American Medical Staffing is Best in Staffing! (Again)
AMERICAN MEDICAL STAFFING WINS CLEARLYRATED’S 2023 BEST OF STAFFING CLIENT, EMPLOYEE, AND TALENT AWARDS FOR SERVICE EXCELLENCE! Fewer than two percent of all staffing agencies in the U.S. and Canada earn the Best of Staffing designation for Client and Talent Satisfaction. Fewer than 1% earn Best of Staffing for Employee Satisfaction. American Medical Staffing, a leading staffing agency, announced today that they have won the Best of Staffing Client, Employee, and Talent Awards for providing an exceptional experience for their clients, candidates, and employees. Presented in partnership with presenting sponsor Indeed and gold sponsor Talent.com, ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Award winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients, candidates, and employees. On average, clients of winning agencies are more than 70% more likely to be completely satisfied and candidates who have been placed by winning agencies are 80% more likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies. On average, employees of winning agencies are more than 2 times less likely to be dissatisfied with their staffing firm compared to those working with non-winning agencies. American Medical Staffing received a Net Promoter® Score of 76.5% from their candidates, more than 3 times the industry’s average of 19% in 2022. “I am pleased to introduce the 2023 Best of Staffing winners alongside their validated service ratings on ClearlyRated.com,” said ClearlyRated’s CEO, Eric Gregg. “These firms have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to delivering amazing experiences, despite another year of upheaval and macroeconomic uncertainty. Hats off to these service leaders – it’s truly an honor to recognize and celebrate their achievements.” About ClearlyRated Rooted in satisfaction research for professional service firms, ClearlyRated utilizes a Net Promoter® Score survey program to help professional service firms measure their service experience, build online reputation, and differentiate on service quality. Learn more at https://www.clearlyrated.com/solutions/. About Best of Staffing ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients, placed talent, and internal employees. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on ClearlyRated.com—an online business directory that helps buyers of professional services find service leaders and vet prospective firms with the help of validated client ratings and testimonials.
Your Meals & Lodging Allowance Questions… Answered!
We get a lot of questions about the criteria you must meet in order to be compensated as a “Traveler,” i.e., receive a daily meal and lodging allowance (MLA). So we thought we would put together a resource of Q&A’s Q – Why do healthcare professionals want to become a traveler? A – To better manage their career, to gain variety, to ensure more flexibility, to be their ‘own boss’, and to expand their skill sets. Being able to come and go and not deal with office politics and/or staff meetings is also a nice perk. Q – What do healthcare professionals need to know about travel pay? A – Travel pay can be truly amazing; people just need to know all the ins and outs for it to be most advantageous to them! Travelers generally get paid a taxable amount per hour worked and MLA which stands for Meals and Lodging Allowances. The MLA is non-taxable monies. Q – What are some key qualifiers for someone that wants to become a traveler? A – A traveler is someone who does not commute to and from work, has a permanent tax home, and is duplicating expenses while on assignment. Q – Can travelers get MLA if they are simply over 50 miles from home? A – No, there is no such thing as an IRS ‘miles’ rule. So, this is not a deciding factor. Bottom line, you must be commuting, duplicating expenses, and have a permanent tax home. At AMS, we air on the conservative side and require our healthcare professionals to be a minimum of 50 miles from home generally. Q – What is a permanent tax home? A – This is the location of your regular home or place of employment. For most people, this is the metropolitan or commutable area where they normally work. People would also incur living expenses while working on an assignment away from home. Q – Why do other agencies tell potential hires that they only need to be 50 miles away from home to receive MLA? A – Other agencies may not fully understand the tax rules. Talk to your tax advisor to understand more about tax-free allowances so as to avoid getting audited by the IRS. Q – Can a traveler stay in one general area for as long as desired? A – A candidate must move locations after a year or look at a different pay option. This is an IRS rule. To be clear, a traveler can stay in the area; however, their new pay package needs to be all taxable income. Q – If someone wants to go home and reset their MLA clock to continue in the same general area as before, how long does that take? A – Generally, the IRS advises someone to be gone for a minimum of 7 months. Q – If a traveler wants to travel for years and years, what is a realistic timeframe that they would need to return home annually to continue using the same permanent tax home? A – The IRS says generally 30 days per year will suffice. Q – If a healthcare professional has on-call written into their contract but is closer to home than 50 miles, are they eligible for MLA? A – Yes, if the commute will take them longer to get to the facility than their on-call requirement, it is reasonable that they will have to duplicate expenses for the days that they are on-call. If you have any additional questions that you would like answered on the subject of MLA, finding a travel assignment, (or anything else related to being a Healthcare professional) please send an email to marketing@americanmedicalstaffing.com and we will be happy to assist.
