Ways to Get a Job Through a Nurse Staffing Agency in 2021

There is an abundance of nurse vacancies and there is also a more significant number of patients in the United States overall. A good nurse staffing agency should be able to provide you with a malleable option to keep hospitals staffed with healthcare professionals during critical times and consider the unique needs of the healthcare facility. Here are a few things that you need to know more about what happens when you get a job through a nurse staffing agency and ways to get a job through a nurse staffing agency in 2021.

How Do Nurse Staffing Agency Manage People

Nurse Staffing Agencies contract RNs to work in a wide array of healthcare facilities and deliver nurses to hospitals that have difficulty in filling both temporary and permanent placements in their facility, Nursing agencies are there to ensure that their nurses would be able to provide the highest-quality care to your patients, may it be from travel nursing or maybe even home care.

Type of Placements

1. Travel Nursing

Travel nurses can come from all over the country, and they are often working in several specialties in order to fill the gaps that are needed in the healthcare facility that they are assigned to. They usually work in short, four to six-week contracts.

2. Per Diem or Pro Re Nata (PRN)

Meaning “per day”, per diem nurses are hired to be on-call. Their contract would usually range from days to weeks and they are not guaranteed hours. Pro Re Nata, on the other hand, means as needed and they usually require nurses to meet a certain number of stipulations to keep the job, like working on the weekends and on the holidays.

3. International Nurse Staffing Agencies

International nurses are recruited through agencies to work in the United States on contracts that last two to three years before transitioning to full-time staff.

4. Temp-to-Perm or Permanent Placement Contracts

If you aim to eventually have full-time employment, then Temp-to-Perm contracts are ideal contracts for you as a registered nurse. They offer Registered Nurses time to settle down and figure out if they like the location, then they would eventually transition them into permanent positions.

Factor to Consider When Hiring a Nurse Staffing Agency

1. Speed

A per diem or a PRN is likely your best bet if you need positions filled immediately because how quickly you need help could also impact what type of nurse staffing you choose. It might be best to look for temp-to-perm nursing contracts if you need help with long-term staffing.

2. Price

When you are looking for a staffing agency to work with, you don’t just go with the cheapest agency because it is the most affordable, you have to make sure that you check out all of your options and find something both cost-effective and high quality because the quality of their nurses might not be up to par with your standards.

3. Quality

High-quality nurses would create a baseline of stability for their units and facility as a whole, so healthcare facilities are looking for nurses who can perform well under stress and keep up with the fast-paced environment of the floor.

Meet the US Nurse Shortage

More Patients

The aging population of baby boomers that requires extensive healthcare services would have to be the most notable reason as to why there is a rapid increase in patients in hospitals and healthcare facilities. An estimated 80 percent have at least one chronic health condition. Another reason why over a million people are being hospitalized yearly is because of the opioid epidemic, and because of this, there is an increase in patients that contributed to the nationwide nursing shortage.

Fewer Nurses

Data projects that by the time 2030 comes, roughly one million baby boomer nurses would have retired, which means that the next generation would have to step into their shoes. Approximately 70,000 nurses are retiring each year at the moment, which is also one thing that is heavily contributing to the shortage. 

Since there are areas that are typically less desirable to line-in, there are some healthcare executives that struggle to fill positions for professionals in rural communities, making them more projected to be more affected by the shortage. Because of the lack of healthcare staffing, this could potentially put patients at risk.

It is time to reconsider your staffing practices and consider using an agency to help you with all of your needs and the needs of your patient with the nursing shortage only getting worse because adequate nurse staging is critical to prevent burnout and uphold excellent patient care.