While there was already a nursing shortage prior to the pandemic, the past three years have pushed the shortage of nurses to critical levels. It's estimated that 1.2 million new registered nurses will be needed by 2030. The Department of Labor and Statistics estimates that there will be 203,000 nursing job openings each year for the next decade.
While the need for more nurses is at an all-time high, skilled nurses are leaving the profession. ShiftMed's 2022 State of Nursing survey, which surveyed nurses across the country about the issues they are facing, found that 65% of respondents were likely to leave the profession within the next two years. Healthcare workers are not okay—they're overworked, undervalued, and feeling burned out.
Getting Creative to Fix the Nurse Shortage
Healthcare facilities thinking about how to fix the nursing shortage are getting creative to keep skilled nurses in the profession and encourage others to consider a career in nursing. From signing bonuses of up to $25,000 to paying back student loans, providing child care, and alleviating nurses of non-clinical duties, providers are finding ways to support the mental health and overall well-being of nurses to help them both personally and professionally. Others within the healthcare industry, like ShiftMed, are also supporting nurses by removing barriers. Skilled nurses who can pick up shift work at healthcare facilities may face transportation challenges getting to and from work. In an exclusive partnership with Uber Health, ShiftMed aims to make it easier to get to work on time when transportation issues arise.
Breaking Transportation Barriers in Healthcare
Working within Uber's healthcare arm, this unique partnership with ShiftMed is aimed at delivering Uber for healthcare workers, providing meaningful benefits that truly help them with their daily needs.
What is Uber Health?
More commonly associated with supporting direct patient access to healthcare, Uber Health is a platform that connects patients to their providers by giving them rides to their appointments, removing a critical barrier to care. Facilities and healthcare providers order an Uber for their patients that need rides to and from their appointments.
Using Uber Health is a win-win for the patient and the provider. Patients can access the healthcare that they need, and doctors can provide continuity of care. It also reduces missed appointments, saving the provider money.
Uber for Nurses in the ShiftMed Network
ShiftMed has partnered with Uber Health to solve a similar problem and gain similar benefits. Facilities that have nursing shortages want to fill their open shifts. Nurses who want to work may not have reliable transportation to fill those open shifts. That's where ShiftMed comes in.
Healthcare professionals can now request rides to and from the facility directly through the ShiftMed app. It's simple. Open the app, find the facility and shift you want to work, claim the shift, then request an Uber to take you to and from your shift—or just one way if that's all you need.
You may be wondering who pays for Uber Health rides? There are no upfront costs for ShiftMed nurses to book a ride—the ride is booked directly within the app and the fare is automatically deducted from your total shift earnings as a ShiftMed nurse.
Uber Health rides for nurses are a win-win for facilities and providers. Nurses can work when they're available without having to balance finding reliable transportation. They can also expand their search for facilities, as transportation challenges often tie them to certain locations. Facilities can fill open shifts and reduce last-minute cancellations.
Retaining Skilled Nurses
ShiftMed’s State of Nursing survey revealed what nurses need to help them consider staying in the profession. Of those surveyed, 93% said they want control over their schedules, and 1 in 4 want to choose their shifts.
ShiftMed gives credentialed RNs, LPNs, and CNAs, the power to choose when, where, and how often they work, giving them complete control over their work schedule. By using the ShiftMed app, nurses get to:
Maintain a work schedule that meets their personal and professional needs.
Work per diem at any time of the day or night—weekends and holidays are optional.
Choose to work 8 hours one week and 40 the next—no shift minimums.
Claim Guaranteed Shifts® to get paid for the entire shift if a facility cancels.
Access 75% of their pre-tax earnings after a shift via free ShiftMed Instant Pay™.
Earn competitive pay, bonuses, holiday rates, and promotional perks.
Request Uber Health rides to and from their shifts in the ShiftMed app.
Want to work with ShiftMed? Download our nursing jobs app today!