The Lowdown on Travel Nurses Being Submitted to the Same Job by Multiple Agencies
Nearly every travel nurse will consider whether or not they should work with multiple travel nursing companies to help them land their desired assignments. Should you stick with just one company or work with several? One of the potential pitfalls of working with multiple companies is the possibility of being submitted by more than one company for the same travel nursing job. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about “duplicate submissions” so you can confidently approach this issue.
Should You Work With Multiple Travel Nursing Companies?
We conducted a survey where 53% of travel nurses said they work with more than one travel nursing company. Some might be surprised the number is so high, while others might be surprised it’s so low. We’re in the latter group. We routinely recommend working with more than one agency.
We believe travelers should work with multiple agencies for several reasons. Here are just a few:
- Increases your exposure to the job market because different travel nursing companies have access to different hospitals
- Enhances your bargaining position when you negotiate pay rates
- Ensures a higher level of service when you do it right
- Ensures that you’re able to land jobs quickly should you encounter an unforeseen issue like a contract cancellation
As you can see, there are many great reasons you should work with multiple travel nursing companies. But like most things in life, there are pitfalls to this approach. One pitfall is possibility that multiple agencies submit you for the same exact job.
What does “Submission” mean in travel nursing?
First, let’s briefly define what “submission” means in travel nursing. Many travel nurses think that they are getting “submitted” when they apply for a job on a travel nursing job board like BluePipes. This is not correct.
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Travel nursing agencies must have a complete “submission profile” in order to submit a candidate for a travel nursing job. This is because hospitals, hiring managers and Vendor Management Services will not accept a candidate for submission without a complete submission profile. A complete submission profile includes a robust resume or job application, a skills checklist and verified references at a bare minimum.
How Does A Travel Nurse Get Submitted By Multiple Agencies For The Same Job?
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the various scenarios in which multiple agencies submit a travel nurse for the same job. Knowing them will help us formulate a plan for avoiding this pitfall.
Recruiter Doesn’t Provided Name Of Hospital
First, recruiters sometimes neglect to tell travelers the name of the facility the recruiter is submitting them to. This may sound crazy to experienced travelers, who would never agree to let an agency submit them without knowing the facility’s name. However, it does happen.
Sometimes, recruiters do this purposely. The recruiter might worry that the traveler will shop around to find the job with an agency that the traveler has a better relationship with or an agency that might pay more for this particular assignment. Other times, the recruiter and traveler might forget to discuss the hospital’s name in their haste and excitement to submit their profile for what seems to be the ideal assignment in the perfect location.
The problem is that there is an excellent chance many other agencies will have access to the same job. Therefore, if the traveler and one of those agencies connect and happen to discuss the job, there is a chance that this new agency will submit the traveler a second time.
This is because it’s possible that the traveler doesn’t even consider the possibility that the two jobs are the same. Some travelers are unaware that multiple agencies work with the same hospital, so the recruiter won’t know the traveler has already been presented for a job in the same city with the same job description. It’s also possible that the second recruiter makes a convincing argument that they can figure out later whether or not it’s the same hospital; for now, they need to submit you for this hot job!
Travel Nurse Finds A Better Pay Package
Multiple submissions for the same job can also occur if a better pay package presents itself after an agency submits a travel nurse for the job. When travelers work with multiple companies or after they’ve released their contact information to multiple companies, they will undoubtedly receive calls from several agencies about jobs that meet the traveler’s job-search criteria. Commonly, these calls pertain to the same position.
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When a traveler’s information is available to multiple agencies, there is potential for a recruiter to call and pitch a compensation package more favorable than the one offered by the company that has already submitted the traveler. In some cases, the second recruiter will convince the traveler to allow his company to also present the traveler. We’re not judging! Who doesn’t want more money? Plus, recruiters can be pretty persuasive.
