Amidst the on-going Covid-19 pandemic America’s healthcare workforce has been put in the spotlight. Thus, increasing demand for all nurses including Pro Re Nata (PRN), Registered Nurses (RNs), and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs).
This spotlight from Covid-19 has been shining more light on a huge problem at hand, the nursing shortage. Although it appears that the nursing shortage started during the pandemic, it has actually been an issue for decades that’s gotten even worse since 2012. This shortage which is expected to last until 2030 is caused by many different factors. The main factor being an increased need for healthcare around the globe. As our biggest generation gets older, there will be a larger strain on our healthcare system, with over a million new nurses needed.
What we Know Currently Regarding Nursing Statistics
Nurses are a critical part of society as we know it, along with our healthcare system. When hospitals and other facilities have an appropriate amount of nurses, it can improve patient safety, mortality rates, and patient outcomes. However, having enough nurses isn’t an easy task, for nearly a decade the United States has been fighting a nursing shortage which is expected to carry on for several years. It’s expected that over 1 million new nurses will be needed by 2030 to meet our increasing demands. Not only will newly created roles need to be filled, the roles of nurses expected to retire or leave the profession will also need to be filled.
Roles Expected to be Needed:
- Registered Nurses - An additional 175,000
- Licensed Practical Nurses - An additional 65,700
- Certified Nursing Assistants - An additional 192,800
- Nurse Anesthetists - An additional 6,200
- Nurse Practitioners - An additional 110,700
- Nurse Midwives - An additional 800
This is an incredible growth in demand for nursing jobs, the largest one being a growth of 52 percent. The need for nurses with master’s degrees will drive the need for new RNs. This is due to the fact that current RNs advance their education in order to take on higher-level nursing roles.
Effects From the Shortage
Since there is no way to minimize the demand for healthcare, hospitals and other facilities will always need qualified nurses. Due to this, that means a shortage creates several challenges, the biggest one being that patient mortality has increased. Several studies show links between short-staffed facilities and higher death rates. Patients are being overlooked and neglected as a result of the staffing shortage and nurses being overworked.
In addition to the increasing mortality rates, nurse burnout is rising. Burnout amongst the remaining nurses and healthcare professionals is evergrowing with the patients from Covid-19. As current nurses leave their positions, others are left behind to pick up their work. With the increase of patients from Covid, this is leaving many nurses working overtime.
As a result of hospitals not having the proper nursing staff, patients' stays are being increased and are more likely to be re-admitted due to complications. There is an increasing wait time for patients needing emergency care, an increase in this wait time affects the quality of care for patients across the country. Being forced to work longer hours under extremely stressful conditions, nurses often leave their workdays being incredibly tired and possibly injured. This is causing our nurses to lose their passion for the profession, feeling more disheartened to complete their everyday tasks. All these circumstances considered, it makes it much easier for nurses to make mistakes and medical errors while on the job.
What Does PRN Mean in Healthcare?
If you ever want a full-time job in a certain hospital yet can’t find one, a PRN job can help you get in. PRN stands for the Latin phrase pro re nata, which means “as the situation demands.” If you are working a PRN job, that means you only work when they need you. Typically while working PRN, you will also be able to choose when and where you want to work. Choosing which specific specialties you’d like to work with.
The Benefits of Working PRN
Although there are many benefits to taking the plunge and working PRN. One of the biggest benefits is definitely the flexibility. When choosing to take on a PRN shift, there are no set schedules and you get the opportunity to choose when and where you want to work. You have full ability to pick up as little as 8 hours a month or enough shifts during a week to consider it full-time.
Along with flexibility, another big benefit is better wages. Usually due to the lack of employment benefits such as insurance of paid time off, that means PRN staff receive a more generous hourly wage than typically given. The higher starting wage results in per diem staff earning more for their shifts. Additionally, night shifts typically have a higher pay rate than day shifts, similarly to holidays also having better pay.
You may also get the chance to sign up for on-call shifts. An on-call shift means you would be called into work if staffing is low or if there is an emergency. Most healthcare companies offer compensation to those signing up for on-call shifts, even if they are not called in. Although federal law requires on-call employees to be compensated under certain circumstances, companies still do have some flexibility in this area. For example, if you receive $40 per on-call shift you sign up for, regardless of whether or not you are called in, you could still earn money just for being available.
Lastly, one of the neatest advantages of working PRN is the ability to have choices on various shifts in different departments and work environments. This gives the opportunity to grow your skills in various specialties along with discovering if a certain specialty is worth your time and investment.
So, How Can I Find PRN Jobs?
You may be convinced and now thinking, well, how can I find PRN jobs? The easiest way to find PRN jobs is to take advantage of the digital age! There are thousands upon thousands of job listings posted online, with more being posted every day. One of the most convenient ways to find a job is using a healthcare staffing app. Pairing up with us at NursaTM, you can download our PRN nursing app to find healthcare per diem jobs all over the country.