AMS Clinician Spotlight – Anne W
Our first Clinician to receive our Clinician Spotlight award (and gift) is Anne W.!! As part of our commitment to recognize our Clinicians and the amazing work they do, welcome to our very first “Clinician Spotlight” – a chance to highlight those who have gone above and beyond, consistently demonstrating the core values of AMS. We asked our Recruiting Managers to kick us off by nominating Clinicians who had either received a special achievement or award, general feedback received from a client, or an interesting story of why/how a clinician choose their profession – and the response was overwhelming! We have such a great team of Clinicians, and we are excited to share their stories with you through 2023. AMS Recruiting Manager Kacie received the following feedback from Anne’s Unit Manager, relaying a message from a patient that Anne cared for; “I wanted to write to you about the wonderful care I received from Anne when she was floated to Unit 38 on 3/19. She admitted me and was so wonderful. She was so positive and upbeat and just really on top of her game. Even though there were some things on the med floor she was unfamiliar with, she got help when needed from the charge RN. She was an absolute delight and I’m so glad she was my first experience on 38.” We reached out to Anne to ask her some questions to get to know her better: Q: What is your nursing specialty? A: ICU, background was in Neuro ICU, then transferred to SICU/Liver Transplant. Q: How long have you been working as a nurse? And with AMS? I have been a nurse for about 14 years and have been with AMS since March 2022. Q: Why did you choose to become a nurse? A: I became a nurse because of an amazing RN that took care of my grandmother when she was ill. She was very caring, took the time to really get to know my grandmother and advocated for her when she needed it. That experience made me want to care for others; being there at their lowest and celebrating positive outcomes. Q: Any hobbies/activities you enjoy outside of nursing? A: I love reading, traveling, and meeting people. Q: Would you recommend AMS to other nurses? Why? A: I would definitely recommend AMS to other nurses. I have traveled with other agencies before; my recruiter, Kacie is phenomenal! She is very responsive to questions, and makes the best suggestions and recommendations. She is always available whenever I needed information or help. Q: Do you have any advice you would like to pass along to other travel nurses? A: My advice for nurses is to always ask the staff questions about things not understood; we always want to ensure that our patients are safe. Nursing is inherently the same everywhere but protocols and policies differ from place to place. No question is too small or stupid to ask. Better to be safe, than sorry. Our congratulations again to Anne on receiving such a well-deserved accolade, and showing such excellence when caring for her patients! If you know of any AMS Healthcare Profession who deserves a spotlight, please let us know by emailing the Engagement Team at marketing@americanmedicalstaffing.com!
