Ready, Set, GO! Integrating Traveling Lab Professionals with Ease

Hiring a traveling laboratory professional is a smart way to maintain patient care and keep your laboratory’s workflows on track during staffing gaps, increased testing demands, or temporary leaves. When done right, bringing in a traveler not only fills an immediate need, but also offers fresh perspectives and enhances your laboratory’s flexibility.  

However, successfully integrating a temporary hire involves more than just creating clear protocols and safety guidelines. Though they may only be with you for a short time, the traveling laboratory professional also needs to become a real part of your team to contribute meaningfully.  

Here’s a look at best practices to follow and pitfalls to avoid when integrating a traveling laboratory professional into your laboratory team. 

Travelers can be critical to filling staffing gaps and maintaining workflows 

Walter Oliveira, MASCP, MLS(ASCP)^CMSI, laboratory manager at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia, has brought in traveling laboratory professionals several times to help during workforce shortages. He says travelers are best utilized as temporary solutions during emergencies until a more permanent solution can be found. But sometimes, laboratories might need to hire travelers more frequently if they have shifts that are tough to fill or if they’re in a part of the country where it’s difficult to find new permanent employees.  

Mr. Oliveira began hiring travelers during the pandemic, when staff members were retiring, job demands were increasing, and it was tougher to find replacements.  

“We were left with holes in a lot of places and needed a way to get people in to care for our patients as best we could,” he says.   

To find the right candidates, Mr. Oliveira worked closely with his HR department, who sourced applicants from reputable staffing agencies.  

“I looked for someone who might be a good fit based on their skill set and then did a phone interview,” he says. “I’d explain exactly what we were looking for, so they went into the situation eyes wide open.”   

Most travelers work on three-month contracts that can be renewed twice. One of Mr. Oliveira’s hires stayed for the full nine months.   

“What I think really made the difference is they weren’t afraid to ask questions,” he says. “You learn by asking questions.”  

Workplace culture can make or break a traveler’s experience 

While finding someone with the right technical skills is important, their success on the job often comes down to something less tangible: the working environment.   

Alex White, MLS (ASCP)^CM, has been working as a traveling laboratory professional for more than two years. She says the success of any assignment hinges largely on the workplace culture.   

“The best assignment and the worst one all depended on the work culture and environment created by the coworkers,” Ms. White says. “Having passionate and caring people holding management positions also helps.”   

Mr. Oliveira agrees. He believes a supportive culture starts with making sure travelers feel safe to speak up.  

“Focus on valuing the individual: that they’re seen, heard, and have freedom to ask questions,” he says. “Even if they make a mistake, treat it as a learning opportunity.”  

At the heart of it all is a shared commitment to the patients.  

“What we’re doing is healing patients and that’s paramount,” he says. “I make sure they know that what they do matters.”   

How to set traveling professionals up for success  

Creating a supportive culture is essential, but travelers also need practical tools and guidance to thrive from day one. Assigning a mentor or point person can go a long way in helping them settle in quickly. 

“Having a go-to person in a new facility who can ease the transition is wonderful,” Ms. White says. “At places that don’t have a point person, there’s typically a lot of running around and asking the same question to different people but not getting an answer. That time could be used more effectively in helping the laboratory workload.”   

Another key to successfully onboarding travelers is identifying where the traveler can integrate the fastest and providing targeted training to get them up to speed.  

“Assess your operations to know which area you can train them on the quickest, particularly an automated system, so you can get an individual up and running as soon as possible,” Mr. Oliveira says. “And when they become comfortable in that activity, think about what else you can add to their plate, so they have two skills or two bench areas.”    

Foster a sense of belonging for both travelers and your core team   

Even though traveling laboratory professionals are temporary, it’s important to foster a sense of teamwork and inclusion from the start. That begins with making sure your full-time staff feels valued, not replaced or overlooked.  

“The traveler is meant to be a Band-Aid to get us through a tougher period, but we have to make sure our team still knows their worth,” Mr. Oliveira says.   

This can be especially tricky if a traveler with less experience is earning more than long-time employees. In those case, Mr. Oliveira recommends addressing the issue directly and with transparency.  

He says that when he brought on travelers, he said to his staff: “I hear and see how much you’re giving, and I’m concerned about you. Here’s an option for just a season, to give us a bit of breathing room and allow you to not work 100 hours a week.”  

Just as importantly, he says, you need to back up those words with action. Make sure your staff sees that you’re actively advocating for them, whether that’s pushing for raises or finding other ways to support their well-being. When your team feels secure, it’s easier for them to reach out to the traveling laboratory professionals and help them feel welcome and secure too.  

“Remind your full-time team not to look at the individual as an outsider,” Mr. Oliveira says. “We’re all working together to heal our patients. So maybe they can reach out about after-work activities to help the traveler feel more comfortable. In our laboratory, we do a lot of food events, like brownies or ice cream sundae afternoons, so there’s some downtime to enjoy each other’s company.”   

It's important to remember that this transition can be tough on the traveler, too, Ms. White says. They may be far from their support system and navigating a new environment, sometimes in a different time zone from their friends and family. So include them whenever possible.   

“Invite and include the travelers in the same meetings and events as the permanent staff,” Ms. White says. “Whether it be monthly update meetings or a baby shower for a laboratory professional in chemistry.”   

Bringing a traveler into your laboratory can be a valuable opportunity, not just to keep operations running smoothly but also to gain fresh perspectives and new ideas. Just make sure they feel supported, welcomed, and integrated from day one, so both your team and the travelers can thrive, together.