Now that you’ve found AB Staffing and are working with our recruiters to secure your next contract, it is important to have your documents at your fingertips for the next step, the credentialing process.
The credentialing process is a system by which we, as your travel nurse agency, ensure you have the proper qualifications, licenses, and skills to provide care to patients. This happens after you have secured a contract. Working with our credentialing department specialists, they will guide you through the process and requirements for the specific location where you will be working.
Why is the Credentialing Process Important?
The process is important for the healthcare facilities in which you work to know without question we are sending qualified personnel to care for their patients. This includes meeting the required job qualifications, obtaining current licensure, and having the skills to provide safe and competent care. As an agency, our credentialing department has processes in place to contact providers like yourselves and gather your most current information.
Expectations for the Credentialing Process
Once you’ve secured a contract, our team will guide you through the credentialing process. At AB Staffing, we send a welcome email with a list of everything that we need to verify your credentials and get you hired including:
- Employee Agreement
- Tax Forms
- Emergency Contact form
- Direct Deposit form
- Affirmative Action form
- Employee Handbook
- State specific documents
- 401K and benefits information
- I-9 form.
Specific to the credentialing process, we request:
- Verification of Licensure and Certifications. We will verify the travel nurse’s active and unrestricted nursing license in the state where they intend to work.
- Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and other required certifications.
- Criminal Background Check: A thorough criminal background check is conducted and includes county and national criminal searches.
- Skills Assessment and Testing, including job specific questions, and the other two tests are Joint Commission required and include questions related to emergency preparedness, blood spills, etc.
- Health Screening including a physical within the last year, TB within one year, and Hepatitis B vaccination.
- Drug Screenings are conducted to ensure that travel nurses are not using illegal substances or prescription medications that could impair their ability to provide safe patient care.
- TWO References are required within two years that are equal to or higher in education than yours.
- Credential Verification where we verify your employment history, including past positions, job responsibilities, and reasons for leaving previous jobs.
- Any additional state or facility requirements may be necessary.
AB Staffing Credentialing Process
In terms of references, we recommend letting your contacts know that we will be reaching out to them. It may be helpful to provide a job description or other pertinent information to them, so they aren’t surprised when they receive a call.
Our credentialing department also recommends that you keep your documents updated and organized as you move through the process throughout the year. If you take a new placement every couple of months, you will go through the credentialing process as many as four times per year. It’s easier if you can keep as much at hand digitally as possible, including an updated resume.
It usually takes us an average of 10 days to credential a provider, but we can do it as quickly as three or take as long as 21 days (industry standard) depending on the circumstances.
If you’re ready to get started as a travel medical professional, check out the AB Staffing Job Board and give us a call. We’re ready to guide you through the hiring and credentialing process.
