In Focus: Workforce & Care at Avant

Marisa Zaharoff with blonde hair, black glasses, and a black turtleneck, smiling against a gray background.

Bridging the Gap

An introduction from Marisa Zaharoff,
MSN, RN

President of Avant Healthcare Professionals

To Our Valued Healthcare Community,

Welcome to the first edition of our quarterly newsletter and thank you for being such an important part of Avant’s mission.

Every day, we see the difference we can make together. From supporting workforce stability to helping healthcare organizations navigate an ever-changing environment, your partnership and collaboration enable us to better understand your needs and continuously strengthen the support we provide.

As we look ahead, we are committed to enhancing communication, sharing valuable insights, and creating more opportunities to connect and collaborate. Through expanded resources, thought leadership, and meaningful industry conversations, our goal is to help you stay informed, prepared, and supported.

Most importantly, our commitment is unchanged: to serve as a trusted workforce solutions partner dedicated to your success. We are grateful for the work we do together and excited about what we will continue to accomplish together.

Warm Regards,

Marisa Zaharoff, MSN, RN

President – Avant Healthcare Professionals

Service Spotlight: Direct Hire

Expanding workforce solutions to support your hiring strategy

At Avant, we know that strong healthcare organizations are built on exceptional people. Our Direct Hire offering is a new workforce solution designed to connect you with globally educated nurses who bring proven clinical experience, dedication, and a global perspective to patient care. By aligning with your organization’s unique hiring goals, we help support long-term workforce stability and continuity. Together, we remain committed to strengthening care delivery now and into the future.

A nurse in blue scrubs smiling and talking with a woman holding folders outside a modern building.

Learn About Our Workforce Solutions

Rebecca Barto with dark hair featuring red highlights, wearing a black top and a delicate necklace, smiling softly against a

Welcome Rebecca Barto

MSN, RN, CPHQ, LCC, LSSBB, HRM

Vice President of Clinical Outcomes

Healthcare organizations today are challenged to achieve exceptional patient outcomes while navigating workforce shortages, rising complexity, and increasing expectations for quality and safety. Meeting those challenges requires more than filling positions—it requires ensuring every healthcare professional is prepared to deliver safe, high-quality care from their very first day.

Since joining Avant, I have been inspired by our unwavering commitment to clinical excellence. The investment our Clinical Education team has made in simulation-based learning, competency validation, and individualized clinical support reflects a deep understanding that workforce readiness directly influences patient outcomes and client success.

As Vice President of Clinical Outcomes, my focus is to build upon this strong foundation by further connecting education, clinical performance, and measurable outcomes. By leveraging data, evidence-based practice, and continuous improvement, we will continue to strengthen workforce readiness, enhance patient safety, and deliver measurable value for our clients. Together, we have an extraordinary opportunity to elevate the quality of care not only for the healthcare professionals we prepare, but for every patient and community they serve.

Visa Bulletin Updates

Insights from Saloni Kaul, Senior Director of Immigration

The Visa Bulletin is the government’s monthly update that shows when applicants can move forward with the final step of obtaining an employment-based green card. For Registered Nurses in the EB-3 category (which generally includes skilled workers, professionals, and other workers), the most important factor is the priority date. The priority date is the date the green card process officially began. Each month, the government announces which priority dates are eligible to move forward based on the limited number of green cards available each year.

For July 2026, the EB-3 category remained largely stable. Most countries saw little or no movement, while China experienced some forward progress and the Philippines remained unchanged. As the government’s fiscal year ends on September 30, visa numbers become more limited, so it is common to see slower movement in the summer months. We expect only modest changes in the next few Visa Bulletins, with more meaningful movement potentially occurring after new visa numbers become available in October, when the new fiscal year begins.

The good news? Avant files visas Monday through Friday, every week. We have a large pipeline of nurses that allows us to work with you to plan for your current and future staffing needs.

A Visa card with a globe icon and an airplane ticket, representing international travel and visa news.

Daisy Award Spotlight

Recognizing Excellence in Patient Care

Meet Shehnaz, a globally-educated nurse originally from Pakistan, recognized for her exceptional leadership and commitment to patient care. She earned both a DAISY Award Honorable Mention and the distinction of Nurse of the Year, reflecting her meaningful impact on care quality and team performance. In her role as a Charge Nurse, Shehnaz leads with clinical expertise and compassion, supporting consistent, high-quality care delivery. Her achievements exemplify the standard of excellence Avant nurses bring to the healthcare organizations they serve and the positive outcomes they help drive every day.

Nurse Shehnaz Ali smiling at her desk with computer, papers, and office supplies in a professional setting.

Avant Healthcare Professionals is a member of the Jackson Healthcare family of companies

Avant HQ

2301 Lucien Way, Suite 360 
Maitland, Florida 32751

+1.407.681.2999 (Direct Dial) 
+1.888.681.2999 (Toll Free in U.S.) 
+1.407.671.7615 (Fax)

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Avant is a Joint Commission Certified Health Care Staffing agency.

Patient Safety Concerns or Complaints:
The public may contact The Joint Commission’s Office of Quality Monitoring to report any concerns or register complaints about a Joint Commission-certified organization by calling 800-994-6610 or submitting a report by mail to the Office of Quality and Patient Safety, Joint Commission, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois 60181.

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