Is Nursa a Staffing Agency? How Nursa Works

A nurse helping her elderly patient
Written by
Jenna Elizabeth
September 2, 2024

Long story short: No, Nursa is not a staffing agency. 

Nursa is a flexible healthcare staffing platform that helps connect clinicians with facilities to fill open shifts and improve patient care. This app-based platform allows healthcare professionals the convenience of finding per diem nursing shifts at nearby medical facilities. 

Whether you are a nurse who wants to be the boss of your own schedule or a facility looking for qualified clinicians, here’s an overview of how Nursa works and how it can benefit you. 

What Is Nursa?

Nursa is a nationwide healthcare platform that strives to quickly and efficiently put an experienced and skilled clinician at the bedside of every patient in need of care. Facilities can easily post the shifts they need to fill, and qualified healthcare professionals can request the jobs. Once clinicians have requested shifts, facilities can review their profiles and credentials and schedule their preferred candidates for the shifts. Clinicians benefit from receiving competitive per diem rates, and facilities benefit from having more staff at the bedside for patients. 

What Makes Nursa Different from Staffing Agencies

Nursa is not a staffing agency because it does not hire or employ nurses. Instead, Nursa acts as a liaison between facilities and nursing clinicians. Also referred to as per diem nursing, clinicians who find work through Nursa can work as needed for a hospital or facility. A per diem nurse’s pay is directly correlated to the hours they work. 

Here are some key differences between Nursa and a staffing agency: 

  • Nursa does not hire nurses; it connects per diem nurses who will work as independent contractors for facilities in need of coverage. 
  • Nursa does not mandate a predetermined number of hours that a nurse must work.
  • Nursa does not require facilities to post a predetermined number of shifts to the platform.
  • Nursa offers extraordinary autonomy by allowing nurses and nursing assistants to pick up as many or as few shifts as they want. 
  • Nursa does not charge a “hire-away” fee if a facility eventually decides to hire a PRN nurse for an in-house staff position.

Nursa stands apart from a staffing agency in many ways and is unlike a traditional W2 employment model. Instead, Nursa saves facilities and clinicians time and money by taking the pressure off the hiring process and connecting clinicians to facilities in real time. 

Learn More: How Nursa helps Long-term Care facilities and Hospitals both fill shifts and solve short-staffing problems.

How Does Nursa Work Exactly?

Facilities on Nursa post PRN shifts for registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical or licensed vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs), certified nursing assistants (CNAs), and certified medication aides (CMAs/MA-Cs).

Clinicians can sign up, create a profile, and begin to look for and request shifts in real time at local healthcare facilities. Facilities can also create a profile and start posting shifts right away. 

Nursa provides access to a large supply of quality clinicians that can ensure a facility remains compliant with increasing minimum staffing ratios for registered nurses (RNs) and certified nursing assistants (CNAs). 

How Facilities Can Use Nursa to Fill Shifts

Facilities can seamlessly and quickly use Nursa to post and fulfill shifts by signing up for an account. From there, facilities can take the following steps to find and schedule per diem clinicians: 

1. The Facility Posts a Shift, and a Clinician Views the Shift

After creating a profile, your facility can post available shifts, indicating key credentials and requirements. Top talent, including RNs, LPNs/LVNs, CNAs, and CMAs from your local area, can see your available shift and decide whether it fits their credentials and availability.

2. Clinicians Request the Shift, and the Facility Selects the Candidate

A clinician (or multiple clinicians) will submit a request on a specific shift indicating their desire to work the shift. Your facility will then review the profiles of the requesting clinicians and schedule the preferred candidate for the shift.

3. Facility and Clinician Complete and Approve Shift

The scheduled clinician will arrive and work the shift. Once the shift has been worked, the facility will approve it, confirming the hours worked. Your facility will also be asked to rate the clinician and provide feedback.

How Clinicians Can Use Nursa to Find Shifts

Clinicians can use Nursa to find high-paying shifts by signing up and creating a free profile. From there, clinicians can pick up a shift, or 10, and experience the convenience of scheduling shifts in real time. Here’s how clinicians can get started: 

1. Sign Up with Nursa and Add Nursing Qualifications

Clinicians can create a free profile by joining Nursa. As a clinician, you should also download Nursa's app. Once you are logged in to the platform, Nursa will guide you to upload all relevant nursing licenses, certificates, and qualifications. Similarly, you should also include any pertinent nursing experience in your profile, such as working in the emergency room, intensive care unit (ICU), or MedSurg. 

2. Complete a Background Check and Add Your Bank Information

To ensure that you get paid as a clinician, you will be required to enter your banking information and a government ID. You will also be asked to complete a free federal background check. Initiate your background check by requesting your first shift on the Nursa platform. 

3. Browse and Request Shifts 

Once you have completed your profile and passed all necessary background checks. You can begin searching for available per diem shifts in your area at local healthcare facilities. Clinicians will get access to high-paying, last-minute shifts. Likewise, holiday pay may be factored into some shift rates, and promotional bonuses may be available in certain locations.

4. Complete Shift and Get Paid

When you show up for your shift, you must check into the shift using the “I’m Here” button in the app. After you have completed your shift at a facility, a facility will approve your hours worked. From there, you must submit your Shift Report within seven days. Nursa offers two different ways for you to be paid: either direct deposit to a traditional bank account or to a Nursa Direct bank account. 

Nursa: A Win-Win for both Clinicians and Facilities

There are many benefits for both clinicians and facilities who use Nursa. 

For facilities, here are some of the top benefits of using Nursa: 

  • Get access to a large pool of qualified healthcare professionals in real time. With thousands of clinicians on Nursa, you can choose between multiple candidates for each shift, putting the control in your hands. 
  • Get the coverage you need quickly and efficiently.
  • Find clinicians who are choosing how much, when, and where they work. This autonomy over scheduling reduces the possibility of burnout and can lead to better clinician retention.
  • Save money as Nursa offers a more economical and flexible alternative to traditional W2 agency staffing. When factoring in running costs, such as recruitment, retention, and taxes, facilities have saved up to 50 percent on staffing expenses.

For clinicians, here are some of the top benefits of using Nursa:

  • Sign up for per diem shift opportunities in your area and request multiple shifts in real time.
  • Create an ideal work schedule, choosing how much, when, and where you want to work.
  • Get access to high-paying shifts that sometimes offer higher rates for holidays and promotional bonuses. 
  • Gain more experience by working roles in a range of dynamic healthcare settings.
  • Speak to a specialist via phone or live chat seven days a week, 4:00 am (MDT) - 10:00 pm (MDT), with 24-hour email support.
  • Be a part of a vibrant nursing community, meet new people, and make long-lasting friendships. 

Ready to Start Posting or Filling Shifts on Nursa?

Who knew flexibility and efficiency could match this well?  A featured article in Utah Business even labeled Nursa as "match.com" for last-minute healthcare staffing—aw shucks. Moreover,  considering the rising cost of traditional labor in healthcare, Nursa offers a more cost-effective, higher-quality alternative for facilities. 

Clinicians can benefit from using Nursa because of its scheduling flexibility. No more waiting around to find the perfect work-life balance. With Nursa, you can work the shifts you want when you want while earning great pay.

Are you a facility ready to start posting shifts and finding coverage? Create your free profile with Nursa today

Clinicians looking to pick up high-paying per diem jobs, sign up with Nursa here.

Jenna Elizabeth
Blog published on:
September 2, 2024

Meet Jenna, a contributing copywriter at Nursa who writes about healthcare news and updates, empathy and compassion for nurses, how to show staff appreciation and increase retention, and guides that help nurses navigate career pathways.

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