Traveling With Pets
Meet our People & Culture Manager – Andrew! Responsible for our range of employee benefits, ongoing engagement activities, and Community outreach, Andrew is a true champion of our AMS Core Values. He is setting off on a cross-country adventure and as Travel Nurse Recruiters, it would be remiss of us not to join him over the coming months and put together some useful Questions and Answers! Andrew’s traveling partner is our Chief Morale Officer, Millie! So naturally, our first stop in our travel series is – traveling to an assignment with pets! Q: Hey Andrew, thanks for taking us on a journey with you! You have been planning this multi-destination trip for a while now, and we wondered if you did any pre-travel veterinary visits for Millie before you set off? A: Yes! I had her yearly check-up at the beginning of the year and notified them of my travel plans to get some recommendations. Millie has separation anxiety and hasn’t had to be by herself too much since the pandemic started. So, they recommended some calming chews and suggested easing back into her being on her own. Leaving for 10 minutes one day, then 30 minutes the next, etc. I also bought a dog monitoring camera to help with this. Since my first stop is Colorado, they also mentioned that dogs must adapt to different altitudes as well. Millie has a short snout, so they told me to take it easy the first week or so to make sure she is acclimated before doing anything that involves a lot of activity. Q: When you were looking into your accommodations, were there any considerations you had to make when booking? A: Because I will be staying in each location for up to a month, I chose to use Airbnb. When you search for the dates, amount of people staying, etc. you can also select how many “pets” you have (It does not limit the search to dogs, so I believe cats are allowable in some places.) This way I was only looking at places that allowed pets. Once I narrowed it down to a few places, I contacted the owner and made sure they were okay with my 70-pound bulldog (& had reliable Wi-Fi) Thankfully, there was no breed or size issues with any of the hosts, and only had to pay an enhanced cleaning fee in some cases. Another great resource for long-stay rentals is Furnishedfinder.com! Q: We know that Millie is quite the pampered pooch, how are you going to pack for such a diva? A: Since we are road tripping, we will only be bringing the essentials – a small container of food, travel bowls, her regular food and water bowls, and a few toys. When I arrive, I can get a bigger bag of food and anything else she may need. Millie’s Top Dog Travel Picks: Collapsible Pet Bowls Portable Dog Water Bottle Q: Do you have any special plans while you’re on the road? A: We are going to be driving for multiple days before we arrive in Denver, so to make sure Millie is calm and comfortable, she will have the whole back seat to herself with some blankets and pillows. (Added bonus tip – Marketing Coordinator Sophie’s elderly and usually very well-behaved dog ran away at a rest stop on a road trip, so it’s always a good idea to make sure your dog tags contact info is up to date, as well as their microchip details! Don’t worry, she came back) Q: When traveling to a different state, there can be different rules and regulations so have you found anything to help navigate being in a new city with a dog? A: I have booked some dog-friendly hotels along the way, but I also use an app called BringFido that also shows dog-friendly restaurants and activities.
How to Become a Travel Nurse with American Medical Staffing
Thinking of becoming a Travel Nurse? Are you looking for additional resources? We look at how joining American Medical Staffing can make it a simple, and enjoyable process. RNs, LPNs, and allied health professionals love working for AMS because we understand what it’s like to work in healthcare today. We’re here to make your job easier. To support your emotional well-being. To help you focus on what you really want to do…provide care. Great jobs. Even better recruiting support. Our healthcare recruiters can be your career partner. We’ll connect you with fulfilling jobs. Simplify onboarding and credentialing. And provide you with an exceptional work experience. The Resources You Need It can be a challenge to find everything you need online especially when it comes to authentic nursing information, so we’ve compiled some helpful travel nurse FAQs Concerns about the consistency of work (When the contract ends will there be another one for me?) American Medical Staffing has an industry-leading retention rate of 87% of our Healthcare Professionals. Our goal is to be the employer of choice for our clinicians and to provide options for your next contract well before your contract end date. You can expect to start talking with your Recruiting Manager about opportunities when you are about halfway through your contract. Did you know… we have benefits! Yes, we have a full suite of best-in-class benefits! Benefits are effective on the first day of employment. The plans are very diverse (4 different health insurance plans, 3 different dental plans) and affordable. We also offer supplemental benefits such as short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, and much more. See them here. How do Travel Pay Packages “actually” work? To be eligible for any travel compensation, you must be duplicating living expenses – maintaining two households, during your assignment with AMS. Based on government guidelines, we calculate your MLA by determining the number of days per week you duplicate living expenses