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Have you ever had staffing problems in your facility? Have you wondered what the best way to solve these problems might be?
If your healthcare facility is in Memphis, Tennessee, then this article will help you compare the best options and make a decision that supports your facility and staff. Overall, these staffing solutions will help you improve the quality of care provided and your facility's budget and reduce the stress for you and your facility's healthcare workers.
PRN healthcare staffing solutions in Memphis, Tennessee
The demand for healthcare professionals in the United States has increased dramatically in recent years.
This demand has affected nurses and local healthcare facilities in Memphis, Tennessee. Some reasons for a generalized shortage are public health crises, an aging population, and an increase in chronic medical conditions.
Healthcare facilities have found solace in reliable and flexible healthcare staffing solutions. Thanks to flexible scheduling, facilities can fill critical gaps and achieve better quality of care for their patients.
Learn about the best healthcare staffing solutions in Memphis, Tennessee.
Understanding the effects of turnover in Memphis
Many regions of the country are experiencing a significant increase in challenges related to nursing shortages.
As explained before, the factors driving these shortages in Tennessee are varied. This situation can be very stressful for those in charge of staffing in healthcare facilities. For example, last-minute callouts, emergencies, and seasonal surges increase the urgency for staff at the last minute.
Ultimately, the patients are the most affected by this situation, given that they may not get the care they need. However, the problem does not end there, as there is also a negative effect on the facility and the healthcare professionals who have to care for more patients than they should.
Some of the most critical issues regarding nursing shortages in Memphis include the following:
- Shortfall of registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs): Tennessee is projected to have a shortage of 15,700 RNs by 2035. Presently, the state has a general shortage of LPNs and RNs. The Tennessee Hospital Association continues to look for ways to supply hospitals with nurses and allied health workers through various initiatives. However, over the past several years, Tenessee facilities have struggled to meet adequate patient-to-nurse ratios.
- Barriers that affect nursing education: Significant educational barriers for nursing professionals in Tennessee exacerbate the nurse staffing shortage. For example, there are not enough nursing educators to meet the state's demand for RNs. Additionally, despite the recommendation to increase the number of RNs with Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees, only 50 percent of RNs hold this degree in Tennessee. Many studies show that a BSN degree improves the quality of patient care and leads to better patient outcomes.
- Job dissatisfaction among nursing professionals: Many RNs in Tennessee feel that having too many patients leads to burnout. Mandatory overtime and long hours lead many nurses to leave the profession or seek less demanding jobs.
Because Memphis has a broad representation of different ethnic groups, another challenge many healthcare professionals face is communicating with patients from various backgrounds. Overall, there is a growing need for nursing professionals who can speak more than one language, such as Spanish, Somali, and Arabic, to enhance cultural competence in the facilities in which they work. These situations can cause hospital nursing staff to feel more pressure than usual.
Best practices for evaluating the right staffing option
Here are some of the solutions Tennessee proposes for addressing nursing shortages:
- Improving educational programs for nursing professionals: Since education significantly affects the shortage, Memphis has local universities expanding their nursing programs. For example, there are more possibilities for accelerated and online BSN courses and more viable RN-to-BSN options.
- Increasing recruitment and retention rates: At a state level, the strategies that stand out the most include the Tennessee Hospital Association's workforce retention and recruitment approach. In addition, many statewide initiatives support creative and innovative staffing models, such as per diem or PRN staffing.
As Memphis navigates these challenges, facilities must implement flexible staffing solutions.
Healthcare facilities in this city need to act fast. Given that the demand for nursing professionals in Memphis, Tennessee, is rapidly evolving, facilities need to consider many factors when looking for healthcare staffing solutions.
Upfront costs
The solution a facility adopts has to consider both short- and long-term costs. Furthermore, an effective healthcare staffing solution should be viewed as an investment rather than an expense.
Although internal staff positions often seem more cost-effective, they can come with additional costs, such as benefits or overtime. On the other hand, per diem jobs and travel nursing jobs are helpful to avoid having to pay nurses when the facility does not need them.
Time and effort to adopt a new staffing strategy
Every new strategy a facility adopts must be tested and communicated to all members working there. In addition, it takes a long time to integrate new technology systems. However, once these systems are adopted, they often have time-saving results. Moreover, adopting new strategies helps to get emergency staffing when needed.
Administrative handoffs
Another factor often overlooked is the administrative load. Healthcare facilities are in charge of recruiting staff, ensuring they have undergone a credential verification process, comply with local regulations, etc. When contracting staff on a temporary basis, it is often the agencies or recruiting services that do most of this paperwork, saving facilities time.
Local regulations
In Memphis, the Tennessee Board of Nursing sets a standard for nurse-to-patient ratios to ensure patient safety. This is just one example of some local regulations that facilities should consider when looking for options to find good partners with flexible solutions. Facilities must ensure that if they rely on nurse staffing agencies in Memphis, TN, they have all the regulations up to date for their staff. If they decide to use digital staffing platforms, they might find the process easier.
Hire-away costs
One advantage our app has over other options is that it has no hire-away costs. That is, if a facility decides to invite a nursing professional to join its team, it does not have to pay any additional fees. Many services that offer staffing solutions ask for exclusivity from workers and charge high fees if a facility hires them.
Top choices for staffing solutions in Memphis
Staffing solutions for facilities are diverse.
There is traditional staffing, whereby a nursing staff member works under a permanent contract and receives employee benefits.
There are nurse staffing companies that act as intermediaries charging for connecting nurses with facilities that need them.
There are also travel nurses who earn more by picking up short-term contracts to cover seasonal work. However, a revolutionary idea that many facilities are adopting as short- and long-term staffing solutions is relying on per diem or PRN nurses through nurse staffing platforms.
Traditional staffing
Traditional staffing offers stability for the healthcare facility and the employee. It also offers familiarity for patients. However, it does not provide the flexibility that other options do. In addition, if permanent staff feel overwhelmed, it is easier to suffer from burnout and higher turnover rates, leading to higher costs for the facility.
Staffing agencies
Agencies can provide a diversity of nurses in various specialties in addition to providing emergency personnel. However, this is a relatively expensive solution for facilities. Additionally, some agencies that ask for exclusivity may have a smaller pool of nurses willing to work for just one agency.
Travel nurses
Travel nurses have been an excellent solution for several decades. They can fill urgent shifts for a short period when there are large demands. However, the costs associated with housing, relocation, or travel can be significant. If coming from far away, getting used to a new environment can also be difficult for newcomers.
Per diem nurses
Per diem staffing represents a great advantage for both facilities and nurses. These shifts allow greater flexibility for nurses, decreasing stress. In addition, they are more cost-effective solutions for facilities. With Nursa, hospitals and long-term care facilities can rest assured that per diem nurses in Memphis have gone through a thorough vetting process. In addition to taking care of administrative handoffs, our platform facilitates a win-win pay rate for both nurses and facilities.
Most facilities need to have a combination of more than one staffing option. This ensures the continuity of care and safety of health workers and patients and covers on-demand staffing needs.
Optimizing healthcare workforce management with our app
Why choose our staffing app? It's simple: Our digital platform connects healthcare facilities in Memphis, Tennessee, with practical, fast, simple, and cost-effective staffing solutions. Some of the benefits of this modern platform include the following:
- More flexibility for healthcare professionals
- Access to a large pool of qualified professionals
- Recruitment of local healthcare professionals
- Cost-effective staffing solutions for facilities
- Quick solutions for staffing gaps
- No hire-away fees
Create an account today, look for PRN nurses in Memphis, TN, and start enjoying this lowest-cost, reliable staffing option.
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