Adventures in Nursing Blog

Writers Block – Common Facebook Mistakes of a Traveler

Writers Block – Common Facebook Mistakes of a Traveler

Article number two in the Writers Block series comes from Thomas Piper, owner of Scrub Squad 1978. Thomas has been a friend of Atlas for some time, and his website is a wealth of knowledge for the modern healthcare traveler. You can find out more about him at scrubsquad1978.com. If you are interested in writing a piece for the blog, please contact me at rsmith@atlasmedstaff.com – Rich

Common Facebook Mistakes of a Traveler – Thomas Piper

Every day on Facebook I see posts that make me shiver. Posts from travelers asking questions, making comments, or seeking advice, but not all inquiries are going to lead to a quality answer. You often see the same inquiries making some of the same errors in the same categories; posts that lead to bias laden answers, being magnanimous, and unprofessional posts.

Posts That Lead to Bias Laden Answers

One of the most common questions one will see in Facebook Groups reference to an opinion on a company or agency. Questions such as “What’s your favorite company?” or “Who would you recommend at Company ABC?” or even “What do you think of Company A?” The issue with these questions is that they lead inherently to the bias of others. That is not to say that every response will not be helpful or that some people are truly out to help other travelers, but asking these questions to a group of people you do not know leads to their biased answers.

Most often the answer to the question of favorite agencies or recruiter gets a litany of responses from travelers who will ALL tell you that theirs is the best, and although this could be good for the company and the referring traveler, it is often not in the best interest of the one posing the question. This answer benefits the responder as they potentially would get a referral bonus, usually $500. This leads to a plethora of people all stating that their company and recruiter is the best in order to get this money, but how can you trust that they have your best interest in mind? When I started traveling, I took the advice from a traveler that I went to school with; someone who I knew and trusted to tell me the truth. It has led to a great relationship with this recruiter. When I looked to focus on adding a few recruiters to my team, I went to TravCon and met some in person. So, from a friend, or from my own encounters, I met my team. I simply thought it was irresponsible on my part to take advice from strangers looking to line their pockets.

This line of thinking leads to the second type of potential biased responses: advice on using any type of service, or intermediary company, to help you find a job, company, or recruiter. There are quite a few out there as well: Wanderly, Blue Pipes, Highway Hypodermics, Nomadicare, Nomad, etc. The list goes on. This is not about the usefulness or validity of each of these companies, yet more a commentary on the responders who answer questions about them. There simply does not seem to be a middle ground. Either one is on board with what they offer, or you are vehemently against them. Some people benefit from referring them. My advice is that if you are contemplating using one of these services, try them out for yourself. You will find people on both ends of the spectrum about their worth, and the only way to truly know is to try them.

Being Magnanimous

The first part can be the hardest, especially if you are a new traveler. One can see posts where recruiters are pushing a traveler to a specific location that they are not interested in. Others where they are threatening repercussions if the traveler does not accept the position that the recruiter worked hard to get. This is the point you drop the recruiter. If they threaten you in any way, you need to stand up for yourself and move on. I would even go as far as to report them. This is uncalled for and unprofessional, and should never be tolerated. It is not something to be magnanimous about. I would not forgive this behavior. I understand the frustrations of recruiters putting all that time in and missing out on a traveler, but the traveler has to take into account what is best for them.

This is really the point where you should be selfish. Never let a recruiter talk you into something you are not comfortable with. Your safety, license, pay, etc. should be paramount on where you go as a traveler. If a recruiter refuses to understand that, you may need a new recruiter. You have to have a recruiter that has your best interest in mind.

Unprofessional Posting

Bashing a company or recruiter inexplicably with no regards to anyone seems like the norm for Facebook these days. It is one thing to have a bad experience with a company and share the experience, but to state that no one should ever use that company ever is simply in poor taste. With every company or recruiter, you will find those with poor experiences and excellent ones. It really goes both ways; just because someone had a good or bad experience with a company does not necessarily translate to the same experience for you. Research shows that most of the time people will post negative reviews, but keep good experiences to themselves. That’s why I recommend researching and compiling information yourself and not simply take one perspective into account.

Overdramatic posts are another type of unprofessional post. I have made this mistake myself as well. I have learned that when you when you make a dramatic post about something, it usually just makes you look bad. No matter if you are right in your post or now, you are the one putting yourself out there, and are usually the one who will face the criticism. This is the same in life as well. It would be a good idea to find a group of friends that you can vent to without judgment who will be open and honest with you. People that will tell you the truth and let you know when you are overreacting.

Call me a cynic, but I believe you should take many recommendations with a grain of salt, or at least understand their position before blindly following their referral. Be your own person. Learn for yourself. In the end, you are the most important person on your team. Follow your gut instincts and listen to your heart.

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