Although each contract is just temporary, the reason that the facility needs staff my be indeed just a short term need OR it might be more of an ongoing, long-term challenge .
SHORT-TERM NEEDS:
For example, they may only need someone short term if the facility is be understaffed due to maternity, medical, or military leave- assuming those staff member will be returning, eventually.
Also, if there is a seasonal fluctuation in the census, the facility might not need the therapists ALL year round, but just for busy months. For example:Â In Naples, FL the population doubles in the winter months, therefore requiring short- term staff from January to May, every year. I was fortunate enough to fill the need at a beautiful outpt. facility for 2 winters.
Transition from one type of documentation system to another can be detrimental to a clinic’s productivity, so some facilities hire temp staff to help with the transition while their perm staff learns the new system, offloading the productivity requirements while they learn the new system and making the transition easier. I’ve assisted in this on 2 different occasions for this reason, once with a paper to electronic medical records (EMR) transition and the other changing between two different EMRs.
LONG-TERM NEEDS:
Or maybe they have a need for a therapists for a longer term, but cannot find the right fit for a perm therapist fast enough. These types of positions account for 80% of the travel jobs available. That is, they are seeking perm staff. But they are just unable to find permanent staff or are lacking therapists in the area. But in this case, this is more of a long-term need. Perhaps an employee resigns or retires and they need to replace them, or maybe it is a more rural area, OR maybe the company is growing, which is a good thing.
