PRN Hospital and Healthcare Staffing App in Omaha, NE

Omaha carries the weight of half of the state’s nursing shortage. The state’s staffing challenges are numerous and complex. Therefore, hospitals and other healthcare facilities need creative and flexible staffing solutions. 

Your Omaha, NE, facility needs a healthcare staffing app

The world is changing. Healthcare is changing. Nurse staffing strategies are changing. 

In the age of digital solutions, healthcare facilities cannot stay stuck in the past. 

Understand the challenges healthcare facilities face in Omaha, Nebraska, and how a staffing app can provide solutions.

Is Omaha experiencing a nursing shortage?

Nebraska, as a whole, is experiencing a nursing shortage. The Nebraska Center for Nursing estimates that the state will have a shortage of 5,435 nurses by 2025. 

Omaha alone will experience approximately half of that shortage. In other words, of the 5,435 nurse gap in supply in the state, there will be a shortage of 2,671 nurses in the Omaha region.

As is the case nationwide, the nurse staffing shortage is driven by the following factors:

• An aging population
• An aging nursing workforce
• Limited resources for nursing education and training

What is the reality of healthcare in Nebraska? 

Besides the mentioned general factors that contribute to a nursing shortage nationwide, the following are some statistics that represent the state of healthcare in Nebraska:

• Out of Nebraska’s 93 counties, 73 have a ratio of registered nurses (RNs) to patients below the national average.
• Sixty-six counties are considered medically underserved. In other words, these counties lack medical services, as determined by numerous factors, including the number of primary medical care physicians and infant mortality rate.
• Nine counties have no registered nurses. 

Nurse vacancies

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities in Nebraska have high vacancy rates. The following statistics offer a glimpse of vacancy rates for full-time positions throughout the state based on data from 2022:

• Critical access hospitals (CAHs) had vacancy rates of 50 percent in behavioral health and 36 percent in critical care.
• Urban hospitals had vacancy rates of 28 percent in critical care and 25 percent in behavioral health.
• Rural Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) hospitals had the following vacancies: 64 percent in behavioral health, 59 percent in emergency departments, including triage staffing, and 56 percent in critical care.
• Long-term care facilities had a 28 percent vacancy rate for licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and a 25 percent vacancy rate for RNs. 

Out of all Nebraska hospitals, 80 percent expect these vacancies to increase over the following five years.

Nurse turnover

In 2022, 973 nurses left their roles in Nebraska. 

In critical access hospitals, 51 percent of nurses with less than one year of experience left their positions. The main reason for leaving their positions was retirement. The second reason was travel nursing. 

Ironically, in 2022, 10 percent of nurses working in critical access hospitals and 12 percent in urban hospitals were travel nurses. In other words, nurses are leaving internal staff positions in favor of travel nursing assignments. In turn, hospitals are forced to contract contingent staff to cover vacancies. 

Nursing education

Nationwide, nursing education is experiencing a shortage of educators, clinical placements, preceptors, and funding. However, Nebraska is the only state with no funding for career and technical education programs.

Other challenges include the following:

• Nebraska hospitals without student lodging available in their communities: 60%
• Nebraska hospitals relying on the academic center to provide all clinical instructors: 40%
• Shortage of instructors for practical nursing programs: 20%
• Shortage of instructors for Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) programs: 13%
• Shortage of instructors for Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs: 12%

On the bright side, 70 percent of Nebraska hospitals are interested in providing clinical instructors for nursing students, and 50 percent have nursing staff members who are interested and ready to serve as clinical instructors.

What are the implications of Nebraska’s nursing shortage?

Nebraska’s nursing shortage impacts not only its residents’ physical and mental health but also the economic health of healthcare facilities. 

Omaha facilities are especially hard hit since this city is experiencing the nursing shortage most acutely.

Staffing shortages have required facilities to increase wages. Hospitals have invested significant resources in nurse recruitment and retention. These investments have exacerbated hospitals’ financial hardships.

Staffing shortages were only worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic marked a turning point in healthcare. Specific trends have picked up momentum since the pandemic. The ability of hospitals and other healthcare facilities to recruit, train, retain, and support staff will depend on their ability to adapt to the following trends:

• Shifts in delivery models, including telemedicine
• Increased reliance on technology 
• Changes in staffing models, including per diem or PRN staffing
• Efforts to reduce healthcare disparities
• Pressure on hospitals and health systems to reestablish economic sustainability

How can Omaha facilities meet present staffing needs?

“Nursing is a huge struggle. No one is wanting to stay at the bedside. Money is an incentive but adequate staffing is more important to them.” - Nebraska Health Care Workforce Collaborative 2023 Report

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities in Omaha, Nebraska, face a colossal challenge: guaranteeing safe staffing ratios amid a critical shortage of healthcare professionals.

Because the challenge is so significant, facilities cannot rely on a single solution. Facilities must employ creative and flexible staffing solutions. 

Are nurse staffing agencies in Omaha, NE, the answer?

Relying on nurse staffing companies for on-demand emergency staffing is not enough. A nurse staffing agency in Omaha, Nebraska, which receives numerous healthcare staff requests, will prioritize the longest-term contracts.

These agencies are also not cost-effective strategies for long-term staffing. If a facility wishes to employ an agency nurse, they must pay expensive hire-away fees.

Are travel nurses the answer to staffing needs?

As mentioned, hospitals rely heavily on travel nurses to cover staffing gaps. 

Travel nurses are ideal for periods (typically three months) of anticipated temporary vacancies. These temporary vacancies may be due to a nurse taking maternity leave. 

Travel nurses are also helpful in times of anticipated patient surges, such as flu season or elective surgery season. 

However, travel nurses are notoriously expensive. Therefore, they are not viable staffing solutions during periods of lower patient census.

Which is the lowest-cost, reliable nurse staffing solution?

One solution for facilities in Omaha, Nebraska, that addresses various healthcare trends is using a healthcare staffing app.

Nursa is a nurse staffing app that offers healthcare facilities flexibility, reliability, cost-efficiency, and transparency. 

The digital platform connects facilities with local healthcare professionals for PRN shifts.

This staffing solution combines technology, flexible staffing models, and financial sustainability.

Why is a healthcare staffing app the best solution?

Our staffing app offers flexible scheduling for facilities and PRN nurses in Omaha, Nebraska. 

It provides solutions for both acute care and post-acute care facility staffing.

Here are some of the key advantages of using the healthcare staffing app for facilities in Omaha, Nebraska:

• Reliability: The platform conducts background checks and credential verification for all clinicians. Therefore, facilities can have peace of mind knowing that the clinicians they contract are vetted and qualified.
• Transparency: There are no hidden costs. Facilities have different pricing options and approve pay rates before posting shifts. Furthermore, facilities only pay for the hours worked—no transportation costs or employee benefits. 
• Availability: Our app has hundreds of thousands of clinicians on the platform, including RNs, LPNs, and certified nursing assistants (CNAs). 
• Long-term solutions: Our platform does not require exclusivity or charge hire-away fees. Therefore, facilities can employ clinicians they meet through our app at no additional cost.
• Local support: The app is user-friendly for facilities and clinicians. Nevertheless, Nursa Support is available around the clock to assist users.

Find the lowest-cost, reliable nurses your facility needs

Our staffing app is a resource all healthcare facilities in Omaha, Nebraska, should rely on. 

There are no costs for signing up or for posting PRN jobs. 

You only pay for the hours worked. 

Sign up today to help provide your facility with flexible, cost-effective staffing solutions. 

Sources:

• Nebraska Health Care Workforce Collaborative: Nebraska Nursing Workforce Shortage