My little government rant/rebellion.....

As we go into a brand new year, the uncertainty created by our dysfunctional government folds over into both our personal and professional lives.  Few of us enjoy this feeling of unpredictability and ambiguity that seems to be prevalent for too many situations in our country.

I, as so many of you will too, plan to forge ahead and make whatever adjustments that are necessary  to bring myself closer to a state of homeostasis.  So, personally, I  am taking a few painful steps to combat our almost certain dive over the "fiscal cliff".  I am finally cancelling my land line phone (cell phone service inside my house is iffy at best) and am cancelling my TV service as well.  It doesn't sound like a lot, but those two services cost me over $1200 per year, and about $120 of that is for taxes....just my own little personal observance and maybe a little rebellion towards the government....$120 less they'll get from me next year!  ;-}

Now, both of those cancellations will eliminate a convenience for me, but neither will create a hardship in my life.  Unfortunately, our government seems to be holding on to too many conveniences (their salaries and perks, to mention just a couple) and eliminating portions of our law that will create hardships for those dealing with children with disabilities.  

I know this is a little "off" the direction that I usually intend for my blog, but I wanted to initiate a conversation with any of you who have ideas on how we as individuals can take small steps (or big ones) to solve (or at least better cope with) some of the problems that our government creates with its "mandates".  As so often happens when the powers that be aren't out there in the battlefield, they don't figure out how to make the mandates work, either financially or practically; they just order that it be done. 

Anyone who has suggestions for me, as a recruiter,  please send me your thoughts!   I talk to hundreds of people in the field of special education each month, and hope that I am in a position to do something to make a difference; maybe not, but I'd like to!

School-based jobs for the upcoming new year

You would think that most school districts have settled in with their staff of therapists in place for the full 2012-2013 school year.  Well, it that isn't the reality for many districts across the country.  It seems that many people look to make changes at the end of a year, so they leave to take another position, to have a baby or to follow a husband who has been transferred.  There are countless other reasons our job pool explodes right after Thanksgiving, but these are the ones we see most often.

Here is just a smattering of some locations we have available to start in January, 2013:

SLP's:  Chicago, IL; Los Angeles area, CA; Modesto, CA; Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX; Atlanta, GA

OT's:    Chicago, IL; San Antonio, TX (peds clinic); Dallas, TX; Anchorage, AK, Northeast, AR

When I left the office yesterday afternoon, there were over 300 jobs on our active list...just in schools.  Our therapy department also has positions open in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and in clinics nationwide.

If you are looking to make a change, just starting your career or are considering a travel assignment, get in touch with me at 866-874-7390 and I'll be glad to give you a real view of what is out there for the first of the year.

Hurricane Sandy and possible help

As I've watched the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in the northeast, I wonder what someone way down here in Georgia can do to help.  I'm safe, warm, with power, an intact home, a car, water and easy access to gasoline.  Of course, contributing to the Red Cross and other relief organizations is always a way to help, but thinking about how my company operates may offer a temporary solution to a few folks up there who are able to leave for a short time while everything is still in a state of demolition.  Of course, most with families need to remain with their loved ones through the next few weeks, months (or whatever it may take),  but there may be some who are able to travel to another location to work, get a paycheck and have housing provided while the clean up and rebuilding begins. 

If you know anyone who might be a healthcare professional - therapist, nurse, doctor, psychologist, etc - they might consider taking a "travel-type" job while they are getting their lives back together or are possibly even homeless.

We may be able to find them a short term job (13-20 weeks) in a location not too far from their home state and provide housing (or tax-free monies to find something themselves) while they are trying to get their lives and the lives of their family back in order.  I haven't heard yet about state boards expediting the licensure process (like some did during the Katrina disaster), but we could certainly petition for such!

There are always jobs nationwide for nurses, and the schools are still crying for therapists, psychologists, teachers of the visually impaired, and deaf educators to help them for the 2012-2013 school year.

Contact me at 866-874-7390 if you might be interested or if you know anyone who might be qualified that maybe we could help!

The "dark" side of taking a "travel" assignment

The advantages of taking a "travel" assignment can look very appealing; a great pay package with a tax-free component, your expenses to travel to the job are mostly paid for, your state license cost is reimbursed,  you get to experience a new area of the country, meet new people and build your resume.

However, in this post, I want to talk about the down sides of working as a "travel therapist".  As a recruiter, I am vicariously traveling with you and experiencing some of the pitfalls with you.  For those of you who think it will be adventuresome and exotic, you aren't entirely wrong.  However, below is a list of things I have seen in "traveling gone wrong":

*  You travel across country for an assignment only to have the client cancel your contract with only a 30 day notice.

*  You leave for your 500 mile+ trip before you have your state license in hand and can't start making money (or get reimbursed for travel expenses) until your state license is issued.

*  You arrive to what looked like a luxury apartment complex on line only to find that it is run down, has plumbing issues, the neighbors play loud music all night and your car is vandalized on your second night there.

*  You take a school contract and discover that your caseload has 30 more students on it than you were told about in your phone interview.

*  Your co-workers treat you as if you are an intrusion and your promised caseload is suddenly switched on you and you feel like "this just isn't what you signed up for".

