Why Choose CMS for Nursing & Allied Health?
Chesapeake Medical Staffing welcomes the opportunity to have you join our health care staffing team.
We are here to fill the current staffing voids created by today’s times of fluctuating census and staffing shortages by providing our clients with competent, skilled and experienced clinicians. We serve as a seamless extension of staff and focus on delivering optimal patient care. The culture of CMS values relationships – both with our clinical staff as well as our clients.
The effort of our office staff to meet your scheduling requests is the main focus of our work. We offer you the highest level of customer service as we seek clinical assignments that match your skill set. We value the dedication and quality of patient care our clinicians offer to our clients. Our health care providers have established a reputation that reflects the high standards we expect of our clinicians.
We have earned a “Preferred Provider” status with many of the large health systems in Maryland, including the Johns Hopkins Health System and MedStar Health. This comes as a result of our immediate responsiveness to their requests and the quality of the professionals we have placed in these institutions.
How Do You Choose?
How do you choose between all of the agencies in Baltimore and the surrounding area? If you are interested in supplementing your income, switching agencies, or joining an agency as a full-time employee, we recommend you consider the following questions.
Does the agency have reasonable and competitive pay rates?
CMS offers one of the best employment opportunities to agency health care providers in the areas. We offer an extremely competitive pay rate with shift and weekend differentials. We pay the same premium rates for per diem as well as contract assignments (many agencies pay less for contract assignments due to the hours being guaranteed). Additionally, we offer annual loyalty incentives to our clinicians. For every 2,000 hours you work, you will be able to choose one of several options, such as a base pay increase of $1/hr.
Is the agency certified by JCAHO?
Chesapeake Medical Staffing is one of a select few agencies in the greater Baltimore area that has achieved the JCAHO gold seal of approval as a health care staffing firm.
How does the agency communicate with me?
The HR, finance and scheduling team at CMS will communicate with you by phone, fax, email, text messages, web site and newsletter. We are very sensitive to the responsiveness necessary in today’s market to be a preferred provider for many of our clients. Once established, we will communicate with you using the method you prefer.
Will the agency be responsive to my availability?
The scheduling team at CMS is comprised of experienced professionals who will respond to your availability as soon as it is known. We will go the extra mile to offer you a choice of the preferred shifts you request. Choose from a wide diversity of assignment options; hospitals, clinics, research centers, physician practices, schools, or private one-on-one care settings.
If an assignment is cancelled, what attempts are made for another assignment?
Our scheduling team or our off-hours team of professionals (for cancellations not during office hours) will offer you every alternative shift you are eligible to accept if you are cancelled for an assignment.
When and how am I paid?
Our weekly pay period begins on Sunday morning at 7AM and ends on Saturday night at the conclusion of the night shift. Daily pay is available on request. Direct deposit is available upon request.
What are the requirements to be eligible to receive benefits?
Full time benefits are available for field employees who work 30 or more hours in a week. Part-time benefits are available for employees who work 17.5 or more hours in a week. Health, prescription, dental, life and disability insurance plans are available. There are no minimum hours necessary to participate in our 401(k) retirement plan or to join the Point Breeze Credit Union.
How long has the agency been in business? Is the agency a local or national firm?
CMS was founded in 2001 and has operated successfully for 10 years. Most of our current staffing clients are in Maryland, Washington DC, Pennsylvania and Delaware. We also offer nationwide travel assignments.
Is the director a RN? Are there other nursing/allied health professionals on staff?
Yes, we have three clinical directors: Terri Weller RN, MS; Pete Travers RN, BSN; and Janet Jones RN, DNS. Our clinical directors remain active in their professional practice, in order to be in close contact with the changes and demands of the agency professional. They are readily available to our staff as consultants and/or mentors as needed.
Who is responsible for hiring and scheduling field clinicians?
Our team of HR professionals welcomes your interest and will guide you through the application process. You may begin the process, with no obligation, by clicking on the Apply Now button on any page of our Web site. Our HR professionals are available to you during regular business hours to answer any questions you may have about your application. Most applicants complete the process online in the convenience of their own home. For local applicants, it is necessary to stop by our office for a drug screen and photo ID. For travel applicants, we will identify a local lab for the drug screen and we will need two (2) copies of a passport photo for your ID badge. All our clinical associates are vigorously screened to ensure the quality that our clients expect.
