Lisa Taylor’s job is part matchmaker and part dream-maker. She’s also a talent-identifier, navigator of immigration issues and translator of legalese.
And she’s just one on a team at Conexus Medstaff, a company that works to help international nurses and medical-field students who want to pursue their careers in the U.S.
These days, that team is busier than ever, Taylor said. The coronavirus pandemic has increased the need for nurses. Conexus Medstaff has been able to bring in international nurses to help the U.S. in this crisis.
"They already have this resilience, and they are super brave," Taylor said. "They put their lives on the line for this country — and none of them has backed down."
Conexus connects the international nurses with hospitals in need, Taylor explained. "We're just conduits and consultants," she said. "The international nurses are true heroes."
She has been virtually visiting colleges to help international students who want to stay in the U.S. as nurses find the right fit at a hospital. She also has been manning calls from nurses in Canada and Mexico. "They want to come here; they're ready to help," she said.
It's what nurses are called to do, Taylor explained. "They want to provide patient care to the sickest of the sick," she said. "And it amazes me. I'm so lucky to get to meet these people everyday."
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Conexus connected candidates with jobs, including a nurse from Germany with four years of experience, a student from Nepal with a diploma who wanted to study further in the U.S. and the wife of a man with a student visa who wanted to pursue her career while her husband furthered his education.
In addition, there was a registered nurse who fled Haiti after the earthquakes years ago and made a home in the U.S. under the Temporary Protective Status (TPS) visa, as well as a newly graduated nurse in Canada who couldn’t find a position in his home country. He wanted to try nursing in the U.S.
Working in the U.S. is a dream of many international nurses - as well as international graduates, said Taylor, a Houston-based senior recruiter.
And there’s a dire need for nurses here.
“It’s a win-win-win,” Taylor said. “We do our best to get students and nurses exactly the experience they want - and to help hospitals get the best candidates. We’re here to meet the need.”
According to a 2012 issue of the “American Journal of Medical Quality,” a shortage of registered nurses is projected to spread across the country between 2009 and 2030 - and to be most intense in the American South and West. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a need for an additional 203,700 new registered nurses each year from 2016 to 2026.
By locating nurses in need of work and addressing the nursing shortage, Taylor explained that Conexus strives to deliver better care to patients.
“At the end of the day, most people get into health care because they want to help people,” she said. “All of us have been a patient or know a patient, and we want to improve that experience.”
Cathy Vollmer, senior vice president of operations at Conexus, was in nursing herself for a decade, and also worked in hospital staffing before coming to the company.
“What attracted me here was the ability to affect health care on a larger scale, making sure people have the right nurse at the right time at their bedside,” she said. Before, Vollmer explained, hospitals would ask her for creative solutions to find the best nursing candidates. That’s exactly what she now does at Conexus.
“I love having a more permanent solution instead of a temporary Band-Aid,” Vollmer added.
She also enjoys helping nurses make an easy and pleasant transition to a more permanent position.
“We get to work on an international basis to create change in people’s lives,” she said. “They can start here and advance and get to a place they want to be.”
Vollmer explained that the nursing shortage is partially attributed to the growing senior population, as well as the increased access to health care.
“A nurse has a lot more opportunities to work than just in a hospital,” she said. Nurses can be involved in research and case management, assist physicians with their practices or go into home care. Often, nurses pursue their own advanced practices as nurse practitioners.
Vollmer said that by working with international nurses and recent graduates, Conexus can quickly fill gaps at medical facilities, even in rural areas where there is even greater demand.
The company works in multiple sectors, including skilled nursing, long-term care, larger hospitals and rural community hospitals. Nurses interview directly with prospective employers. In addition to helping with immigration, visa and licensing, Conexus provides professional development through learning programs and resources. This can help nurses supplement what they learn in their home countries with knowledge and skills required in the U.S.
Conexus offers a program called, “U.S. Ready,” where nurses learn best-practices.
The recruiting company also offers training for individuals, who need certain skills for a position.
“A lot of nurses need to have more specialized skills,” Vollmer said. “More care can be given to a person to have a better outcome.”
Conexus also helps nurses throughout their careers, providing courses and programs to advance skills as nurses move into their second and third assignments. The goal is to serve as a resource for healthcare organizations to build and train staff - and for that relationship to last.
“It’s not a short-term, quick fix,” Vollmer said. “It’s a long-term solution.”
Taylor explained that Conexus works on multiple fronts. “We recognize there are several issues and we want to help,” she said, adding that while many students come to the U.S. to gain experience, “they don’t know how to turn that education into a future.”
Conexus sees a large number of international students or those who have recently graduated with a nursing degree.
“We see students whose parents have spent their lives so they can attend school in the U.S.” Taylor said. “There are international students on a visa, who are not allowed to really work.”
These students need to start working as soon as they graduate to assist with finances. “It’s a hardship and sacrifice for their families,” Taylor said. “They need to work immediately to make up for the financial burden.”
She explained that with immigration attorneys, paralegals and specialists on staff, Conexus can help navigate difficult-to-explain issues.
There are also immigrant and refugee nurses who come to Conexus to better understand their options.
“It takes a whole level of bravery and commitment for our nurses to come to the U.S.,” said Taylor. “It’s a very scary thing. Immigration rules seem to change almost hourly sometimes. It’s not always smooth sailing. It can be a rough road. You want someone who will go through it with you and explain it to you.”
The company continues to follow up with the nurses once they find a position.
“We become a solid part of their lives,” Taylor said. “We talk to them about their goals. We’re providing tools and resources they need to be successful.”
Vollmer said that Conexus also helps with relocation and connects candidates with other nurses in the area. “Our operations team is a concierge to the nurse and family,” she said. “They set their kids up in school. They meet with facility and mangers.”
Conexus often covers its nurses, first month of rent, so they can move into the community before starting their jobs. It’s a better solution than hospitals turning to per-diem nurses to fill the gap, as they have traditionally done, said Vollmer.
“Here you have a nurse who is really committed and wants to settle,” she said. “It’s a long-term partnership. We’re all here for the same goal and the same purpose - to help people who need help in this country.”
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