Healthcare Staffing Agency: Things You Need to Know

How Does a Healthcare Staffing Agency Help Your Facility Provide Better  Patient Care?

The need for a Registered Nurse (RN) in the United States of America has been at an all-time high as the rapid increase of patients, especially since the pandemic, had been increasing as days passed. Aside from that, an estimate of 80 percent of baby boomers have at least one chronic health condition.

Currently, there are around 70,000 nurses retiring annually, contributing to the nurse shortage that we are going through right now. Rural communities are predicted to be more likely affected by the shortage since these certain locations are less desirable to live in, which is why a bunch of hospitals are having a hard time trying to fill in positions for healthcare professionals and they use a healthcare staffing agency to help them.

What is a nurse staffing agency? How do nurse staffing agencies work?

Healthcare recruitment agencies provide placements to hospitals that have trouble filling in temporary or permanent placements. The medical staffing agency secures contracts for registered nurses (RN) to work in various types of healthcare facilities just like Advantage Medical Professionals, a long established healthcare staffing agency. Establishing and being a part of a medical staffing agency streamlines the staffing process for healthcare professionals and hospitals. The services of a healthcare staffing agency will depend on the types of healthcare professionals they place.

Types of Placements

  1. Per Diem or Pro Re Nata (PRN)

Per Diem means “per day” which is in the name itself. A Per Diem is similar to a nurse being on-call with contracts that range from a day to multiple weeks. The nurses that have this contract do not have guaranteed hours. It is ideal for last-minute shift cancellations or immediate demands since their services are rather quick and abrupt. This offers more flexibility than a PRN nurse.

Pro re nata means “as needed” are usually contacted to meet certain staffing stipulations to maintain employment, this means that they could be working during the weekend or the holidays.

  1. Travel Nursing

Travel nurses usually work on short-term contracts that are ranging from four to six weeks. If they are still short on staff or they like your services then there is a chance that your contract would extend. Travel nurses come from different places and are assigned to different care areas to fill employment gaps. 

  1. Temp-to-Perm or Permanent Placement Contracts

Temp-to-Perm contracts bridge the gap between employment to see if they like the geographic location of the hospital or medical facility, with the intention to go full-time in that certain location. Some Registered Nurses go through agencies to try and process this transition, to make it easier for them and all the other people involved.

  1. International Nursing Staffing Agencies

International Nurses are recruited through international nursing staffing agencies to bring nurses from all over the world to the United States so they could work there. They work on contract at the client’s facility until they convert to the facility’s full-time staff. 

The rates can be significantly less than travel if you work with a healthcare recruitment agency, so you can add stability to high turnover units and reduce burnouts for eventual transition as a full-time Registered Nurse in the hospital or medical facility.

How much do nurse staffing agencies make?

A healthcare staffing agency makes a commission off travel nursing contracts. In general, they make maybe 20-25 percent of the whole contract. 

How much does an agency nurse get paid?

The average base salary of an agency nurse that is a part of a healthcare staffing agency is $25.03 per hour and $12,500 per year, but it all depends on their contract and the position that they would be taking at the hospital or medical facility.

There are a lot of Registered Nurses out there who are having a hard time looking for a position in their area, but despite this fact, there are a lot of hospitals and medical facilities that are in need of more Registered Nurses to help fill in the vacant positions in their facilities. Proper nurse staffing is critical to help prevent RN burnout and improve patient outcomes, which is why Healthcare staffing agencies are incredibly important. Healthcare Agencies help provide employment and in return, help a lot of people by helping hospitals fill in.

Are you looking for some healthcare recruitment agencies right now? Get employed at Advantage Medical Professionals now!