It may surprise some to know that this can also happen in reverse. In other words, some travelers shop around for better offers on jobs for which a different agency has already submitted them. The traveler might not tell the recruiter with the better offer that another agency has already submitted the traveler for the position. Even if they do, the recruiter will most likely submit the profile if the traveler approves.
Recruiter Submits Travel Nurse Without Notification
Recruiters are always eager to submit profiles. There are two fundamental reasons for this eagerness. First, submissions are one of the key performance indicators agencies use to track and evaluate a recruiter’s job performance. Second, recruiters understand that the sooner they submit a profile, the higher the likelihood of receiving an interview and offer.
Of course, this leads to multiple agencies submitting travel nurses for the same job. In most cases, the traveler’s recruiters already know the traveler’s desired destinations and job traits. So, when a job that meets the criteria opens, the recruiters may submit first and ask questions later. Some recruiters will do this even when the traveler has asked them not to.
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How Often Do Travel Nurses Get Submitted By Multiple Agencies For The Same Job?
As you can see, many scenarios may lead to duplicate submissions for the same job. In fact, this happens more than recruiters and agencies will let on. For example, I was a manager at a staffing firm where one of the account managers from HealthTrust, the Managed Service Provider for HCA hospitals, emailed a list of their “winter travel nurse needs.” The list included hundreds of jobs.
The following day, we received an email from the account manager addressed to all staffing agencies on the email list. It informed us that he had received over 1,200 submissions, and he noted that about 900 were duplicates. A whopping 65-75 percent of the profiles that agencies submitted were duplicates!
What Are The Consequences If A Travel Nurse Is Submitted By Multiple Agencies For the Same Job?
Such a high number of duplicates is most likely not the norm; however, it is undoubtedly an indication that duplicates happen often. The question then becomes, what are the consequences? It depends on the circumstances.
What Happens When There is a Vendor Management Service?
If a Vendor Management Service (VMS) is involved, there almost certainly won’t be much in the way of consequences. In case you’re unfamiliar, VMSs are essentially middle men between agencies and hospitals designed to streamline the process and help hospitals work with more agencies to fill their jobs. Estimates are that anywhere from 50-70 percent of hospitals use a VMS. You can discover more about them here.
VMSs have considerable incentives to get their clients’ jobs filled. The VMS isn’t going to reject a travel nurse just because multiple agencies submitted them. Instead, the VMS will ask the traveler which agency they want to work with and proceed from there. The VMS may even wait for the actual job offer before determining which agency the traveler prefers. The hospital will likely never know about the duplicate submission because the VMS has no reason to tell them.
What Happens When There Isn’t A VMS?
When there isn’t a VMS, the hospital works directly with agencies. As a result, the hospital will most likely recognize when multiple companies have submitted the same traveler. Different hospitals react in different ways.
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Some hospitals ask the traveler which agency the traveler wants to work with during the interview. They might not even mind if the traveler doesn’t know yet. As long as the hospital finds out shortly after they offer the job to the traveler, there won’t be a problem. Meanwhile, some hospitals maintain a strict policy requiring the traveler to work with the first agency to submit the traveler. Finally, others will remove the traveler from consideration altogether.
Why would hospitals care?
Why would hospitals care about which agency the traveler wants to work with? What does it matter as long as everything resolves favorably in the end? Most often, hospitals aren’t willing to take on any extra work whatsoever. Even the conversation to determine which agency the traveler wants to work for may be too much effort in the hospital’s eyes.
In other cases, hospitals may have some distorted notion that the traveler is up to something. I have no clue what the justification for this belief is. Nor do I understand why it would even matter. Moreover, duplicate submissions are more often the agencies’ fault. However, I’ve worked with hospital representatives who have expressed this concern, so it exists.
What Is The Impact On The Travel Nurse?
As you can see, duplicate submissions have many potential consequences. However, there are only two consequences that affect the travel nurse. The first is when hospitals or VMSs have a policy requiring the traveler to work with the first agency to submit the traveler for the position. In this case, the problem may be that the traveler does not want to work with this agency, and this agency might not have the best service or pay. Second, hospitals removing travel nurses from consideration when duplicates occur is definitely a negative for travel nurses.
