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Get Certified
Laboratorians are highly trained, licensed professionals. To become a lab traveler, you must first become either a Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) or a Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS). To become a certified MLT you need at least a two year degree and to complete a nationally approved MLT program and certification test. Similarly, Medical laboratory scientists are required to complete a four year degree including a nationally approved MLS program and certification test. Most med techs are accredited through a national association like ASCP or AMT. Then depending on the state you work in, there may be additional state licensure requirements for employment. This information is best explained in on ASCLS.
Gain Experience
Once certified, it is highly recommended to work in a laboratory for a minimum of two years to gain experience prior to starting your traveling career. This is a great time to expand your knowledge and hone your skills as a new med tech. It is beneficial to work in a generalist setting (Hematology, Chemistry, Urinalysis, and Blood Bank). If you can gain experience in Microbiology, that is a bonus, but not a major requirement to become a traveler. Being a generalist increases your marketability and improves the odds of finding jobs consistently.
Most hospitals want travelers to be proficient in hematology, urinalysis and chemistry. The majority of the hospital’s sample volume flows through these departments. As a traveler, you will likely be trained in one or more of these departments. If you have experience in higher complexity areas such as Blood bank, Microbiology, or Molecular biology; this can open more doors for you when specialist contracts come available. Once you have a couple years of laboratory work experience under your belt, you are ready to set off on your traveling adventures.
Contact an Agency
Before leaving your current facility, reach out to a few medical staffing agencies. There are many agencies to choose from. Some of the more popular ones are: Fusion LRS and AYA healthcare.
Before contacting any of them, remember that they will be competing for your business. You may continue to receive calls from them regarding open positions even if you decide to work with someone else. Find three or four companies that have good reviews with a strong reputation and apply online.
A recruiter should contact you shortly to get an idea of where you are in your travel career. They may ask you to submit a resume and complete an online skills assessment so they can build your profile with the company. This is a necessary step before you can start submitting to contracts.
Finding a recruiter
Most agencies offer comparable benefits and have a lot of the same jobs available. The most important aspect in choosing a company to work with is finding a recruiter that understands your needs as a traveler. When you first talk with your recruiter, be honest about why you want to travel. Let them know your goals, preferences and needs. If you want the highest paying contract, no matter the location, tell them. If you want to be close to family in another state, tell them. If you would rather not work night shift or do phlebotomy, tell them. Being upfront with your recruiter will help you develop an honest relationship and will benefit you both when submitting to a contract and working together. Finding a good recruiter will make your travel career remarkably better.
Submit to contracts
Once the agency has completed your profile, the fun begins! Your recruiter will now start to search for contracts that fit your needs. This may take anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. During this time, your recruiter will contact you with prospective jobs. Usually it will be a quick description of the location, shift, and pay. For example:
San Diego, CA: 4-10s evening shift, $2636/week
or
Orlando, FL: 5-8s day shift, $2521/week.
Your recruiter may keep it vague and throw a few different contracts your way just to see what you’re interested in. It’s okay to get excited at all the potential places you could be venturing off to very soon! If the contract is appealing to you, have your recruiter submit your profile to the facility. It may take a few weeks to find something that fits perfectly. If you are limited to a specific location, shift, or department; this process can take longer.
After you submit to a facility, the laboratory manager now has access to your resume, skills checklist, and contact info. You may receive a phone call interview later that day or not at all. This is why it is important to submit to multiple contracts at the same time to improve your chances of getting an interview. It is crucial to note that if you are working with a few travel agencies, you can ONLY submit to a facility with one agency. It is considered taboo and unprofessional to have two different agencies submit you to the same hospital. Make sure you compare every aspect of the pay package from each agency before you decide which company you want to submit you to the facility.
Land the job
If a manager or supervisor reviews your resume and is interested in having you come work at their facility, you will be contacted for a phone interview. This is a great time to have a comprehensive list of questions for the manager. This interview is usually very relaxed and a great chance to get an idea of what the next three months may look like.
After the interview, it is a good idea to contact your recruiter to let them know how the interview went. This gives the agency a chance to contact the facility to expedite a decision while you are still fresh on their mind. Usually within the next day or two, your recruiter will let you know if you got the contract.
Most of the agencies will send you a link to an online platform to sign the document. Give the contract a good review to make sure that the start date, pay package, shift, and time off requests are what was agreed upon. This contract can be useful to help settle a dispute if there is a misunderstanding during your time at the facility. Now is a great time to make a checklist of things to do before you sign your contract.
Complete the Onboarding Process
Shortly after your contract is signed, you will be contacted to complete on-boarding paperwork and tasks with the agency’s compliance department. Your compliance coordinator will usually ask for your current zip code, so they can locate the nearest occupational health facility for you to complete your pre-employment health screening. This usually includes:
N95 fit test
drug screen
vaccination history and antibody vaccines/titers
non-DOT physical
Once the contract is signed and compliance finished, you are officially ready to go! With your housing secured for the next 13 weeks, now is a great time to tie up loose ends at home or your current location, prepare the route you are going to take and get ready for a new adventure.
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