From winter ski weekends to summer tourism and everything in between, Bend’s patient volumes rise and fall with the seasons. For local healthcare leaders, that means one constant challenge: keeping units staffed.
Healthcare staffing solutions in Bend, OR
Meeting the staffing needs of Bend’s healthcare facilities has never been more challenging — or more critical. Whether you run a hospital, clinic, long-term care facility, or urgent care center, having reliable access to qualified nurses, LPNs, and CNAs is essential for delivering quality care.
This guide explores local medical staffing challenges, compares available solutions, and explains why Nursa’s healthcare staffing platform is becoming the preferred choice for healthcare staffing in Bend, OR.
The state of healthcare staffing in Bend, Oregon
Bend is one of Oregon’s fastest-growing cities, with a population of around 100,000 and a steady influx of retirees, seasonal workers, and outdoor enthusiasts. This growth has led to:
- Increased patient volume at the region’s largest hospital
- Higher demand for post-acute care in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities
- Seasonal fluctuations in urgent care visits, especially during the winter sports season and summer tourism
The challenge?
Bend’s healthcare workforce has not kept pace with demand. Many facilities report difficulty filling night shifts, weekends, and last-minute call outs, especially in nursing units with high patient acuity.
Why staffing shortages are so impactful
When a unit is short-staffed, the consequences ripple through every layer of the healthcare system. Patient care quality is the first and most visible casualty.
Nurses are stretched thin, often juggling heavier patient loads than is safe or sustainable. This not only increases the risk of clinical errors but also reduces the amount of time a nurse can spend providing one-on-one patient support, education, and comfort.
Financial pressures mount as well. Overtime costs spike when existing staff must work extra hours to fill the gaps. This leads to budget strain for facilities that are already navigating tight margins — a reality for many in Bend, where operational costs are on the rise due to inflation and higher living expenses for staff.
Staff morale takes a hit when shortages become the norm rather than the exception. Constantly covering extra shifts leads to burnout, fatigue, and higher turnover, creating a vicious cycle where staffing gaps worsen over time.
Facilities then face increased recruitment and onboarding expenses, further compounding the problem.
Shortages can also cause:
- Delayed treatments or procedures that negatively impact patient recovery timelines.
- Increased risk of errors and burnout, particularly in high-acuity units.
- Declines in patient satisfaction scores can influence a facility’s reputation, reimbursement rates, and ability to attract new patients.
- Higher stress for leadership teams, who must constantly adjust schedules, make last-minute calls for coverage, and manage dissatisfied staff and patients.
In Bend, where seasonal tourism and population growth put additional strain on local healthcare resources, the stakes are high. A busy winter ski weekend at Mt. Bachelor or a summer hiking surge can mean sudden increases in ER visits, orthopedic cases, and urgent care needs — all of which require quick staffing adjustments.
These challenges underscore the urgent need for flexible healthcare staffing solutions that can be deployed on short notice — without compromising quality or safety.
Staffing options for facilities in Bend
When it comes to nursing staffing solutions, Bend facilities generally have four main options:
1. Traditional staffing agencies
For example, a long-term care facility might partner with a staffing agency to cover vacation leave for an RN, but agency markups can significantly increase labor costs.
- Pros: Handles recruitment and vetting, can provide temporary workers quickly.
- Cons: Often expensive, with rigid contracts and limited flexibility.
2. Internal float pools
Many facilities find that their float pools cannot meet the increased demand during flu season or tourist influxes in Bend.
- Pros: Staff already know facility policies and patients.
- Cons: Limited by the size of the existing workforce.
3. Travel nurses
A hospital unit may hire travel nurses for maternity leave coverage, but still needs on-demand staffing for day-to-day gaps.
- Pros: Fill longer-term vacancies and bring specialized skills.
- Cons: Higher cost, often 13-week contracts, not ideal for single-shift coverage.
4. Nursa’s per diem healthcare staffing platform
With Nursa’s PRN staffing platform, you can post shifts and connect with verified clinicians instantly, without long-term commitments. This makes it ideal for last-minute coverage, weekend shifts, and unexpected patient surges.
- Pros: Access to local, qualified nurses, LPNs, and CNAs in real time.
- Cons: Requires facilities to adapt to a digital shift-posting workflow (easy to learn).
Nursa’s PRN staffing solutions give Bend facilities instant access to a network of qualified RNs, LPNs, and CNAs, helping them stay prepared for both planned and unexpected surges in patient volume.
How Nursa supports Bend facilities
Nursa isn’t a nurse staffing company—it’s a digital marketplace designed to connect facilities with qualified PRN clinicians fast.
Credentialing and compliance
All clinicians on the platform have their licenses verified and backgrounds checked before they can pick up a shift. Facilities can also view clinician work history and reliability ratings from other facilities.
Flexible scheduling
Whether you need a single CNA for a four-hour shift or a team of RNs for a week, Nursa offers flexible scheduling that works with your census and budget.
Cost control
Unlike traditional staffing agencies, Nursa eliminates hidden fees and middlemen. You pay only for the shifts you need, reducing overtime and agency overhead.
Streamlined workflow
Post your shift needs on the app, set your pay rate, and watch as PRN nurses and CNAs in and around Bend, OR, claim the shifts. You can also rebook your favorite clinicians for future needs by building a Favorites list and enabling the Auto-Schedule feature.
Nursa in action
Forest Grove Rehabilitation and Care Center, a skilled nursing facility in Forest Grove, Oregon, was facing frequent weekend staffing gaps due to unexpected call-outs.
Kayla Van Roekel, the facility’s administrator, described the strain: “We’d get to the end of the week and have several unfulfilled weekend shifts … We used to sit in a room for hours looking at the schedule trying to fill gaps,” she said.
With Nursa, overnight turnaround became the norm—shifts could be posted via phone in seconds and filled in just minutes, bringing weekends stress-free and returning precious time to patient care.
“I love being able to quickly post a shift and let Nursa take care of it for me.”
Since adopting Nursa, Forest Grove now fills 100% of posted shifts with qualified, cost-effective clinicians—allowing high-paid schedulers to focus on care rather than scramble to cover shifts.
Best practices for facilities using PRN staffing in Bend
Here are some tips to maximize your gains when using Nursa:
- Use the app for last-minute needs: Nursa’s real-time notifications mean even call outs can be covered in hours.
- Post shifts for staff PTO: Use the app to cover planned schedule gaps in advance instead of relying on employee overtime.
- Include detailed shift descriptions: List unit type, patient ratio, and any special skills required.
- Build a roster of “Favorites”: Rebooking trusted PRN nurses creates consistency in patient care.
Why Bend facilities are turning to Nursa
In a competitive market for nurses and CNAs, Bend facilities need more than just temporary help—they need a strategic staffing partner.
With Nursa, you can:
- Maintain staffing levels during surges
- Reduce costs without sacrificing quality
- Ensure compliance and safety standards
- Adapt quickly to changing patient volumes
It’s no surprise that nurse staffing agencies in Bend, OR, are being outpaced by Nursa’s digital-first approach.
Sign up with Nursa today
Bend’s healthcare landscape is evolving rapidly. Facilities that embrace on-demand healthcare staffing solutions will be best positioned to meet patient needs, control labor costs, and support their permanent staff.
By using Nursa’s healthcare staffing platform, you gain instant access to a pool of qualified PRN nurses, LPNs, and CNAs — ready to work when you need them most.
Don’t let staffing shortages impact patient care. Sign up with Nursa today.
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