Leaps & Bounds
Every Monday, I will share a resident of the South Bay contributing to making our community a better place. Today’s MCM title belongs William Wilson, who recruits certified nurses to places in need.
Wilson was born in Torrance and raised in the South Bay. Growing up, he traveled playing Rugby for Santa Monica Rugby Club. Together, the team traveled to several countries including Argentina, Germany and Thailand.
When he was just 22 years old, Wilson was in great shape and playing in his second season of rugby. During one weekend, his team was a part of a rugby tournament which cost him broken bones in his right leg. The doctor said that if they didn’t put Wilson to sleep, they wouldn’t have found that there was a fatty embolism that was going to his heart. Also known as, an “Air bubble”.
In result, Wilson found how precious life is and how appreciative he was to be alive. He realized life is a gift and he has so much left to give others. Soon after, Wilson was handpicked by a prior manager to help recruit nurses. At the time, he was still working for a different company and had to make the ultimate decision of staying with the company or help a new company grow by leaps and bounds.
Wilson chose to take the lead and today, is a full-time Nurse recruiter for United Staffing Solutions Inc. (USSI) and a part-time Entrepreneur. His duties are to recruit the best of the best nurses for 13-week travel assignments.
Nurses that Wilson recruits must have one year “or close to” experience in an acute care setting. This ranges from Medical Surgery, Telemetry, NICU, PICU, L&D, ICU etc. “They can have pretty much any specialty,” he says.
Wilson does not recruit a specific kind of traveler and says that they can be a true traveler, a new traveler or someone that wants to try something new other than being a staff nurse. A travel nurse is a nurse that wants to take a 13-week assignment.
Wilson claims that now nurses can choose to work as both a staff nurse and take on assignment at the same time to see if they can handle the work load. A typical schedule is 3 days a week, 12 hours a day in a contract. “This is either on top of their 3/12’s already or just by itself,” he says.
Wilson explains that having a CA license is the “hottest thing” for a nurse as the pay is much better in CA than any other state. Although his company is not working internationally yet, Wilson explains that they work with new graduates on occasion.
Pay for the nurses depends on a few factors. “Crisis rate, need, is the hospital on strike, location and time of year to name a few,” he says. Nurses, however, receive daily meals and incidentals, housing and hourly pay all in one contract. On other occasions, nurses find their housing and are able to receive free money and maximize their return on the contract.
Wilson finds that working as a recruit nurse has many benefits including that you get to travel, get tax free money and get a ton of experience in a short amount of time.
Wilson began recruiting after realizing he loved helping people. “To me, I get the greatest reward by helping people get into contracts,” he says. Most of his nurses have come from referrals which he says are often nurses who are coming off contract, needing a contract or wanting to try out a better company to work with.
Some of his duties include finding nurses housing, fining the best location whether it is northern, central or even southern, CA. In addition, he is able to provide the nurses insurance if desired. He says, “Nurses are great. In my opinion they save lives. And to me putting a great nurse in a hospital that does just that sells itself. Because don’t you want to work with the best people too?”
This year, Wilson hopes to help 10 people find their dream job. He believes that being a recruiter isn’t for everyone. “However if you can multitask, stay extremely focused, self-motivated and do it for a purpose, it can be very gratifying.” He also values his staffing company and vows them to be, “super important.”
Wilson feels most gratified when he receives a referral because it means that he has earned another’s trust and respect enough for them to refer them.
When Wilson is not working, he enjoys hiking in Palos Verdes, playing Rugby, traveling, lifting weights, networking, reading, cooking and going to movies. He thrives most when chasing his passions.
He pays it forward by trying to give as much clothes to the salvage army as possible. “I sometimes feed the homeless when I see that someone is hungry. If you know what it’s like not to eat, this is a small gesture, however having empathy and compassion is the greatest reward. Especially when you know someone appreciates it,” he says.
He has found that the South Bay has the best people in California. “I think it is a group of highly educated, motivated individuals that want one another to achieve success. This doesn’t mean you have to be from the same industry. And let’s face it… You can be in the glamor in Hollywood one minute, Hermosa beach the next and in Big Bear mountains all in the same day.”
Thank you, Wilson, for providing our hardworking and deserving nurses greater opportunities.
To learn more about recruiting and the benefits, please contact Wilson here on his linkedin.
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Cell: (310) 707-6476 or email [email protected]
Wilson’s Websites:
southbaymediallc.com
Southbayyoungprofessionals.com
thefinancrblogger.com