Why haven't hospital systems in hard-hit areas reached out to state BONs to find out if there are former ICU or other high-demand specialty nurses?

[A Hit With The Ladies, BSN, RN]

Pure curiosity here, but surely there has to be some way for the state BONs to track nurses who recently used to work in ICU nursing or other very high demand areas pertaining to COVID crises.

For instance, I used to work ICU and adult inpatient hemodialysis. Now I work in psych. Here in Houston there's apparently a severe shortage of active RNs in this area who specialized in either of these areas. One would think I would be getting letters in the mail attempting to recruit me to temporarily join or something. We live in an area where people will randomly call you asking to buy your house and whatnot. Weird they never did such a thing with specialty nurses.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Most other states created disaster corps early on. I know in Indiana I get weekly emails asking for updated on my status. But to your point- most places are re-deploying nurses from within their systems to be extenders in the ICU.

Think about it- the whole hiring process is not instantaneous OR inexpensive. Redeployment and the use of travelers (who are current in their skills and accustomed to hitting the ground running) is a much more logical solution.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I highly doubt the BON has the resources to track a nurse's specialty, especially with the rate nurses change jobs. It's not like nurses have a license for a particular specialty.

[toomuchbaloney]

What states could be doing is employing retired RNs to make contact tracing calls and follow up. Most states don't have anywhere close to the number of tracers needed to get a handle on this American epidemic.

[Susie2310]

Nursing specialty organizations could provide information about who is specialty certified in different states/counties. I would have thought that making contact by letter/e-mail with nurses who are specialty certified and who are not currently in the workforce for whatever reason would be helpful. Not currently practicing nursing can mean a nurse is unable to practice to current Standards of Care, but it can also be true that the nurse has maintained their certification and kept their training/education as up to date as a nurse not currently working could possibly do, in which case it would be reasonable to presume that with appropriate clinical supervision the nurse would be able to contribute during the current shortage of certain specialty nurses.

[Susie2310]

2 hours ago, Rose_Queen said:

I highly doubt the BON has the resources to track a nurse's specialty, especially with the rate nurses change jobs. It's not like nurses have a license for a particular specialty.

The nursing speciality organizations, of which there are many, have information about which nurses are currently certified in a specialty together with the nurses' contact information.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

https://covid19.ca.gov/healthcorps/

Governor Newsom Announced California Health Corps, a Major Initiative to Expand Health Care Workforce to Fight COVID-19 on Mar 30, 2020

https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/03/30/governor-newsom-announces-california-health-corps-a-major-initiative-to-expand-health-care-workforce-to-fight-covid-19/

Although with the increasing infections most hospitals have sufficient staff some counties are struggling.

Quote

With coronavirus patients filling up Inland Empire hospitals, nurses are desperate for relief

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-07-10/coronavirus-surge-inland-empire-hospitals-nurses-are-desperate-for-relief

[spotangel, DNP, RN, NP]

OP, if BON doesn't come to you, you could go to them and volunteer your services as they desperately need ICU nurses! That would be real nursing instead of these "people have rights to be unmasked and Europeans have grown a backbone" statements of yours in other threads!

I did at NY and survived! If a next pandemic hits us at NYC, I am in.

Lets see some action instead of words! Don't wait to be called. Help your fellow nurses! The time is now not maybe!

[NurseBlaq]

AL BON sent emails asking nurses to come back to work with links to hospitals hiring, facility needs, etc. However, no BON can force nurses to return to work.

[londonflo]

17 hours ago, A Hit With The Ladies said:

Weird they never did such a thing with specialty nurses.

I though this Covid thing was all a hoax - Everybody could take care of their minor cough at home, or so I heard from you.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Crickets from PA BON to licensee's while NJ Consumer Affairs/BON sent multiple emails re COVID-19, pandemic hiring/emergency temp facilities set up.

[A Hit With The Ladies, BSN, RN]

At the very least, they ought to be offering free and immediate ACLS courses for those who used to be ICU RNs!