What is a Honorable Travel Nurse?

All too often we, travelers, are focused on agencies and whether or not they are honorable. However, are we taking time to be honorable travelers? Do we even know what one is? I would like to present the recruiters perspective for a minute. With the new year approaching, it is nice to look at things in new ways and from other people’s perspectives. Being a recruiter is not an easy job and travelers are not always the easiest clients.

In the past, I have interviewed recruiters about what they look for in a traveler. Often, I a few patent answers. Recently, some real data came to me. HT magazine did a special report on honorable travelers. Fifty one recruiters from different companies elected and describe an honorable traveler in their company. As I read the descriptions, I noticed many of the same adjectives kept reappearing. Curiosity took hold of me and I had to sit down and numerically analyze the results which were as follows:

Characteristics # of times mentioned

Flexible 21

Good Attitude 19

Pleasant to work with 19

Great references from the hospital 15

Skilled 15

Professional 11

Asked to extend their assignment 10

Fit in with permanent staff 10

Reliable/dependable 10

Loyal 8

Caring 8

Hard working 4

Eager to learn 4

Never complain 4

Adventurous 3

Adjust well to new situations 3

Stay late when needed 3

Performance 3

On time to work 2

Conscientious 2

Assists other staff 2

Never call in sick 2

Sense of humor 2

Nice person 1

Modest 1

Intelligent 1

Consistent 1

Cooperative 1