Is there a solution to any or all of these issues?  Sometimes, yes.  Your first step is to make your recruiter aware that there is a problem.  Don't try to muddle through it until you are so frustrated that you just want to walk out.  We can take steps to assist you by contacting the client, or finding another place for you to live or sometimes just helping you walk through steps that can help you fix it on your own.

Not everything has a solution, though, and you should be mindful that there are places that don't appreciate that you are there to be an extra hand and to help ease their load.  Contractors often aren't afforded the same treatment as someone who is a permanent employee who has made a long term commitment to the client.  They expect to have preference over someone who "just drops in for a while".  So, when you are told that you are losing part of your caseload to take on one that a permanent employee doesn't want, you are expected to be flexible and "roll with the punches".  Also remember that you are often making more money than that permanent employee.

So, having said all that, I find that most travelers are happy with their assignment, but it takes a certain type of flexibility and a personality that can make a switch if needed and can "hit the ground running". 

Special Services jobs in schools nationwide

My last post indicated that we were "fattening up" our schools division by creating a new department to handle positions such as Sign Language Interpreters (SLI), Teachers of Visually Impaired (TVI), Orientation and Mobility Specialists (OMS), Deaf Educators (DHH) and School Pyschologists.

I'm happy to report that the department has started the year with a bang, and the jobs are pouring in.  This will now allow these specialists to work as "travelers" http://www.specialeddishin.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-is-traveler.html as do therapists and nurses around the country. 

If you have the credentials to work as any of the above, please take a look at our current list of openings and give me a call at 866-874-7390 or if you know someone who might be interested, please pass me along!  Hope everyone is finding a way to stay cool in the hot, hot summer!

TVI             Denver, CO
TVI             South GA        
TVI/SLI      Wichita, KS
DHH           Berksire, MA (part time)
SLI              near WI border
TVI/OMS   coastal NC
DHH/SLI    northern, NE
TVI/OMS   Santa Fe, NM
DHH           Tacoma, WA

Special Services Professionals

Most of the work that comes through my office has been for contract therapists, Occupational, Physical and Speech.  We've discovered over the past few years that there are so many other facets to a Special Ed Department that we are creating an entire new division to seek out those types of positions and place those professionals as contractors.

We have been dipping into this aspect of staffing for quite some time.  We have placed sign language interpreters, educational diagnosticians, school psychologists, deaf educators, ABA specialists and VI & OM professionals and all kinds of other "acronym'ed" specialties all across the country.  It seems that there are so many different experts in these arenas that we have put together a team to study and research the different degrees, certifications and state licensures required, and to start calling into the Special Services departments of schools to ask about what vacancies they may have for the upcoming school year.

If you are a special services professional or if you know someone who may be looking for work or looking to make a change, please pass along my number.  Perhaps I can assist in their search for employment and learn a new aspect of special education.  The number to my desk is 866-874-7390.

Summer/Fall jobs and "dancing in the Twilight Zone"

Many of you are asking about work for the upcoming school year and for the summer. This time of year is a recruiter's "Twilight Zone".  The schools are working on budgets, waiting to see who will turn in a resignation and who will return next year, trying to find district hires and trying like the dickens not to use a contract service!  We see this happen every year; and typically, if you are already working in a school system and are interested in returning as a contractor, you will usually be asked to return, but they won't commit until nearer to the end of the school year, and sometimes not even until close to the start of the new year.

New grads are especially anxious and, unfortunately, the story for you is similar to the one above.  We do get, and already have, some positions for the upcoming school year, but limitations for your placement will also add the need for a supervisor if you are an SLP, so sometimes our first orders will be for SLP/ccc.  New grad OT's don't have the issue of a required supervisor, but are usually more comfortable in a situation where there is team  with which to collaborate.  Most of the positions that are already in for schools are either in very large districts that can anticipate their upcoming needs or in those "out of the way" locations that always have trouble finding help. 

I addressed the "SLP grads looking for work in a medical setting" issue and how difficult that can be through a contract service in: http://specialeddishin.blogspot.com/2011/01/speech-language-pathology-as-career.html

For those of you who ARE interested in a medical setting, I need to let you know how that "dance" works.  Most skilled nursing facilities, hospitals and clinics submit their needs to several contract services (and by "several" I mean over 100...really), and whichever service finds the "right fit" first wins!  Most of these facilities do not want to consider a candidate any more than a month away from their start date.  So, if your last day of work is mid-June, they will not want to see your resume until mid-May.  An "already licensed in that state" status would put you ahead of the line.

Summer work is rare for SLP's...maybe a little more abundant for OT's. Your flexibility in settings, locations and times opens more windows of opportunity than someone who is available for only 6 weeks, only in an outpatient setting and only 10 miles from their home....;-}!  And, think about it; the SLP's working in schools are all cut loose about the same time looking for summer work.  Make sense?  And then, of course, if you're interested in moving to another state for a position, licensure is always an issue.  We'll help you with that if we can, and as always, will reimburse you for that expense if you take a placement through our service in that state.

I hope this wasn't all-bad-news-all-the-time, but just want to give you an honest view from what I see from my side of the desk!  Anyway, feel free to call me (866-874-7390) with your requests, concerns or questions and I will address them as well as I am able.

Hope you are all looking forward to the end of the school year or your upcoming graduation and that it isn't too crazy for you!