FAQS

Information to Empower Your Job Search

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At American Medical Staffing, we’re all about transparency. Before you ever accept a position or set foot in a facility, we want you to feel like you have the information you need to be successful. Below are the most common questions we get asked by healthcare professionals. And, you can always follow-up with a recruiter 24/7 for no-pressure, no obligation advice if you have other inquiries.

General FAQS

Contract and travel assignments are typically three months, full time, and can be extended in three-month increments. Education assignments are generally for the duration of the entire school year.  Each assignment has its own pay package based on the terms of the assignment. You can request time off in advance of your assignment starting. There is a formal interview process for any contract or travel assignment, where we present your information to the facility and a representative from the facility will interview you if interested (we present your resume, references, and a skills checklist).

Once a phone or in-person interview is successfully completed, a formal offer will be presented. If you accept, we begin your HR file and finalize your start date (based on when you are available to start, the dates when orientation is offered, and when your onboarding documents are complete). Once the facility approves your credentials, your first-day reporting instructions and orientation schedule will be given to you, and you are all set to start. We check in with you regularly to ensure you’re having a successful assignment, and about halfway through, we can start to secure an extension for you if you want to stay. If not, we will start to line up your next assignment, with plenty of time to do so, ensuring you don’t have any downtime in between assignments. Of course, if you do want to take some time off, doing so in between assignments is always an option.

Contract and travel assignments are typically three months in length, full time, and can be extended in three-month increments. Education assignments are generally for the duration of the entire school year.

We have a variety of per diem assignments available and will review these with you prior to you joining the team. As long as we have available needs you are interested in and eligible to help with, we will welcome you to our team and begin the onboarding process. Once you are cleared by our credentialing team and at least one facility where you want to work, you’ll be added to our active per diem roster and can begin to schedule shifts. You do have to be cleared at each facility where you want to work, and we will continue to work on getting you cleared with as many places as you would like so you have plenty of options. You have total flexibility in where you work, though some facilities require a minimum commitment for how often you pick up time to clear you. Orientation and pay vary by facility, and we will review all of that information in advance with you.

An important note about per diem assignments is facilities can cancel your assignments. It’s important to be cleared at several facilities so we can rebook you if you are canceled.

Per diem means “per day,” and these assignments can vary in length. Once you’ve been cleared by our credentialing team and a facility where you want to work, you’ll be added to our active per diem roster. As you get cleared at additional workplaces, you can pick up hours at each as you see fit.

If you are considering leaving your staff job to come on board, we are delighted to answer any questions you have. We recognize that this is a big decision, and you’ll need a lot of information to know which options are best for you. You never have to leave your staff job before we secure you an assignment, and it’s often a good idea to stay in a low-commitment PRN capacity so you can keep your foot in the door.  We recognize that you’ve established strong relationships and familiarity at your staff home and encourage you to keep that connection through a PRN option that you can work around your schedule with AMS. 

Once we have answered all of your questions, arranged some interviews, and you’ve accepted your first assignment with us, you can then give notice at your staff job (to leave or reduce your status from full time to PRN). If you need to provide more than two weeks’ notice, please make sure your recruiting manager knows so they can arrange your start date accordingly. Assignments typically start 2 to 4 weeks from the date they are accepted, so it’s not an issue to wait to provide two weeks’ notice until you’ve accepted an assignment. In those 2 to 4 weeks, you’ll complete your hiring process with our HR team, the facility credentialing department will review and clear your HR file, and the facility education department will arrange all of your orientation.

We’ll walk you through every step of the process and make sure you have an extraordinary experience leading up to your first day. We will check in regularly once you’ve started your assignment to make sure everything is going well. Your recruiting manager and our CNO are always available to support you through any challenges you may face and ensure you’re having a successful assignment.

As AMS works to create an extraordinary experience for each healthcare professional, it is our goal to be your preferred employer, and we hope that you will want to stay with us forever. That said, we 100% respect your decision and support your conversion to staff anywhere we place you. Please keep us informed if you wish to convert to staff somewhere that you are working through AMS so we can coordinate with the facility. It is important to understand that our staffing agreements with our clients do include language about hiring our staff. By keeping AMS in the loop, we are able to help coordinate your transition. We will confirm that all client requirements are satisfied and partner with you and our client for a smooth transition to client staff.

A recruiter can outline what documents are needed to arrange an interview (resume, references, and a skills checklist). As soon as we have these items, we can arrange interviews for you with as many facilities as you wish. Interviews are based largely on clinical managers’ availability, and we partner with our facilities to ensure we get your feedback and secure your interview as quickly as possible. Once you interview, a formal offer will typically follow within a few hours if the facility wants to move forward.

Most assignments begin 2-4 weeks from the date you accept, based on your hiring and credentialing being completed, as well as the facility education department’s availability to host your orientation. For some assignments, especially those not in hospitals, orientation can be more flexible, and you can start as soon as you’ve completed the hiring and credentialing process.

The typical requirements are a current resume, recent references, and a skills checklist.

