Proper onboarding and honesty from recruiters are among the things travel healthcare workers like to see, according to a panel discussion Tuesday at Staffing Industry Analysts’ Healthcare Staffing Summit in Dallas.

The panel of four healthcare travelers was moderated by Subadhra Sriram, editor and publisher of media products at SIA. It covered the challenges and benefits of being a traveler and what the panelists like when working with a staffing firm.

“I’ve been traveling for a long time, so there are not many things that rattle me,” said Phil Light, a registered nurse who has been traveling for a number of years. However, one concern he has is training on electronic medical records systems. Light said he must learn a new system every few months, and more training would be helpful.

Registered nurse Monique Doughty also cited training as something that could be improved. Doughty said she knows how to be a nurse in any setting, but more training on items specific to each site, such as where things are located, is helpful.

Staying in contact with her recruiter was also important, Doughty said. “A big thing for me is not being able to get in touch with my recruiter.”

Panelists disagreed about how often they liked to be contacted, however with some preferring less contact. But text messages seemed to be preferred over phone calls.

Doughty also said recruiters need to be honest.

The travelers also preferred human interaction when asked about the possibility of mobile apps taking over the job of recruiter.

Occupational therapist Laura Latimer, also founder of Nomadicare, talked about the importance of having a human connection with recruiters, listening to the travelers and hearing their stories.

Registered nurse Connie Ness said finding a facility that will work for her family and career is also a challenge.

Several of the travelers also said they were loyal to their recruiters, not necessarily to the agencies.

Other concerns: Light said he is in his 60s and is starting to run into a bit of ageism, including the need to prove himself to staff in their 20s.

Doughty also cited occasional pushback from staff when coming into new assignments. “’You people get paid so much, you need to figure it out,’” was the attitude of some, she said.