Leadership | 12.05.22
Travel Nurses Thrive as Hospitals Budget Third-Party Staffing Fees
by Indiana Public Media
The travel nurse industry soared during the pandemic as hospitals struggled with staffing shortages. Such nurses are continuing to fill temporary openings in hospitals nationwide, often signing contracts for 13 weeks at a time before moving on to a new city. Others like Enid Bedford, a registered nurse from Memphis, are staying put and signing multiple contracts throughout a given market -- in her case, Bloomington, Ind. While some people become travel nurses for the flexibility, others do it to improve finances. From 2019 to 2022, staff nurse salaries rose from $35 to $39 per hour. By comparison, the 2022 NSI National Health Care Retention and RN Staffing Report found the average travel nurse makes $154 per hour. Researchers, though, note that hospital administrators are hopeful they can decrease their dependency on supplemental staffing in 2023.
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