Per Diem Medical Staffing App in Milwaukee, WI

An aging population. An aging nursing workforce. Dissatisfied nurses. 

What is the result? 

Wisconsin may face a shortage of nearly 20,000 nurses by 2040.

Reliable Healthcare Staffing App Provides Hope in Milwaukee, WI

“98% of CFOs surveyed viewed nurse staffing as a significant challenge for their health system during and after the pandemic.” - Evolving Contract Labor Opinions in the Healthcare C-Suite

Healthcare administrators and schedulers in Milwaukee face a daunting challenge: guaranteeing safe staffing levels amid an ongoing nursing shortage. Understand the factors contributing to staffing shortages in Wisconsin and find strategies to overcome these challenges. Furthermore, discover how a PRN healthcare staffing app can help facilities find reliable nurses at the lowest cost.

Is There a Demand for Nurses in Milwaukee, WI?

The nurse staffing shortage is a national phenomenon. However, each area of the country has unique characteristics that make the shortage more or less acutely felt. 

The Wisconsin Registered Nurse Supply and Demand Forecast Results report has been collecting data since 2010. The two most reliable models in the 2024 report predict a shortage of between 12,000 and 19,000 nurses by 2040.

The following are factors and projections that influence the demand for nurses in Milwaukee, Wisconsin:

• By 2032, the population of Wisconsin aged 75 or older will increase by 75 percent. On the other hand, the population under 18 will only grow by 3.5 percent.
• The population over 65 will double by 2030. As a result, the demand for healthcare services will increase by 30 percent.
• In 2020, the average age of registered nurses (RNs) in Wisconsin was 46.2. Approximately one-third were 55 or older. 
• In 2020, the average age of nursing faculty was 50.9. Furthermore, 32.6 percent planned on leaving their positions within five years, and 55 percent planned on leaving within nine years.
• There is a great need for more nursing graduates since many nurses are leaving bedside care.

Why Are Nurses Leaving Direct Care Positions in Wisconsin?

Registered nurses are the largest group of healthcare providers in Wisconsin. They work in all settings that provide healthcare. 

However, the Wisconsin Registered Nurse Supply and Demand Forecast Results Report from 2020 estimated that 9 percent of direct care RNs (about 8,100) would leave their positions within two years. By 2030, the report estimated that 44 percent of RNs (approximately 36,000) providing direct care would leave their positions. 

The Wisconsin Nurses Association (WNA) believes that the 9-percent estimate was optimistic and that more registered nurses have left their positions. The association states the following evidence:

• High number of vacant positions
• Increased use of agency staff
• Closures of long-term care facilities and beds
• Patients waiting for beds in emergency rooms
• Overcrowding in emergency departments

The first step to finding healthcare staffing solutions in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is understanding the causes of this RN exodus.

According to the WNA, the following are the main reasons nurses provide for leaving direct care positions:

• Care demands exceed capacity.
• Patient-to-nurse staffing ratios are unsafe.
• Newly graduated nurses feel unsupported.
• There is insufficient support for nurses’ wellbeing.
• There is increased workplace violence.
• Travel nurses earn much more than nurse employees, causing resentment among internal staff.

Nurses are leaving bedside care for more flexible scheduling, greater health benefits, higher pay, and better work environments.

How Can Healthcare Facilities Meet Nurses’ Demands? 

One solution that addresses many of nurses’ demands is maintaining adequate levels of healthcare staff. Sufficient healthcare staff reduces workloads, ensures safe patient-to-nurse staffing ratios, and improves the quality of care. With lighter workloads, experienced nurses have more time to support new nurses. All of these factors are crucial in reducing nurse turnover.

However, maintaining adequate staffing levels is a complex matter. 

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities strive to recruit enough nurses to cover healthcare needs. However, they must avoid being overstaffed during low census periods. Healthcare facilities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, need flexible, cost-effective, and reliable staffing solutions.

The following are some of the most common staffing strategies:

Traditional Employment

As with most industries, healthcare settings typically undergo long nurse recruitment processes. Healthcare facilities often post open positions on their websites or job boards, review countless resumes, and schedule numerous interviews with job seekers. 

Once a facility hires a nurse, the new recruit undergoes an orientation period. During this time, nurses may decide the job is not right for them. This is especially common among new graduates with insufficient support from senior nursing staff.

According to Statista, the recruitment process for a hospital RN takes an average of 86 days. For an experienced RN, the hiring process ranges from 73 to 94 days, depending on the specialty.

Traditional employment is undoubtedly an essential staffing strategy since facilities need full-time long-term staff who know the establishment well and can help onboard new staff. However, this recruitment strategy is insufficient to address all of a facility’s staffing needs.

Nurse Staffing Agencies and Travel Nursing

Using nurse staffing agencies and travel nurses allows facilities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to cover temporary staffing needs. However, these strategies are not cost-effective. 

A 2023 survey found that 69 percent of surveyed health system executives and 75 percent of chief financial officers considered the financial impact of relying on travel nurses and traditional staffing companies a top concern.

Furthermore, nurse staffing companies and travel nurses mainly address short-term needs. Healthcare facilities interested in hiring travel or agency nurses must pay expensive hire-away fees.

PRN Staffing

The same 2023 study found that over half of health systems surveyed are using four or more strategies to address the nurse staffing shortage. 

One of these strategies is PRN or per diem staffing. Health system executives saw contract nursing more than double from 2019 to 2023. Nearly all (93 percent) of these health system leaders do not believe nurse employees are more valuable than independent contractor nurses. Furthermore, 63 percent believe relying on a larger pool of nurses allows them to offer internal staff greater flexibility.

Our PRN staffing app allows healthcare facilities to rely on local professionals to cover emergency staffing on demand. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, can save time and money by contracting PRN nurses to cover unmet demand for nursing staff ahead of schedule as well as a last-minute resort.

This flexible staffing option helps facilities save money by maintaining only the necessary number of staff and paying only for the hours worked.

Learn how the Nursa PRN healthcare staffing app was the perfect solution for this skilled nursing and rehabilitation provider in Battle Ground, Washington, which faced last-minute callouts and unfulfilled weekend shifts.

PRN Healthcare Staffing Solutions in Milwaukee, WI

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, can contract per diem nurses and nursing assistants with our healthcare staffing app. 

This digital platform connects facilities and clinicians directly without intermediaries or excessive bureaucracy. Acute and post-acute care facilities can post the shifts they need to cover and schedule local healthcare professionals for the jobs within minutes. The staffing platform handles nursing credential verification and background checks to streamline the process, making healthcare staffing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, efficient and reliable. 

Additionally, the app doesn’t charge any hire-away fees. Healthcare facilities can select their favorite PRN clinicians to be automatically scheduled for future shifts through Auto-Schedule. They may also offer these temp workers permanent employment without additional costs. Therefore, this staffing strategy helps address both short- and long-term needs.

Source reliable nurses at the lowest cost by posting PRN jobs.

Sources:

• Wisconsin Nurses Association: Factors Impacting Wisconsin’s Nursing Workforce Shortage
• Department of Workforce Development: 2022 – 2040 Registered Nurse Supply and Demand Forecast Results
• Statista: Average number of days needed for a hospital in the United States to recruit a registered nurse from 2021 to 2024