By Melissa Wirkus, associate editor
As the nation’s largest nonprofit health care organization—with 32 medical centers across nine states—it is no wonder that Kaiser Permanente offers a plethora of top-rate travel nursing opportunities across a broad range of specialties.
For travel nurses, Kaiser Permanent's excellent pay rates and clinical opportunities are great incentives to working at one of its facilities.
Many travel nurses have noted that the excellent pay rates offered by Kaiser facilities are one of the biggest draws for travelers looking to gain the most financially out of every assignment.
“I would tell other travelers to take an assignment at Kaiser because they usually pay better than other hospitals in the area,” said Renee Seevers, RN, a labor and delivery travel nurse currently on assignment at a Kaiser facility in San Diego with leading travel staffing company American Mobile Healthcare.
Job security and excellent pay rates are two of the qualities that help Kaiser to stand out amongst the nation’s hospitals, said Chiaron Barry, recruiter with American Mobile Healthcare.
“One of the main reasons many nurses turn to travel is for better pay. Pay rates tend to be higher at Kaiser than neighboring non-Kaiser facilities,” Barry said. “Also, once they pass the interview, they can go to any other Kaiser facility without interviewing again for a full year. With so many Kaiser facilities in the state of California, a nurse could travel the entire state just working at Kaiser hospitals.”
For Betsy Hale, RN, taking an assignment with Kaiser has enabled her to learn new skills and work in units that she never thought possible.
“I am very appreciative of the broad range of clinical experiences I have gained from working at Kaiser,” said Hale, who is currently on assignment with American Mobile Healthcare. “I get to work on units and work with patients that I have never worked with before—which has really taught me a lot.”
Hale has been on assignment at Kaiser in San Diego for six months now, and has enjoyed her tenure so much that she is about to begin her second extension at the same facility.
“I have seen a wide variety of leadership skills and have gotten the opportunity to see different management skills here at Kaiser, which will help me in the future,” she said.
Barry said learning new skills is just one of the many opportunities that come with being a travel nurse at a Kaiser facility—it is also a good place to begin a travel nursing career.
“Kaiser typically accepts first-time travelers and nurses with less than two years of experience,” he explained. “Also, there are many other travelers on assignment who provide great support. Kaiser is also a good résumé builder—nurses may gain experience in areas they have not previously been as strong, and working at Kaiser helps round out their skill set. This allows travel nurses to find units and management styles they really like which helps them in choosing their next assignment.”
Seevers has been traveling on and off for about six years and with over 14 years of nursing experience, she says the technology at Kaiser is unlike any other facility she has worked at.
“They have a really good computer system,” she said. “Every hospital talks about being more eco-friendly, but this is the closest computer system I have seen to being paper-free.”
Although Seevers has only been at Kaiser for a few months, one of her favorite parts about being there is the people she works with.
“The permanent staff has been very friendly and helpful. They have a lot of travelers here so everyone is used to a ‘transient’ staff’,” she said. “Everyone here is very conscientious about safety and security and the staffing is good—with a great nurse-patient ratio.”
For travel nurses looking to work at a progressive health care institution, or for an RN eager to start a travel nursing career, Kaiser is an excellent choice.
"As the largest nonprofit health care organization in the United States, there are ample opportunities for travel nurses to experience working for Kaiser," said Beth Machado, senior vice president of recruitment for American Mobile Healthcare. "Currently, in California alone, we have close to a thousand travel nursing jobs, across all specialties, within Kaiser facilities. For any RN who's looking for professional growth, generous pay rates and clinical innovation, a travel nursing assignment within a Kaiser hospital would be an extremely worthwhile experience."
Nurses travel for a variety of different reasons—for some it is the excellent pay, and for others it is the excitement and change that comes with every new assignment. Whether a nurse is looking to gain valuable clinical experience, or work with the best technology, Kaiser has it all.
© 2008. AMN Healthcare, Inc. All Rights Reserved.