The good news is that neither of these scenarios happens all that often, and I think it’s fair to say that they’re pretty rare. That said, you’ll undoubtedly hear many travelers tell stories of when someone removed from consideration for a job due to duplicate submissions.
I do not doubt that such removals occur. However, I also believe that the number is slightly exaggerated, not by the travelers, of course! But by their recruiters.
Many recruiters have told travelers that a hospital removed the traveler from consideration because of duplicates when that was not the case. Why would recruiters do this?! There are two reasons.
Why recruiters say this
First, some recruiters use this to explain why a traveler didn’t get a job. Recruiters often feel obligated to provide any answer as to why one of their clients didn’t get the job. If the recruiter finds out that multiple agencies submitted the traveler, this is an easy explanation to sell.
Second, in rare cases, recruiters use this as a scare tactic to get travelers to work exclusively with them. Recruiters always prefer to be the sole source for a traveler, ensuring that they’ll be the one to get the traveler on contract and that the recruiter’s hard work pays off. Of course, none of this justifies lying to the traveler about duplicate submissions.
The good news for travelers is that most experienced recruiters don’t pull these shenanigans. Instead, it’s the rookies and folks who will undoubtedly have a short-lived career as a recruiter due to their honesty issues who most often do this. The problem is that recruiting is a high-turnover job, and travel nurses may interact with some of these folks at some point in their job search. You can view this article for more ways that travel nursing recruiters betray the trust of travel nurses.
How Can Travel Nurses Prevent Duplicate Submissions?
Now, with all that said, we don’t want to minimize this issue. There is certainly a chance that duplicate submissions negatively impact travelers. So, what can you do to reduce the chances of duplicate submissions occurring?
1) Clarify The Rules With Your Travel Nursing Recruiter
First, make it very clear to all of the recruiters you work with that they must contact you before submitting your profile for any assignment unless you have given them prior authorization. (We’ll discuss prior authorization below.) Let them know that you work with other recruiters and want to avoid duplicate submissions. Tell them you’ll fire them if they don’t respect your request. And follow through with that threat if they run afoul of your rule.
2) Be Accessible For Travel Nursing Job Opportunities
Second, respond quickly regarding job opportunities, especially during active job searches. Recruiters are telling the truth when they say it’s imperative to get swiftly submitted. You don’t want to lose that edge. So, it’s critical to be responsive regarding job opportunities.
3) Research Travel Nursing Locations In Advance
Third, always perform research in advance whenever possible. For example, if you want to take an assignment in San Francisco, California, start talking with your recruiters in advance to lay the groundwork. You’ll want to know all the hospitals your recruiters can access in that market. Then, find out the pay rates each recruiter offers at the hospitals they work with.
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At that point, you could select one recruiter per hospital and give them the green light to submit your profile to a specific hospital should the ideal opportunity arise. This way, you can get your profile submitted quickly, and you stand a better chance of landing the job. The other recruiters don’t need to be informed because they should abide by your first rule – don’t submit without consent.
4) Get The Submission Details
Fourth, always request the name of the hospital before approving a submission. This way, you can ensure you don’t accidentally agree to be submitted a second time. Also, if you’re hearing about a hot job on the fly and want to shop around with all your recruiters to see who has the best rate or who might have an inside track on landing the job, then you’ll need the hospital name. This is perfectly acceptable. But remember, try to accomplish this quickly because the best jobs close quickly.
5) Keep Your Travel Nursing Recruiters Informed
Finally, let all your recruiters know when you get submitted for a job to ensure no mix-ups. This also has the added benefit of lighting a fire under their feet to find you a job!
By taking these steps, travel nurses should be able to realize all the advantages of working with multiple agencies while avoiding the pitfall of getting submitted by numerous agencies for the same job. As always, we hope you find this information helpful!
