Travel nurses and other contingent staff play a crucial role in improving health services in hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities. However, their role is frequently misunderstood and their skill set is often undervalued.
During a July Becker's Hospital Review podcast sponsored by Ingenovis Health, Genine Wilson, president of the travel nurse and allied division at Ingenovis Health, discussed how incorporating travel nurses as a strategic part of a healthcare organization's workforce can yield strategic, operational and cultural benefits for healthcare organizations.
Three key insights were:
- Common misconceptions about travel nurses abound. Among those misperceptions is the belief that travel nurses are less skilled and less committed to quality of care than full-time employed nurses. The reality is that travel nurses often choose this career path for personal reasons, such as a desire for more flexible work, a desire to experience working in different parts of the country or an interest in applying their skill sets in more varied clinical settings. "Travel nurses are just as dedicated to patient care and quality as employed nurses," Ms. Wilson said. "They are a nurse in their heart, and once a nurse — always a nurse."
Another common misconception is that travel nurses are overpaid, since they are typically compensated at hourly rates that on the surface may seem unfair to full-time staff. However, this is the wrong way to look at compensation since these professionals forgo stability and long-term benefits and have higher travel and accommodation expenses. - Travel nurses make unique and valuable contributions to healthcare organizations. Apart from the fact that travel nurses provide temporary but critical staffing solutions to hospitals that are facing workforce shortages and/or increased patient demand, they are accustomed to working in different healthcare settings and are highly adaptable. This versatility allows organizations to customize their staffing dynamically to meet changing patient needs.
Travel nurses also enrich organizations by leveraging specialized skills and know-how, alternative approaches to patient care and culturally diverse perspectives, thus enhancing the overall quality of care and contributing to continuous improvement.
"We have nurses who jump right into some of the most challenging clinical settings, including complex surgical procedures, intensive care and trauma settings," Ms. Wilson said. "Their presence helps maintain efficiencies, prevent burnout among existing staff and improve patient outcomes." - To change perceptions about travel nurses, it is necessary to improve transparency and education. Because the contributions of travel nurses are going to be essential for maintaining well-functioning healthcare organizations going forward, recognizing those contributions and correcting misperceptions is paramount.
Highlighting travel nurses' role in improving cost-effectiveness — since organizations can hire them only for services they need and avoid paying for benefits, training, onboarding and overtime — and in reducing staff burnout, turnover and vacancy rates is a good way to bring visibility to their importance.
"If we can continue to integrate, educate and create transparency with staff and patients on the role of travel nurses, we'll all be better off in the future," Ms. Wilson said.