Let’s take a high-level view into the world of a Corporate Traveling Histologist, the New Kid on the Block.
The History
The 1980s ushered in a persistent Histologist shortage in the histology industry. The ease in finding a job during this shortage allowed Histologists from the northern states to spend their winters in warmer climates. Hospitals and labs in Florida and California were desperate to hire per diem and temporary workers to handle the seasonal influx of the Florida snowbirds, and the irregular influx of the California movie industry. The travel Histology industry was modeled after the travel nursing industry in the way the third-party contracts are drafted. A Corporate Traveling Histologist is a new kind of model. A more modern approach to today’s histology shortage.
The Agency Traveler
The shortages we are seeing in Histology are inclusive. They include histotechnicians, Histotechnologists, Histology technicians or any other name your institution decides to call you. When a healthcare institution (a third party) needs a healthcare specialist (the principal) like a Histology specialist, they hire indirectly through the agency and are hired as a temporary contract worker. This practice evolved in order to relieve some of the pressures placed on the third parties’ human resources department. The agent (sometimes called recruiter) is the person employed to find work for you in a histology lab and to represent you in the initial interactions with the healthcare institution. There is always a contract when working through an agency. It will serve you well to know a little bit of contract law to be sure the agent and his firm refrain from taking advantage of you. Remember, the relationship with your agent should be symbiotic and cohesive. The agency exists only to gain revenue from your talent. They are simply the go between who sells your services for a fee to the healthcare institution in need. An agency traveling Histologist works with the agency and works as a temporary employee for the third party via contract. The Histologists’ paycheck comes from the agency and not the third party. The third party pays the agency, the agency takes their cut and then the agency finally pays you. The pay structure is called a pay package, and is much more than a pay check. The agency traveler will have employment details and pay package information documented in a binding contract. This contract must be signed prior to the start of the assignment. The agency traveler must agree to the assignment and frequently has choices. The length of contract can vary but is typically 13 weeks. Contracts are often extended if the healthcare institution still has a need, if they are happy with your services and you have a desire to stay. Components of the pay package include the taxable hourly rate, the non-taxable lodging per diems, the non-taxable meals and incidentals (M&I), and the overtime rate. The contract will occasionally include any allowances for rental car, any allowances for personal use of car and mileage, any negotiated time off, any round-trip airfare and anything else that is agreed upon. Any benefits like medical and dental insurance, tuition reimbursement, uniform allowances, 401K match etc. will come from the agency.
The Corporate Traveler
A Corporate traveling Histologist, is a business strategy also created to address the shortages in Histology labs. Instead of getting a temporary specialist from an agency, corporations are now hiring their own travelers directly and permanently. No more middle man. No more contracts. The travelers enjoy a full benefits package equal to all other permanent employees. A Corporate Traveling Histologist is hired by the corporation with the sole purpose of sending them out to a variety of labs that fall under their corporate umbrella. Thus, any travel done on behalf of your company, is Corporate Travel. This business model is not for small corporations. This model is reserved for corporations who hold a large market share of laboratory services and therefore need a large share of Histologists. So coins the new job title-Corporate Traveling Histologist.
There you have it, a bird’s eye view of the differences between the traveling agency Histologist and the traveling corporate Histologist. I have given you a glimpse into the background of two different models of a traveling Histologist. Come back again for another segment as we journey through the life of a Traveling Histotechnologist.