We check in with you regularly during your assignments to make sure everything is going well and discuss if you want to stay at the facility beyond your current assignment or if you’d prefer to try another facility. About 6 weeks from your end date in a hospital, if you want to stay, we will work with the facility to confirm an extension to the current assignment. If you don’t want to stay, or if the facility can’t offer an extension (typically because of budget or a staff member returning), we’ll have over a month to arrange your next assignment and can start reviewing options with you immediately.    For professionals in the education system, we can seek to renew your contract for the following school year at the end of the current school year you are working.

Yes! Agency clinicians and educators are empowered to take their assignment through the agency of their choice. If you are unhappy with your agency for any reason or would rather be an AMS employee, we can inform the hospital or client, or school and facilitate your extension to go through AMS.

Payment FAQS

The federal government outlines the criteria you must meet to be compensated as a “traveler,” (i.e., receive a daily meal and lodging allowance). In order to be eligible, you must duplicate living expenses during your assignment with AMS. Based on government guidelines, we calculate your meal and lodging allowance by determining the number of days per week you duplicate living expenses and the location of your temporary work assignment. Here is a link to the government website that outlines these rates: www.gsa.gov

Pay packages vary by assignment and are based on your individual needs. We will customize your package based on what is most important to you: hourly pay, bonus, reimbursements, meal and lodging allowance, etc. Rates can vary based on the severity of the need, and we regularly receive critical need rates. You will be able to work with your recruiting manager to make sure we’re finding the right assignment for you, including the pay package that you need. Before we present you as a candidate for an interview, you’ll be able to review the pay package for that assignment and ask any questions you may have about the assignment details.

Compensation varies by facility and unit, and you will know your compensation package (both hourly pay rate and MLA) prior to AMS presenting you as a candidate for any assignment. Note that AMS has the flexibility to adjust your hourly pay rate and MLA (within IRS guidelines) to come up with a customized package that works for you.

AMS pays you weekly. Every facility has its own method of tracking your time, and you’ll have that information before you start working. You’ll need to tell us your schedule and send in your time statements in accordance with the facility’s policies.

Pay packages vary by assignment and are based on the individual. We can customize your package based on what’s important to you: hourly pay, bonuses, reimbursements, meal and lodging allowance, etc. You’ll work closely with your recruiting manager to make sure you find the pay package that you need.

We recommend comparing gross pay packages across agencies, as tax exemptions and benefits costs can vary greatly. There are online tools you can use to estimate your “take-home pay” based on your specific tax exemptions and deductions.

Every facility has its own way of tracking your time, and you will have that information in detail before you start. We also provide you with ample reminders to ensure accurate payroll. Once you receive your schedule from your facility, send it to your recruiting manager or scheduling coordinator so that we know when you are working and can make sure you are always paid accurately and on time. Please help us help you: Tell us your schedule and send in your time statements in accordance with that facility’s policies. If we have your schedule but don’t receive your time statement, we’ll give you a courtesy call to remind you to send it in.

Every assignment is different, but you typically have 40+ hours of orientation for contract assignments (general hospital, EMR documentation, and unit specific). All contract orientation is paid at the same rate as your clinical shifts. Per diem orientation varies by facility, including duration and pay rate.

Benefits & Travel FAQS

We offer benefits on the first day, including medical, dental, vision, and supplemental benefits. 401(k) benefits are available after 90 days of employment to eligible employees.

Currently, American Medical Staffing does not provide sponsorship via H1B, or any other Visa class. Most assignments require at least two years of related healthcare experience working in the United States.

The federal government outlines the criteria you must meet in order to be compensated as a “traveler” (i.e., receive a daily meal and lodging allowance [MLA]). In order to be eligible, you must duplicate living expenses during your assignment with AMS.

You are eligible for up to one year without changing your temporary tax home (defined as the entire city or general area where your work is located). Once you change temporary living locations to a different tax home, the one year resets.

Based on government guidelines, we calculate your MLA by determining the number of days per week you duplicate living expenses and the location of your temporary work assignment. Here is a link to the government website that outlines these rates: www.gsa.gov

We can recommend and help facilitate housing options on your behalf. Most travelers find the best fit for housing when they secure it directly, including deciding personal trade-offs that enable them to maximize their take home pay. We can also offer assistance for travel relocation or other arrangements—just ask your recruiting manager.

Prior to starting your assignment, you will sign a Staffing Agreement (which outlines all of the parameters of your assignment, including compensation) and a Declaration of Permanent Tax Home. We also provide you with a Tax Home Determination Worksheet to help you determine if you meet the IRS criteria to be compensated as a “traveler” if you are not sure.

Licensure/Continuing Education FAQS

Click here for specific licensure information.

Absolutely, and remember we pay OT at 1.5x our standard rates for any hours over 40.

Advancing your clinical skills is definitely an option, typically within your specialty and occasionally in a new specialty. If there is similarity between the units, it is more likely; for example, an ICU nurse cross-training to the PACU. If you have done a fantastic job in your current unit, and they no longer need you, but another unit does, the other unit may very well consider training you. Managers love to get feedback from other managers in the same facility and doing an exceptional job may open doors that would otherwise not be available to you. 

If you would like to have certification or education training reimbursed, we are happy to include this in your pay package. Just let your recruiting manager know in advance if you will need any items coming up, and we can make sure they are included in your package. 

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