work, travelnursing presents a number of advantages. A travel nurse normally signs on fora thirteen-week assignment," says Mr. Sabo. "In addition, travel nurses canexpect guaranteed hours as part of their agreement."
Some observers are surprised that a soft economy would have any impactwhatsoever on nursing employment given that some sources predict a shortage ofup to 500,000 nurses by the year 2020. "Even the healthcare industry has beenchallenged to implement some cutbacks," says Janet Fikany, a recruiter forHealthcare Staffing Network in Colorado. But, says Ms. Fikany, there probablywill be an increase of travel assignments after the first of the year. "Oncethe new administration takes office and consumer confidence begins to rise theemployment picture will improve. Also, new budgets will be in place in Januaryand will result in more opportunities for travel nurses."
About Travel Nurse Source
Travel Nurse Source is a leading marketing and recruiting companyservicing the travel nurse industry. Since 2003, Travel Nurse Source hasspecialized in identifying and recruiting qualified travel nurses and placingthese nurses through a network of client agencies. The company recentlylaunched Allied Travel Careers at http://www.alliedtravelcareers.com toaddress the growing demand for therapists and other allied health specialistswilling to travel to U.S. destinations to fill temporary assignments.
For additional information please visit http://www.travelnursesource.com
SOURCE Travel Nurse Source
