Welcome to the ShiftMed blog where we discuss everything nursing, from professional insights to healthcare holidays to helpful hints for working with us.
Nursing may be a profession taken for granted in the U.S. (just like teachers), but the numbers speak differently to their value. As a career, there’s a lot of flexibility, stability, and earning potential working as a nurse.
As healthcare continues to experience a labor shortage, wage inflation has become a significant issue. According to Premier Inc., the nurse base pay is up 9% since June 2021 and is likely to continue rising. Travel nursing agencies, which offer temporary nursing staff to fill in gaps in staffing, are expensive and exacerbate wage inflation. In fact, a recent 2022 report examined input from 272 hospitals in 32 states on registered nurse turnover, retention, vacancy rates, recruitment metrics and staffing strategies. The report revealed that for every 20 travel RNs eliminated, a hospital can save $4,203,000 on average. As a result, health systems and post-acute facilities are searching for alternative solutions.
If nurse retention is not a top priority at a healthcare facility, it should be. From 2020 to 2021, the average cost of turnover for one staff RN increased by 15%, bringing the financial implication of healthcare’s labor challenges into view.
Suffice it to say, the term “nurse” has almost become synonymous with “females in healthcare.” In fact, according to the United States Census Bureau, women hold 76% of all healthcare jobs. It should be no surprise that women have driven 80% of the overall growth in the healthcare industry. But have you ever thought to wonder why most nurses are female? During Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating our female nurses, but also examining why women tend to pursue a healthcare-related career, particularly in nursing.
Hospitals and healthcare facilities across the country are experiencing critical staffing issues in nursing. From recruitment and retention issues to mass resignations, the supply of skilled RNs decreased by more than 100,000 from 2020 to 2021. The shortage is pushing many healthcare facilities to ramp-up efforts to find alternatives to fill gaps in their healthcare staffing, including turning to gig workers like travel nurses or contract nurses.
Historically, floating shifts in healthcare involved moving – or “floating” – in-house nursing staff to other areas of the facility that were short staffed. These floating shifts were often viewed negatively and seen as disruptive to nursing teams and a nurse’s typical work schedule.
Whether you handle nurse staffing at a small skilled nursing facility or a large hospital system, you have your work cut out. As the nursing shortage continues, so does the uphill battle of maintaining optimal staffing levels and positive patient outcomes without adding labor costs. While no easy feat, winning the battle is possible with the proper artillery. That's where ShiftMed and UKG Dimensions™ come in.
