How Facilities Can Retain Travel Staff Long-Term

Travel staff are essential for keeping patient care running smoothly when permanent teams are stretched thin. But high turnover among travel clinicians can drain a facility’s time, budget, and morale. 

Every time a traveler leaves, leaders must restart the costly cycle of recruitment, onboarding, and training. 

The good news? Retention isn’t out of your control. With the right strategies, you can make travel staff want to stay longer and even consider your facility a long-term home.

As a clinician-led staffing agency, we’ve seen firsthand what keeps travelers committed to a facility. Below are three strategies (with actionable tips) to help your facility build lasting relationships with travel staff.

Rethink Onboarding to Build Connection Early

Onboarding sets the tone for the entire contract. If travel staff feel like outsiders in their first week, they are more likely to view the role as temporary and transactional. 

But when you make onboarding welcoming, efficient, and purposeful, it builds trust and a sense of belonging right from the start.

Tip 1: Pair Travel Staff with Mentors or Buddies

Assigning a mentor helps travel staff quickly adapt to workflows, culture, and expectations. 

Instead of fumbling through the first days alone, they have someone to guide them, answer questions, and provide reassurance. Implementing a buddy system can:

• Reduce mistakes 
• Build confidence 
• Create a connection with the permanent team

Using a mentor system helps travel staff integrate more smoothly, which improves team morale. 

And when travelers feel supported, they are more likely to extend contracts because they see the unit as a place where they can succeed.

Tip 2: Streamline Orientation Without Losing the Human Touch

Orientation needs to be efficient, but efficiency shouldn’t mean cold. Too often, travel staff are given a quick checklist and left to figure out the rest. 

A balanced approach of in-person instruction and reviewable materials ensures they get the information they need — like policies, key contacts, and system access — while also introducing them to the culture and people who make the facility unique.

When staff feel that their facility makes an effort to welcome them, they are more inclined to invest their time and energy in return.

Tip 3: Highlight Their Value to the Care Team

Travel staff want to know their role matters. Take time during onboarding to show how their work directly impacts patient outcomes and supports permanent staff. 

When leaders recognize their contributions in the first week, it builds pride and commitment.

Thoughtful compliments from management and simple acknowledgements that your travelers are valued reinforce purpose and encourage long-term relationships.

Create a Culture of Trust and Flexibility

Culture is one of the strongest retention drivers, and even the most skilled traveler will hesitate to stay if they feel undervalued, excluded, or micromanaged. 

Facilities that foster trust and respect create environments where staff want to return — and where patient care benefits as a result.

Tip 1: Encourage Open Scheduling Conversations

Scheduling is often a top stressor for travel staff. Leaders who invite open conversations about preferences and constraints show respect for work-life balance. 

While not every request can be granted, the willingness to listen helps build rapport.

A transparent approach also reduces last-minute call-offs and miscommunication. When staff know they can bring up concerns, they are more likely to stay engaged instead of seeking a new assignment.

Tip 2: Avoid Second-Tier Treatment of Travel Staff

Nothing drives travelers away faster than being treated as “less than” permanent staff. Assigning them the toughest patients, excluding them from team meetings, or withholding access to resources creates resentment.

In contrast, integrating travel staff as full team members can help your team see stronger collaboration and fewer conflicts. 

This equal treatment signals respect and makes travelers feel like valued contributors, not placeholders.

Tip 3: Recognize Contributions Publicly

Recognition is a small investment with a big payoff. A shout-out during shift huddles, a thank-you note from leadership, or a spotlight in a staff newsletter can boost morale and encourage extensions.

When recognition is consistent, travel staff are more likely to see your facility as a place where their work matters. 

Over time, this reputation can also attract more talent who hear that your team values its people.

Strategy 3: Offer Professional Growth Opportunities

Many places assume travel staff only care about pay, but that’s not the full picture. Like permanent staff, they want to grow their skills and careers. 

When facilities support professional development, it builds loyalty and helps staff see themselves as part of something bigger.

Tip 1: Provide Access to CEUs and Training

Allowing travelers to participate in in-services, workshops, or CEU programs is a powerful retention tool. And it shows that you care about their professional growth, not just filling shifts.

This approach also benefits your facility by keeping clinicians up to date on best practices and standards. The result is higher-quality care and a stronger feeling of mutual investment.

Tip 2: Recognize and Leverage Transferable Skills

Travel clinicians bring experiences from working in different environments. Facilities that recognize and leverage these transferable skills can improve processes and patient care.

For instance, a traveler might have expertise in a new charting workflow or patient communication strategy. 

By inviting them to share these skills, you benefit while the clinician feels valued.

Tip 3: Involve Travel Staff in Process Improvements

Travel staff often notice inefficiencies that permanent staff overlook. Including them in the conversation about improvements shows that their input matters and can drive real change.

Working with your travelers on improvements could uncover small but meaningful changes that benefit the entire unit. When their ideas are acknowledged and acted upon, it reinforces the message that travel staff are trusted professionals, not temporary labor.

Choose Lucid as Your Clinician-Led Staffing Partner

Knowing how to retain travel staff long-term is about creating an environment where they feel welcomed, respected, and invested in. By rethinking onboarding, building trust, supporting growth, and partnering with the right staffing agency, facilities can reduce churn and strengthen continuity of care.

Partnering with a staffing agency like Lucid helps you streamline your system. From credentialing to cultural fit, we anticipate challenges before they become problems and ensure seamless integration into your teams. 

As clinicians ourselves, we know what it takes to build lasting partnerships. 

Let’s talk about how we can help your facility retain top travel staff while streamlining your staffing systems.