Ask yourself the right questions. Whatever your profession, it’s best to first take stock of your requirements and the constraints you are willing to accept: do you want to be employed by an institution or work for yourself? Full-time or part-time? Are you prepared to work nights? Would you prefer to work with children, adults, the elderly or the disabled? These questions will allow you to prioritize your applications, and to choose, depending on the case, to work in a medical-social institution, a hospital, a clinic, or a private practice. More trivial, but just as important: the geographical factor. Evaluate your availability. In a sector that often requires a high-level of availability and a variable schedule, think about calculating your home/workplace travel time, especially for establishments located in big cities. If you intend to apply for a traveling job in healthcare, there are some things you must consider. We will see together what they consist of.
1. You need to practice in various places
The importance of practice will lead to mobility: From medicine to social work, and including the many different types of paramedical training, almost all training programs in the sector include a considerable amount of practical work, through numerous internships. These internships are essential, particularly for acquiring the technical and interpersonal skills required for the professions in this sector. They also give students the opportunity to discover the many possible places of practice, pathologies, and types of public. They often condition their future job search. Some students are hired directly after their last internship, sometimes even before they officially graduate. The choice of internships completed during your training will allow you to sketch out a professional project, based on the impressions and contacts gathered throughout these field experiences. In the end, the recruiter’s view will vary according to his or her expectations: some will appreciate a diversity of experiences, others will be more sensitive to a form of specialization. Don’t panic, whatever the case, the mobility characteristic of the sector makes it easy to move from one public or structure to another during your career. Indeed, working in healthcare implies a sense of flexibility.
2. Find out where you are going, especially if you are traveling in an unknown place
Usually, it is the employer’s role to inform the employee about the location of a specific mission, but you can also choose to become a traveling healthcare worker on your own. You must check the formalities for entering a new country or visiting an unknown city, the situation there, and you also have to think about your mobile line in order to remain reachable. It is also important to be aware of the local weather and local events that could disrupt the trip. If you feel that the information you have at your disposal is not sufficient, do not hesitate to do some research on your own. You could also need a VISA. Generally, the healthcare institution you work for will take care of the procedures to obtain it, but if you are the one who must do the procedures, check governmental websites.
3. Organize your trip considering the potential time difference
The time difference can make the organization of a trip to treat patients particularly complex. First thing: fatigue. The more time zones you cross, the more noticeable the effects. Eastbound travel is the most difficult to manage, as your body can handle a longer day (westbound travel) better than a shorter day (eastbound travel). While there is little you can do to avoid it, it is possible to minimize its consequences. If your trip lasts more than a week, adjust your sleep pattern little by little, if possible, with the treatment of your patients. Heading east? The few days before your departure, go to bed earlier than usual. Traveling west? Going to bed later will allow for a better adjustment. On the other hand, if you are leaving for two or three days, keep your usual rhythm.
4. The disadvantages of nomadic work in healthcare
The lack of human contact and friends is one of the drawbacks of a nomad life. You live your adventure alone if you go to an unknown city. You’ll see your patients, but you won’t be able to go back home to your partner or your children. Moreover, since you are going on different adventures, travel can lead to fatigue. You’ll have a hard time keeping up if you lack energy. Although you work rather freely, you must learn to manage your time and organize your days and evenings. Nomadism is a lifestyle that you adapt to, not the other way around. Change will be constant during your travels, and it is up to you to manage them. You will not be immune to the lack of reference points, but you can react to avoid this situation. Income instability can also be a disadvantage of working elsewhere, and it’s a known fact that travel nursing jobs, for instance, exhibit a larger rate of unemployment. Sometimes, hospital workers feel discontent by the presence of traveling healthcare workers as they consider that their own jobs are jeopardized, which can be hard to manage and lead to competition.
5. Look for a short-term rental
Many owners will feel unhappy about renting their place for a short amount of time; they’re more likely to choose someone who will sign a housing contract for a year or more. Nevertheless, there are many options for healthcare workers to rent a place easily. The medical work never stops for the healthcare workforce, especially not in the middle of a pandemic. Between long shifts at all hours of the day and the intense demands of the job, being a healthcare worker is extremely demanding. You might be called for support at the other end of your country, perhaps even abroad, and you absolutely need a place where you will feel at home. We offer fully furnished residential and short-term apartment rentals near hospitals for healthcare professionals, so you can get the rest you need, no matter what time you finish your day.
