While age is a factor considered in the current nurse exodus, the COVID-19 pandemic hastened the retirement of many nurses across the country due in large part to stress and burnout. Nursing is difficult both physically and mentally, and the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated these issues. Stress, causing a toll on the mental health of nurses, and overall burnout among nurses are major contributing factors to nurses choosing to leave staff positions in favor of contract/travel nursing.

According to a poll published by Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation, “roughly three in 10 healthcare workers have weighed leaving their profession. More than half are burned out. And about six in 10 say stress from the pandemic has harmed their mental health.” A significant shortage of nursing professionals results in a higher patient-to-nurse ratio.

A heavier patient load combined with other administrative duties and other daily tasks leads nurses to burn out more quickly.

Recruiting top talent is a time-consuming venture, and in the year 2022, it is only going to be more labor-intensive. With an excessive amount of vacancies to fill and a shrinking talent pool, the time it takes to find qualified and talented professionals will only increase. A more efficient route that healthcare organizations are expected to embrace is the use of vendor management systems to fulfill staffing needs.

Using vendor management systems is an efficient way to recruit talent to your organization. At Management Solution, LLC., we can streamline the entire recruiting process and significantly reduce the amount of time your organization spends on hiring. Additionally, we take the time to thoroughly vet candidates and ensure that they are properly credentialed, experienced, and competent. With our services, you can save administrative time and leverage the efficiencies of vendor-neutral solutions. Management Solution does not compete with its vendors by hiring registry providers.

Another benefit of using vendor management systems is the ability to have contingency staff. As the pandemic highlighted, unanticipated labor needs arise from time to time. With contingency staffing, your organization will always have the workforce it needs without having to incur unnecessary costs.

Retaining and recruiting staff, using technology to maximize efficiency, and returning to pre-pandemic workflow are just some of the considerations facing the healthcare industry this year. As finding qualified professionals becomes a struggle, many organizations can benefit from the help and experience of trusted vendor management systems. For more information on vendor management and how it can improve your healthcare organization, reach out to us at 1-855-502-3600.

With the increased demand for contract nurses, contracting nursing agencies have continued to raise their prices. The Time article notes that “the advertised pay rate for travel nurses has surged 67% from January 2020 to January 2022, according to Prolucent Health.” Other staffing agencies reported to Time that “pay rates for travel nurses at facilities they work with rose by 164% from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the fourth quarter of 2021.”

This jump in pay results in significant profits for travel nurse staffing agencies, prompting some hospital administrators and lawmakers to ask Congress to step in. During COVID, many hospital administrators experienced a severe dwindling in profits and are now arguing that nursing staff agencies are exploiting the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Hospital Association (AHA) notified the Federal Trade Commission of their concerns over the potential price gouging as far back as January of 2021. Recently, the AHA and other lawmakers have urged further federal intervention as travel nursing costs continue to rise.

While hospital administrators are arguing that staffing agencies are exploiting the pandemic, staffing agencies maintain that healthcare facilities are paying higher prices simply due to an increase in demand. At the same time, nurses argue that the staffing shortage crisis could have been avoided in the first place had administrators improved working conditions and paid staff nurses better from the start.

Where do healthcare systems go from here?

The answer is not simple. While it is easy to suggest that healthcare administrators simply improve working conditions and raise salaries for staff nurses, in practice, this can be very difficult to achieve. As noted by the AHA in a report from September of 2021, many hospitals are experiencing negative margins in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The projected loss for hospitals nationwide is “an estimated $54 billion in net income over the course of the year, even taking into account federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding from last year.”

Still, even with the challenges facing them, many hospitals and healthcare systems are attempting to increase pay for staff nurses. Additionally, hospitals are looking at how else they can entice staff to remain in their positions with some healthcare systems offering flexible scheduling for a better work/life balance and counseling services to tend to staff’s mental health. While the current staff nursing shortage does not appear to be eliminated anytime soon, healthcare systems are working to improve working conditions and pay to maintain current staff nursing positions. 