and the location of your temporary work assignment. Here is a link to the government website that outlines these rates: www.gsa.gov Does AMS provide housing? Although we can certainly recommend and advise you on housing options on your behalf, most travelers find the best fit for housing when they secure it directly, including deciding personal trade-offs that enable them to maximize their take home pay. We can also offer assistance for travel relocation or other arrangements – just ask your recruiting manager. Want to read more about Housing Options and Resources? See our other blog. Working as an agency nurse – when to contact AMS and when the contact the facility As your employer and career partner, we always recommend that you touch base with your recruiting manager first and then formulate the next steps from there. This puts us in the best position to be able to support you. We have an Employee Resources sheet that consolidates our department information and useful contacts. Other examples include: When requesting time off, your Recruiting Manager will collect all the details before the start of your contract. Moving forward, as things come up, you would arrange time off with your direct supervisor/scheduler with as much notice as possible. Come back to us to inform. Call outs – reach out to your direct supervisor first, and then follow up with your AMS Recruiting Manager or our off-hours team. Questions about your paycheck Questions about your benefits Will clinicians be trained prior to their expected start date? American Medical Staffing takes care to place healthcare professionals in the setting, unit, or specialty where they have clinical experience. That means AMS HCPs can start their position with confidence knowing they are skilled to treat patients/clients in the setting they will be working. Most of our client facilities require contract healthcare professionals to have at least 2 years of experience in their specialty. Our client facilities and school districts offer orientation and training to AMS staff for policies and procedures, EMR (electronic health record), and unit-specific preferences. The time allotted for training varies by client and can range from 1 day to 1 week; your Recruiting Manager will discuss these details with you for your specific contract options! Advice for nurses thinking they can try out a new specialty with an agency. As a Joint Commission accredited staffing firm, American Medical Staffing is committed to patient safety and our team member’s successful contract placements. As such, we place healthcare professionals in the setting, unit, or specialty that aligns with their clinical experience. Most of our client facilities require contract healthcare professionals to have at least 2 years of experience in their specialty. Cross training as an agency nurse is not applicable with most specialties. However, are there circumstances where one specialty compliments another? Yes! For example, positions in a Correctional Healthcare setting often accept clinicians with ER, ICU, or Psych experience. This of course is client-dependent, and our Recruiting Managers act as your career advocates and will work tirelessly alongside you to ensure you have a good match, and all expectations are aligned. Trust American Medical Staffing, a leading agency for healthcare jobs nationwide, for your job search in nursing, allied health, and other healthcare fields.
AMS Clinician Spotlight – Creating Extraordinary Experiences, Every Day
It is so professionally rewarding to receive such glowing reports and kudos about our Clinicians! We will highlight some of them here: Anthony, RN “I am writing to tell you about the most wonderful experience we had with Anthony yesterday. Anthony made a wonderful rapport with this patient from the beginning of the day. I went into the patient’s room mid-morning and they were absolutely beaming and telling me how Anthony helped them build a pillow fort. I saw in the corner of the room a sheet tied to an IV pole, a chair, and a suitcase. The patient had blankets and pillows lining the floor. They told me how nice it was that they had a safe and quiet space that was all theirs. He was amazing with all of our patients and fit right in with the team.” He would be a huge asset to any unit! Janice, CNA I wanted to share a positive thought regarding one of our agency sitters, Janice. Janice was assigned to be with ED 6 yesterday who is one of our nonverbal autistic boys. This young man can be a challenge, as he does not know limits or his body mass and is difficult to redirect without security. Janice, never once, showed frustration. She spent 12 hours with him yesterday, 12 caring and compassionate hours. She continued to advocate for him as well as his mother who spent much of the day trying to soothe her son. It was such a delight to watch her. I wanted to share this with you as we often hear the negative and not always the positive. Janice made our day more manageable due to being his companion. Thank you” Survival, RN “There was a recent event caught by a Nurse on U46 (Amazing catch, Survival!) where a Swisslog Medication Packet contained the incorrect amount of medication. There should have been 10mg in the packet, but there was actually 40mg. This could have led to a serious safety event. An important point for nurses to be aware of is that these Swisslog packets should NEVER contain more than one tablet or capsule. If the patient’s dose requires more than one tablet, the Pharmacy will send multiple packets. The presence of more than one tablet in a packet ALWAYS represents an error.”