One of the ways healthcare companies adjust to the challenge of hiring and keeping employees who are talented and have extensive skill sets is through short term assignments. By structuring their employment needs to provide relocation opportunities, many healthcare companies have been able to attract highly qualified candidates who want to travel to new locations on a regular basis with short term assignments. Healthcare companies can benefit from a relocation policy to provide candidates who desire these positions with several programs that give them helpful options for successful relocations.
Short Term Assignments
Many healthcare professionals prefer short term assignments, and find the adventure and opportunity exciting and fulfilling. Several segments of healthcare employment now utilize short term assignments, which can last from a few days to several weeks, with the majority falling into a four to eight week timeframe. Additionally, many of these short term assignments offer a wide range of benefits including competitive pay and a variety of locations. Healthcare professionals who flourish in these roles are comfortable with a great deal of flexibility, have a positive attitude, and exhibit a high level of excellence in the performance of their duties.
Professional and Personal Development
Challenging roles in short term assignments can range from covering during a staff shortage, to assisting with Electronic Medical Record (EMR) conversions. In accepting these positions, the healthcare professional expands their knowledge and skill sets, and often become topical experts in the field. This in turn helps increase their professional growth and marketability within their field. Also, working short term assignments helps healthcare professionals grow personally. Being open-minded and staying calm under pressure increases adaptability to challenges and promotes quick thinking and decision making skills.
Career Resources
Healthcare Traveler, a part of the Modern Medicine network, provides information, career resources, and job listings for qualified candidates interested in short term assignments. Visitors can search job listings by keywords including title, skills, or company, and by location, so they can find a number of matches for which they may be qualified. For example, searching for a specific position within a city might return listings from the local network or the national network. This service provides an extremely valuable resource for candidates seeking short term assignment opportunities in specific locations.
Housing Options
In addition to career resources designed for short term assignments, several short term housing networks provide healthcare professionals with a wide range of housing options to match their short term durations. The proliferation of home sharing services give short term assignees the flexibility of short term housing that is already set up with furniture, fixtures, home goods, and utilities ready for immediate use. Other helpful resources include Home Away, Vacation Rental by Owner, Craigslist, Zillow, Trulia, Apartments.com, local realtors, and networks of friends who can provide good referrals to short term housing options. Healthcare companies should provide quick and easy access to a network of short term living and corporate housing options for short term assignments.
Short Term Assignment Benefits
There are many distinct benefits that health care companies provide to their employees who choose short term assignments in healthcare as their preferred career option:
- High levels of pay reflective of the critical need for highly skilled short term assignees
- Healthcare starting on Day One to prevent lapse of insurance coverage
- TeleDoc which allows for treatment and prescriptions over the phone during travel
- Vision Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Retirement Benefits with eligibility on Day One
- Employee Assistance Programs
- Insurance for Life, Accidental Death, and Disability
Conclusion
Global Mobility Solutions’ team of corporate relocation experts have helped thousands of our clients develop relocation programs that attract and retain qualified employees. Our team can help your healthcare company by using industry best practices to design a relocation program that works well for short term assignments, while effectively communicating your company’s value proposition in the healthcare industry.
Contact our experts online to discuss your healthcare company’s short term assignment relocation program needs, or give us a call at 800.617.1904 or 480.922.0700 today.
Sam Hoey | CRP, GMS
Senior Vice President, Global Account Management Sam joined Global Mobility Solutions in 1996 and has a unique perspective with her 25 years of industry experience. Samantha offers her clients relocation expertise and a commitment to excellence in her. Her proficiency in orchestrating the BVO and GPO Programs, as well as relocation policy design and implementation, are invaluable assets to the accounts she manages. Her experience in administering Pre-Decision Relocation services to enhance the recruiting process further demonstrates her unique abilities to service her clients. Samantha’s diverse experience, leadership, and outstanding communication skills enable her to manage the relocation process for her clients with finesse and polished professionalism.
