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How Facility Leaders Are Acknowledging the Changing Social Contract of Work and Relying on 1099 Nurses to Enhance Care Teams
75%
75% of CFOs and 69% of all execs say nursing costs put significant pressure on their bottom line or are the top driver of margin pressures in the past two to three years.
93%
93% of health system leaders do not believe being employed by a health system makes a nurse more valuable than working as an independent contractor.
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Over half of health systems surveyed are deploying four or more strategies to tackle the nurse staffing shortage.
63%
63% of health system executives believe with a larger pool of nurses, they could offer greater flexibility to staff.
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COVID-19 didn’t create the nurse staffing crisis, but it did exacerbate it –and it’s not over.
The nurse staffing shortage didn’t start with the pandemic, but it has necessitated that healthcare leaders take a fresh look at why it exists and the barriers that get in the way of recruiting and retaining nursing talent.
Nurses have been sounding the alarm on their increasing frustration with mandatory overtime and burnout –workplace challenges that were further inflamed by the global health crisis.
To meet the clinical and regulatory needs of their facilities without risking further alienation from their existing full-time staff, health system leaders shed light on how they’ve been trying to fill the gaps.
50%
50% increase in shifts filled with per diem or contract nurses from pre-pandemic to 2023.
86%
86% of health system executives surveyed saw notable increase in contract nurse labor during pandemic.
98%
98% of CFOs surveyed saw nursing as a significant challenge for their health system during and after the pandemic.
Facilities who use Nursa fill 3 times as many open per diem shifts, on average, compared to trying to fill the shifts themselves.
Post JobsThe financial impact of relying on travel nurses and traditional staffing agencies has been – and continues to be – a top concern for these healthcare executives. Many respondents shared that nursing shortages at their facilities have led to a significant increase in overall costs and remains one of the biggest drivers of margin pressure.
Indicated that nursing costs put significant pressure on their bottom line or are the top driver of margin pressures in the past two to three years.
Increased significantly duringvthe pandemic
Increased somewhat during the pandemic
Did not change during the pandemic
Decreased significantly during the pandemic
Not sure
Nearly all respondents agreed that nurses are critical to quality care delivery. Yet their facilities and health systems continue to struggle with recruitment and retention that ensures patients have nurses at their bedsides when and where they’re needed.
Competition for top talent, inflation and compounding financial strains – such as the rate of increase in payer contracts not matching the rate of salary increases – creates a complex set of circumstances for healthcare executives to try to overcome.
The time spent addressing nurse staffing issues adds to the problem.
The crisis looks different every day, respondents acknowledged, indicating that a nimble solution is needed to confront the most immediate and foreseeably consistent staffing problems.
41%
50%
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An analysis by McKinsey & Company, which has collected data around nurse satisfaction and pain points over the past five years, found nurse workforce challenges are exacerbated by familiar frustrations, including the desire for greater time for professional growth. Nurses also crave more time for direct patient care, which could contribute to higher-quality care, and fewer administrative demands per shift, a wish list that could be achieved through tech-enabled support.
Years of poor work/life balance, pandemic exhaustion and the exodus of many clinicians who left the profession entirely has had a cumulative effect, leading to present-day struggles.
One out of three nurses wanted to leave bedside nursing in 2022, and nine out of 10 believe the nursing shortage is getting worse, according to a survey by Nurse.org. By 2030, all but eight states could have fewer nurses than they need, the survey found.
For many healthcare executives charged with “stopping the bleed” on their workforce pipeline, the solution hasn’t been easy, revealing how strongly nurses feel about their work environments. Waves of departures were reported among most respondents.
Of the 203 healthcare executives who completed the survey, only 2% said they did not view nursing as a significant challenge to their health system.
The majority see technology as a pathway to improving nurse staffing and satisfaction.
The overall sentiment among respondents was that they do not believe technology will replace the sacred space of human interaction when a nurse is put at the bedside of a patient in need. Rather, they think technology can help provide space for health systems to make these nurse-patient connections.
Four out of five believe technology can alleviate administrative burden, allowing nurses to focus on care delivery.
Three out of four view technology as a way to more effectively connect nurses to patients.
Two out of three believe technology platforms can support cost savings for hospitals seeking to fill nursing shifts.
(Scale of 1-5 with 5 being very significant impact to the organization)
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Many of the respondents shared that their systems and facilities deploy multifaceted strategies to move toward a staffing model that resonates with nurses while filling crucial gaps in their organizations. These approaches aim to improve working conditions for full-time clinicians and make room for contract workers while also supporting the sustainable renewal of the nurse workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs.
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Over half of health systems are deploying four or more strategies to tackle the nurse staff shortage.
70%
70% of health systems are relying on staffing agencies.
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More than one-third have turned to mandatory overtime for existing nursing staff.
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Four out of five health systems are partnering with nursing schools to strengthen the nurse staffing pipeline.
Significantly, the impact of finding the right formula for integrating contract nurses to relieve the pressures on full-time employees could have far-reaching implications, respondents said.
of health system executives say with a larger pool of nurses, they could offer greater flexibility to their staff.
Executives should reframe how they handle nurse staffing and embrace diversified approaches to problem-solving to effectively address nurse staffing challenges.
It starts with perspective. Changing the way hospital and health system decision makers view nurses as part of their workforce ecosystem is just as crucial to finding the right solution as a willingness to embrace technology to increase nurse retention and satisfaction.
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Nearly one out of three health system executives view nurses as a “cost center.”
93%
93% of those surveyed do not believe being employed by a health system makes a nurse more valuable than working as an independent contractor.
60%
60% of CHROs and HR executives surveyed say platforms that enable rapid filling of per diem shifts would significantly impact their organization.
Beyond the financial solvency and workforce woes that keep healthcare executives up at night, nurse staffing problems also have a direct impact on local communities and population health.
Adopting a proactive strategy that improves nurse satisfaction while meeting organizational needs is crucial to relieving the pressure felt by clinical staffing shortages. With the right comprehensive plan in place – specifically, one that incorporates a tech-enabled solution that supports contract nursing –healthcare leaders have the power to achieve their own goals and improve the health of the communities they serve.
Facilities who use Nursa fill 3 times as many open per diem shifts, on average, compared to trying to fill the shifts themselves.
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Nursa is a nationwide platform that exists to put a nurse at the bedside of every patient in need quickly and safely, removing the financial strain, administrative burdens and operational gaps of traditional staffing methods. Nursa’s real-time technology enables hospitals, health systems, skilled nursing facilities and community organizations to easily secure qualified, local clinical talent for per diem shifts with no upfront fees or restrictive contracts. Founded in 2019 and built on the bedrock granite of Lake Bonneville in Salt Lake City, Nursa is trusted by a growing community of more than 1,500 facilities and 229,000 nurses nationwide and is accredited by The Joint Commission.
