Traveling healthcare professionals didn’t really get the front page news until early 2020 when the start of a global pandemic thrust them into the spotlight without adequate reinforcements and armor to fight a war no one saw coming that they sure didn’t “sign up for.” Staying focused on the training to rationally and critically think through chaos, the newly dubbed Frontline found itself with the likeness of nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists, diagnostic medical sonographers and other imaging specialists, as well as housekeeping, pharmacy, lab, and even the coroners were all of a sudden thrust into a new realm of healthcare where you are the primary source of care for a patient suffering from a novel virus that can likely kill you both.
How now also, do you handle and digress from this high magnitude of work-related stress and transition into a domicile state where you have a different set of duties that requires a different mindset with the same amount of urgency and passion? Moreover, how do you accomplish these tasks while in motion? Luckily we have some great news! It all requires the same thing and it all comes from the same place… a place deep within our cores that dictate what we can muster up or tolerate down. It’s the spot that hurts us if we feel something unsettled and it’s the spot that opens up when we feel satisfied. You know this space, it’s deep within your center where you draw your power and energy to keep going. It’s the spot we all feel as we grieve with the families all to familiar with “the frontline” as they take on the loss of another “war” we’re sacrificing American lives in.
Burnout is a modern term used more frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic to describe how many healthcare providers are feeling when it comes to the strain of a higher pressure job. Notice the intentional highER pressure job and not high pressure job. Healthcare in most spaces where there’s direct or indirect patient contact can be considered high pressure. There has been a shift in job structure preferences however with the most notable one being permanent staff considering temporary positions and vise versa. The new notion of change has become the “new norm” however we live in a time where when we are mobile we have to account for numerous factors. This transition has become even more strenuous with the additional mandation of the COVID-19 Vaccination by some facilities. This is adding to the swinging pendulum of the staffing world. The Great Resignation was a new term coined and it speaks this context well. People who feel undervalued or under supported with eventually move on and once you move past those feelings, you rarely return to the source and a LOT of Sonographers are just clear burnt out and others are finding their freedom in a job structure transition.
Speaking specifically to Ultrasound, there are new opportunities popping up all over the country for both permanent and temporary talent at a pace unlike ever encountered in the industry. The crisis rates are rising and yet there’s still a shortage everywhere you look. Why? Sonographers are providers who tend to enamored by what they do and are highly skilled diagnosticians. They are harder to replace apples for apples given their unique training in image acquisition and CME. So the balls pretty much in your court Sonographers. If you’ve ever considered changing up your current scanning situation, there are plenty of positions on both sides of the fence to choose from! You can always reach out to info@ultrasafeultrasounds.com for more information on Ultrasafe Ultrasounds Simple Staffing Solutions. “We’re so proud of our placement success rate. It’s always exciting to find that great match between facility and sonographer because you know they’re both in a better position going forward and that just feels good!” -J. Hall, RDMS, RVT
If you’re wanting more info, check out The Sonographers Spill the Tea Podcast Episode for Temp vs. Perm Work Options.
When you’re ready to make moves, be cautious to keep a few key pieces of documentation on your person if you are going to be scanning or otherwise living a life in motion.
1. Figure out your Covid situation:
a. Either have a card that says you’re vaccinated, get a reason in writing on why you cannot, or have appropriate documentation to discuss why this is not applicable.
b. Be sure to do the research of each facility and state you will consider working in. It’s your job to be informed.
2. Easy access to other immunizations or declinations that you may need to submit (TB, flu, Hep B)
3. Be sure to have a true and legal tax home if you are receiving stipends for an assignment
4. Keep a digital and hard copy of all credentials, licensure, and other documentation needed
5. Consider mode of transportation, housing preference, and family dependents / responsibilities
And if you’re ever wanting to do it all and travel with your family while saving the world during a global pandemic, you can catch our Founder Joanna Hall at The Travelers Conference Sept. 28th, at 10:00am at the Paris Hotel. She’ll be spilling all the tea on how to travel with your family in tow while confidently accounting for the education of her school aged kids. Find out where you can get all the deets on her journey scanning in motion
In her own words, “I love scanning and consulting all over this country, but I am useless without my loves nearby so we found a way to make it worthwhile for us all. You can take care of your patients and your children at the same time and no you don’t have to be everything for either of them. All you have to do is the best you can with what you’ve got, stay well informed and do your research, and then go!! The rest WILL work itself out and we’re going to be sharing a slew of ways you can make it work for you and your fam. There’s freedom in your choice to choose how you perform your specialty and I want to show you that you don’t have to compromise. Education + Empowerment is something I speak about often during my classes and workshops and its applies to Homeschooling as well, lol. You are enough and you CAN do it all… with careful compromises in a slightly cunning always convincing and authentic way, where you can fulfill your personal growth in more than one area of your life at the same time and not feel bad about it to anyone because no one is going to get 100% of you 100% of the time …not even you. And yet, you ARE still enough.”
Come and learn all the ins and outs of the travel world no matter if you’re already a seasoned traveler, a newbie or, you’re just dreaming while you’re scheming… there’s something for everyone to learn at TravCon! And this year, we’re taking all the pre-cautions too …like duh we’re all healthcare providers if anyone’s gonna do this gathering thing correctly it’s got to be us right? Check out all the safety measures, speakers, exhibitors, and sessions that are being offered this year and we’ll see you in Vegas!!
