hidden benefit of travelers is their insight into different ways to improve practices . The facility needs to help ensure that feedback is welcomed and vetted to determine if it is appropriate for the facility — then , procedures and work practices should be adjusted , and training must occur to keep everyone consistent .”
James cautions that “ In the right hospital setting it can add a lot of new perspective and ideas along with the much-needed help . When hospitals take advantage of the knowledge and new perspective of a good traveler it can help increase the knowledge and efficiency of their permanent staff which then translates to a better connection with the OR . When travelers feel like the hospital really wants them there and they aren ’ t just a body , then they are willing to assimilate and actually work to their potential . However , some hospitals unfortunately just see you as a temporary body and treat you as such barely giving praise or thanking you for even being there . This can make a contract less fulfilling and make a traveler just be there doing the bare minimum until the contract is over .”
Thompson says the utilization of traveling techs allows facilities to address specific staffing needs that may not be as glamorous as these contract workers may imagine or desire . “ The traveling tech ’ s fresh perspective is a misnomer ; most facilities want the techs to fill process gaps in the areas of decontamination , and prep and pack . I ’ d say 98 percent of the time is where the traveler will work . This is the reality of the position , but the other 2 percent of facilities will invite the tech ’ s fresh perspective . These percentages could be affected by various factors that will increase or decrease production levels ( for example , if it ’ s the tech ’ s second or third contact at a particular facility and trust has been established ).”
As advantageous as it can be for institutions to hire traveling techs , there is the justifiable concern that these workers will not be familiar with an institution ’ s policies and procedures , may have significant learning curves , and may bring with them bad habits from previous jobs .
“ There is an old saying that if you have seen one sterile processing department , you ’ ve seen one sterile processing department ,” says Lind . “ In other words , they are all different . We may follow the same standards , guidelines , and regulations , but we have different physical layouts , instruments , processing equipment , procedures — and we provide different services . Usually , when a facility brings in travelers , they have been short-staffed and there is a tendency to want to get the travelers functional as soon as possible . That does not mean that travelers can begin work without a validation of their skills and knowledge and an introduction into the department ’ s ways . Competencies are a good way to assess a traveler ’ s skills and understanding of basic work practices . Assigning a mentor to help identify the specific practices of the department can also be helpful . Sometimes travelers bring bad habits , and other times they can help identify bad habits at the facility . SPDs should create a way to communicate “ differences ” in practice . The goal should be to elevate everyone ’ s practice in a respectful way . The goal for us all should be patient safety .”
James agrees . “ This can affect patient safety because if things specific to the facility which help the daily flow are not communicated , then this may lead to confusion with sets being set up incorrectly or priority items not being ready because the traveler did not know this was a necessity at the facility . We all know about priority with things related to trauma , but I have found in some assignments there are non trauma-related things needed or set up in a way to expedite for the operating room ’ s purposes . But if this is not communicated , we won ’ t know .”
“ The position of a traveling tech is a unique one and with it comes constant adaptation to each institution ’ s policies and procedures ,” Thompson says . “ The tech ’ s ability to adjust and react to each contract is paramount and bad habits reflex each tech individually . Now , these bad habits do exist and if discovered , could possibility end the contract and or employment with the hiring agency .”
Facilities can protect their interests by putting in place specific safeguards in place when hiring temporary personnel , but Thompson says that in his experience , these generally do not exist .
“ The traveling tech position can be a brutal experience depending on the facility ,” Thompson says . “ The contracted employee is without employee rights or legal representation . For example , I have witnessed a tech ’ s contract being canceled because he or she did not want to change the contractual start time . The facility ’ s manager reported to the hiring agency that this individual ‘ disrupted the department and did not want to change his start time .’ The tech not only lost the contract but was fired by the hiring agency without proof of the incident . I have traveled for five years . The traveling tech ’ s position is at the mercy of the facility .”
James says respectful communication is essential . “ Communicate with them as equals within the facility like their own employees . Don ’ t force or discipline saying things like , ‘ That ’ s not how we do it here ,’ or ‘ You are doing it wrong ,’ or ‘ I know you may have been taught that way but we don ’ t do that .’ Instead , let us know the ‘ why ’ behind things and make
When hospitals take advantage of the knowledge and new perspective of a good traveler it can help increase the knowledge and efficiency of their permanent staff which then translates to a better connection with the OR .”
— Kymm James , MS , BS , MAT , CRCST , CIS , CHL
sure they actually follow the standards because what we won ’ t do is risk certification and patient safety just because the facility wants us to .”
Traveling techs are responsible for maintaining their skill sets . “ It is the tech ’ s responsibility to maintain their certification and invest in their education ,” Thompson confirms . “ The tech has a vast amount of information [ and educational opportunities — including many online options ] and most facilities will offer continuing education that must be utilized by the tech .”
James notes that while traveling techs have the same education and certification responsibilities as full-time techs , “ Where we differ is being able to adapt quickly to new sets and new daily routines every three months .”
Despite the desire on the part of both the contract worker and the healthcare institution for a position to work out satisfactorily , there is the potential for contracts to go sideways ; facilities should invest in the time and effort required to assemble solid traveling tech-related policies and procedures ( P & Ps ).
“ Policies and procedures that fall in line with the standards we all need to abide by is all that ’ s needed ,” James emphasizes . “ That is universal . Anything facility-specific needs to be communicated