The demand for registered nurses in different types of medical facilities is constantly rising. As per the study of trends in nurse staffing, more healthcare executives are openly welcoming registered nurse staffing agency providers.
Based on the need demanded by the facilities, a staffing agency is capable of keeping the workforce staffed full at all times. In case you are considering employing a healthcare staffing agency, various factors can help you to choose the right one. Before we start learning about the considerations for hiring a staffing agency, let’s see the factors that are affecting the nurse staffing state in 2022.
The Nurse Shortage In The U.S.
With the increased demand for patient care, the need for Registered Nurses (RNs) is at an all-time high in the U.S. According to the BLS report; the RN workforce is expected to grow by about 3.4 million.
The main cause of this shortage include:
- The increased number of patients.
- An increase in the number of nurse retirements.
- And increased burnout of nurses in young generations.
Nurses, from time to time, are highlighting this nurse shortage issue by going on strikes. Their demand includes balancing the nurse-to-patient ratios so that the current ratio doesn’t decrease the quality of patient care.
During such times, demanding the services of the healthcare staffing agency becomes crucial.
Increased Number Of Patients
Since the rapid increase in the number of patients, the nursing staff is facing a significant shortage in the U.S. The opioid epidemic has been a major cause of public health crises. This addiction has caused more than 1.3 million people to be hospitalized yearly.
Furthermore, because of the aging population of baby boomers, there is a constant demand for healthcare facilities. As per some medical reports, around 80 percent of baby boomers suffer from at least one chronic disease.
Lesser Number Of Nurses
According to an approximation, around one million baby boomer nurses will retire by 2030. This means that the new generation will have to take their places. Presently, the number of nurses retiring is around 70,000 yearly. The annual retirement number is a major cause of the nurse shortage.
The nurse shortage will highly affect the quality of life of the rural communities. As these locations are not highly desirable, healthcare organizations find it difficult to fill the positions with nurses and healthcare professionals in such remote locations.
The Demand For The Sustainable Solution
The healthcare facilities in the U.S. are continuously forming new strategies to ease critical staffing challenges by relying on the healthcare staffing agency to fill those shortages. The leaders of the U.S. hospitals are aware that to tackle this shortage, they must take some comprehensive approaches to healthcare staffing for planning for the future.
Let’s know about a certified nurse staffing agency.
How Does The Registered Nurse Staffing Agency Operate?
The certified staffing agency offers nurse placements in the hospitals to fill the staff shortage temporarily or permanently. These agencies secure contracts for RNs to employ them in different types of healthcare facilities.
Furthermore, the employment rate of international nurses has been increasing rapidly to balance the supply and demand of nurses. But, the hiring cost of international nurses is certainly high for hospitals.
Must Read:- How To Become A Travel Nurse?
However, you can find various registered nurse staffing agencies specializing in international nurse staffing. And for such a reason, staffing agencies are becoming so popular. Generally, these agencies sponsor visas for international nurses and charge healthcare facilities a flat fee for employing the RN.
Experienced and developed staffing agencies make the staffing process for hospitals and healthcare professionals quite easy. Also, few agencies offer the services such as education programs, housing, ongoing support, and more.
When hiring a healthcare staffing agency, ensure that you understand every benefit and service this agency will provide to your facility. The specific services the staffing agencies will offer depends upon the healthcare professionals they provide.
The types of placement include:
- Travel Nursing.
- Per Diem or Pro Re Nata (PRN).
- Temp-to-Perm or Permanent Placement Contracts.
- International Nurse.
The Determining Factors Of Hiring A Nurse Staffing Agency
Looking for a registered nurse staffing agency near me? Based on your facility goal, there are three major factors that determine the hiring process of a healthcare staffing agency.
Price
Undoubtedly, most healthcare facilities will desire to hire a certified agency that charges low fees. Low payment for the services does sound good to most, right? However, the low charge will also compromise the quality of the nurses you will receive from such agencies.
It is essential that you don’t select a certified agency solely based on the amount they charge for their services. On the other hand, try to learn about the benefits these staffing agencies can offer your facility. Want to hire a temp or perm nurse? Try to look for an agency that provides long-term support throughout the contract duration of RNs.
Speed
In this mass shortage of nurses, the speed of staffing agencies in providing nursing staff matters a lot. The type of nurse you want for your facility will determine the speed of nurse assigning. Hospitals that are in need of immediate staffing must consider hiring a PRN nurse to fill out their vacancy.
Meanwhile, if your facility suffers from being frequently short-staffed, maybe hiring temp-to-perm nurses will be a better solution to gain more sustainability. Depending on your needs, finding a suitable nurse for your medical facility can take several weeks.
Speed plays an important factor when there is an urgent need for vacancy filling. However, taking a sustainable long-term strategy isn’t a bad idea either. Although the RNs take a longer time to join your facility, the entire process is worthwhile in the end.
Quality
Quality RNs are experienced, hardworking, and can easily adapt to the organization’s working culture. Major features that come with quality RNs are:
- Always prioritizing teamwork.
- Great communication skills.
- Enhanced patient safety.
The transition smoothness of these RNs will depend upon their preparation before starting working with your facility.
As hospitals face critical situations regularly, having RNs that are capable of adjusting quickly and easily to your unit is paramount. You gain long-term stability when these nurses work with a high caliber. For such reasons, quality is considered one of the primary factors when deciding on a certified agency.
Conclusion
With the looming nurse staff shortage, it’s high time to find some solutions to form sustainability in the medical facilities. Efficient nurse staffing is vital to prevent RN burnout and enhance patient care. More facilities are becoming familiar with the multi-staffing approach. Ultimately leading to the increased demand for a registered nurse staffing agency.
Interested in knowing about the staffing agency near me? I’KARE Consulting Firm offers many services related to medical staffing. We are a team of professionals helping many medical facilities in overcoming their nursing staff shortages. Our highly trained nurses can easily adapt to the hospital’s fast working environments. Contact us to know more about our medical staffing services.