Unfortunately, the trend of provider shortages is expected to increase for the foreseeable future. With shortages, it can be difficult to independently maintain adequate staffing levels. Turning to vendor management systems can be an incredibly cost-effective way to keep positions filled and ensure proper patient care. 

In healthcare systems, particularly given the current level of provider shortages, temporary employees are often required. At VMS Solution, we offer a number of advantages for our clients. With a vendor-neutral vendor management system, temporary healthcare staffing becomes an easier and more efficient process. VMS Solution simplifies healthcare staffing for multiple healthcare systems and ensures patients receive high-quality, consistent care by streamlining the workflow and workforce.

Maintaining the standard of patient care and saving money on staffing is not an easy task, but one that is manageable with the right resources. Through technology, such as digital timesheet software, vendor management systems, and a focus on employee retention, it is possible to give patients the care they deserve without negatively affecting your bottom line.

According to the National Institute of Corrections, multiple organizations are working to improve correctional healthcare and the positions available within these systems.

The National Commission on Correctional Health Care is one such organization. As stated on the NCCHC website, this organization’s mission “is to improve the quality of health care in jails, prisons, and juvenile confinement facilities.” To achieve this, the NCCHC establishes standards for health services, conducts educational conferences, and offers certifications for correctional health professionals. Health, mental health, law, and corrections all have major national organizations working with the NCCHC “to create a robust, multidisciplinary governing structure that reflects the complexities of correctional healthcare.”

Organizations like the NCCHC and the Community Oriented Correctional Health Services can be helpful resources in attracting talent to correctional healthcare. Previous measures like increasing salaries for correctional healthcare workers were met with success, but there must be more.

One of the most effective tools a recruiter can use is education. It’s important for prospective correctional healthcare workers to fully understand the position and environment for which they are applying. There are a number of resources available for educational purposes and working with the greater healthcare community is an invaluable tool when it comes to correctional healthcare placement.

While correctional healthcare is a challenging vocation, it’s also one that is incredibly rewarding for dedicated workers. Personal satisfaction in helping those who desperately need it is just one of the benefits correctional healthcare workers receive from their positions. In addition to being a satisfying career that gives individuals a strong sense of purpose, correctional healthcare can be very financially rewarding for registry workers.

While age is a factor considered in the current nurse exodus, the COVID-19 pandemic hastened the retirement of many nurses across the country due in large part to stress and burnout. Nursing is difficult both physically and mentally, and the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated these issues. Stress, causing a toll on the mental health of nurses, and overall burnout among nurses are major contributing factors to nurses choosing to leave staff positions in favor of contract/travel nursing.

According to a poll published by Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation, “roughly three in 10 healthcare workers have weighed leaving their profession. More than half are burned out. And about six in 10 say stress from the pandemic has harmed their mental health.” A significant shortage of nursing professionals results in a higher patient-to-nurse ratio.

A heavier patient load combined with other administrative duties and other daily tasks leads nurses to burn out more quickly.

If the provider can’t perform the basic functions of a job, or doesn’t have the required experience, going any further with the prescreening is a waste of both parties’ time. Make sure that the facility has made the position’s requirements very clear, so that it can be easily decided whether or not the provider meets them.

Given that the employment can be for a very short amount of time, facilities need to be sure that the providers that they’re hiring on don’t require additional, basic training, and are competent in their field.

In a vendor-neutral system, the competition that often takes place between the vendors and the vendor management company is neutralized.

Rather than being demoralized by constantly submitting qualified candidates, only to be beaten out by mediocre providers from “preferred vendors”, vendors in this system know that submitting qualified candidates as quickly as possible is the best way to have their candidates selected.

True vendor neutrality also means that vendors are not allowed to continually submit sub-par providers under the cover or excuse of a lower rate. These types of providers will be flagged, and not rehired. Vendors that continually submit these types of clients will likely lose their contract.