Our team of scheduling professionals is the very best in the industry! You will be assigned to an individual scheduling coordinator (recruiter) who will act as your "agent," seeking opportunities specific to your requests. The relationship between our clinicians and our scheduling team is dynamic and responsive to the current market.
What educational opportunities are offered to clinical staff?
CMS offers CPR for the Health Care Provider to our clinical staff six times per year. We offer ACLS ten times per year with a reduced cost to our clinicians. We offer PALS on an annual basis at a reduced rate. We offer the opportunity to share the cost of a pre-approved professional workshop or seminar with our full-time clinicians on an annual basis.
Does the agency have an established tracking system for updating licensure, certifications, annual requirements and performance evaluations?
Yes, CMS uses Clearview TSS, a state-of-the-art scheduling software to track all of the items listed above. As a CMS employee, you will have access to this software and be able to electronically update your availability as well as confirm your schedule.
Does the agency have established policies for handling practice complaints?
Yes, as a JCAHO certified health care staffing agency, we are required to have this process in place. The details of the process are published in our employee handbook.
The expertise of our clinical directors will facilitate this process as our directors have the clinical experience to understand the issues and assist with resolution and/or counseling.
Are the staffing coordinators experienced in the placement of qualified field employees in appropriate clinical assignments?
Yes, our staffing coordinators complete a rigorous orientation program in which medical terminology, abbreviations and clinical hierarchies are introduced. Nursing 101, Respiratory Care 101, and Radiology 101 are prerequisite courses for our scheduling coordinators before they assume the responsibilities of the position. We have seasoned scheduling coordinators who mentor the newer members of our scheduling team.
Does the agency offer the clinician an opportunity for paid orientation?
Yes, most of our clients require orientation to either the clinical setting and/or the required electronic documentation system. When possible, CMS offers an "orientation" pay rate for on-site required orientation programs.
Is the agency available 24-hours a day, seven days a week?
Yes, CMS is available to you 24-hours every day, seven days a week. We do not use an answering service. One of our experienced scheduling coordinators is always available to our clinical staff and our clients. You may call us at 410-321-4267 or 1-866-321-4267 at any time and we will be happy to discuss your schedule with you.
Is the agency continually growing?
Yes, CMS has grown significantly since its inception in 2001. We have added additional office staff professionals as well as Clinical Directors to support our growth. We remain one of the largest local agencies in the Baltimore area. We are expanding our footprint in the surrounding region as well as national travel. We are constantly striving to improve our processes to meet your needs and we value your input into that process.
Does the agency have established policies for handling practice complaints?
Yes, as a JCAHO certified health care staffing agency, we are required to have this process in place. The details of the process are published in our employee handbook.
The expertise of our clinical directors will facilitate this process as our directors have the clinical experience to understand the issues and assist with resolution and/or counseling.
Are the staffing coordinators experienced in the placement of qualified field employees in appropriate clinical assignments?
Yes, our staffing coordinators complete a rigorous orientation program in which medical terminology, abbreviations and clinical hierarchies are introduced. Nursing 101, Respiratory Care 101, and Radiology 101 are prerequisite courses for our scheduling coordinators before they assume the responsibilities of the position. We have seasoned scheduling coordinators who mentor the newer members of our scheduling team.
Does the agency offer the clinician an opportunity for paid orientation?
Yes, most of our clients require orientation to either the clinical setting and/or the required electronic documentation system. CMS offers an "orientation" pay rate for on-site required orientation programs.
Is the agency available 24-hours a day, seven days a week?
Yes, CMS is available to you 24-hours every day, seven days a week. We do not use an answering service. One of our experienced scheduling coordinators is always available to our clinical staff and our clients. You may call us at 410-321-4267 or 1-866-321-4267 at any time and we will be happy to discuss your schedule with you.
Does the agency have reasonable and competitive pay rates?
Yes, CMS offers one of the best employment opportunities to agency health care providers in the areas. We offer a competitive pay rate with shift and weekend differentials. We often offer completion bonuses at the termination of a contract.
We offer an increase in hourly pay rate after every 2,000 hours worked – which equates to a $2000 annual raise each year of full-time employment at CMS.
Is the agency continually growing?
Yes, CMS has grown significantly since its’ inception in 2001. We have added additional office staff professionals as well as Clinical Directors to support our growth. We remain one of the largest local agencies in the Baltimore area. We are expanding our footprint in the surrounding region as well as national travel. We are constantly striving to improve our processes to meet your needs and we value your input into that process.