Nurse Staffing Levels: Travel Nurse Supply and Demand

[traveler77]

Hello allnurses,

Im an organ recovery coordinator (which staff organ recovery and transplant centers) considering branching out into staffing healthcare facilities, mainly nurses in hospitals in critical care, OR and emergency depts. My question generally has to do with supply and demand for travel nursing staff and some of the challenges travel nursing agencies are experiencing.

With the aging population of RN's in the US and the impending nursing shortage are hospital finding it harder to staff their facilities with travel staff? There are many agencies out there but I want to get more info on the current state of affairs facilities are facing with the supply of travel staff. I know its been part of many hospital cultures to utilize travel staff as a last resort due to the cost but I wonder are facilities finding it increasingly harder to get travel staff in general if they need them? It would be helpful to hear from hospital administrators responsible for staffing the nurses in their facilities.

Thanks so much for any feedback you can provide

[8-ball, BSN]

If I understand your question right...You are asking if it is hard for the hospitals to get enough travelers to staff when they are short right? I may not be the best to answer your question as I have only been traveling for a short while but it depends on some variables.

1) is the location desirable

2) are they offering good pay in relation to the requirements.

3) what is the specialty? ICU, med-surg, L&D, OR

It seems hospitals will offer a certain pay and then wait, if they are in a desirable location then with the right shift and all the stuff people want then it gets filled. If not then it may take a while, as time goes by they may offer incentives in terms of better pay or better shifts or things like that.

As a traveler we have the best opportunity to pick and choose where we want to go and pick the schedule we want, if its not right than we wait and pick something else. Or we may just go with it and deal if its where we want to go.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

Some facilities don't care how bad the need is- they will not utilize travelers at all. My facility has had this policy for about 5-6 years now. We had a really bad issue with OR staff, and management battled with the upper administrators to get us travelers. They let us have 1 traveler for about 8 vacant positions about 3 years ago. We currently have 10 vacant positions. No travelers allowed.

And to address the info of the "impending nursing shortage":

Based on 2012 health care delivery and staffing patterns and assuming the current RN demandequals the current RN supply of approximately 2.9 million, the demand for RNs is projected toreach 3.5 million in 2025, an increase of 612,000 RNs. A growth in disease burden attributableto changing patient demographics contributes to an increased demand of 584,000 RNs, andexpanded insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act accounts for a demand of anadditional 28,000 RNs. The greater growth rate of supply (33 percent) over that of demand (21 percent) will result in anexcess of 340,000 RNs by 2025.

From The Future of the Nursing Workforce

[NedRN]

This is not the right place to get opinions from hospital administrators. In any case, if you really want to survey market conditions, you are better off talking to agency administrators. A bit of research is easy online to collect vacancy rates, graduation rates, retirement rates, thus giving you an idea about the long term viability of both nursing and contingent labor. You can also look at bill rates or traveler pay rates (same thing really) to get an idea about supply and demand. If you plan on starting an agency, none of that matters as much as your ability to compete in a thriving market.

[traveler77]

My comment regarding the impending shortage stem from research and the fact that suboptimal staffing is a hot topic. So much so that states are considering legislation to prevent this... see article below.

APR102014

[h=2]SAFE STAFFING LEGISLATION[/h]

• POSTED BY NATHO
  
• ON APR 10TH, 2014
  

Provided by NATHO Member, Medical Solutions

It is common knowledge within the healthcare industry that poor nurse to patient ratios have been linked with higher mortality and readmission rates — not to mention higher instances of nurse burnout. But the chorus of voices suggesting that safe staffing be addressed through legislation continues to grow.

With a looming nursing shortage, many states and the District of Colombia are currently considering (or will consider this year) safe staffing legislation that would compel facilities to staff specific numbers of nurses, particularly at peak admission times.

While safe staffing ratios are a no-brainer, opinions are divided as to whether or not safe staffing legislation is a good move.

In some states, nurses groups have rallied for safe staffing legislation, arguing it would be positive for patients and staff alike — protecting patient care and guarding against nurse burnout. Meanwhile, many hospitals have expressed worry about their ability to finance increased staffing levels or that in some cases it would further stretch already overextended staff pools, as well as limiting each facility's autonomy and decision-making ability.

Hospitals should take notice because when budgets are tight, cutting back on nurses is often the first step but one that can have disastrous consequences for patients,” Linda H. Aiken, Professor of Nursing and Sociology, and Director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania told Science Daily in February 2014.

But is safe staffing legislation necessary? Or can facilities properly execute safe staffing levels independent of such legislation?

It's hard to say, but one thing is certain: Whether through legislation or attention to responsibility amongst facilities, safe staffing levels are definitely a hot topic right now.

Sarah Wengert is a writer for Medical Solutions, the nation's third-largest travel nurse staffing company, and Travel Nursing Blogs. Learn more at MedicalSolutions.com.

[NedRN]

Interesting that two articles are posted in this thread with exactly opposite views of a nursing shortage in the future. While I am more of the NATHO bent where more nurses are needed for optimal care (or even adequate care), NATHO does have a vested self interest in hoping for a nurse shortage - bolstering the travel nurse industry.