Demand for nurses is running extremely high, and the super-heated healthcare jobs environment is not going to change soon.
While nursing demand will fluctuate, long-range trends point upward. High demand and low supply of nurses will continue for the foreseeable future – possibly for decades.
A future of steadily rising demand became more apparent with US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data showing that December was the biggest month in healthcare employment on record.
Nurse hiring managers need to keep that firmly in mind when planning to fill open shifts with travel nurses. For optimal results, they may need to change tactics. Three suggestions can lessen their burden:
• Extend current travelers: At 60 days or more prior to their end date, travel nurses’ assignments can be extended. This has real advantages because extensions don’t require onboarding or training, and nurse managers already know whether the travelers are a good cultural fit.
• Post orders early: Nurse shortages have created an extremely competitive environment for hiring. Every manager is competing for nurses with their counterparts at other hospitals, ambulatory care centers, and other facilities. Since care quality is the most important criteria when hiring, posting orders early can make the difference in whether healthcare organizations get the quality of nurses they need.
• Talk to Account Manager: Solving problems is best done one-on-one. Many new and innovative efficiency and time-saving tools are now available that provide opportunities to help fill openings. Talking directly with experts in nurse staffing is always a good idea.
Steady Rise in Demand
While industry analysts had predicted that healthcare jobs growth would flatten in 2018 – and that hospital jobs growth would decline – but that didn’t happen. Those projections were based on uncertainty about healthcare policy and value-based medicine changes that presumably would reduce hospital admissions.
Strong healthcare job growth in 2018, including at hospitals, showed that other powers driving demand are far stronger than public policy. The nation’s aging population is the most powerful driver. In 2016, there were 49 million Americans 65 and older; in 2035 there will be 78 million, and by 2060, there will be 95 million, according to the US Census Bureau. This population uses healthcare services much more than younger people, and their care is covered by Medicare. In addition, the overall number of jobs is increasing, and more jobs mean more jobs with healthcare coverage.
Unfilled Jobs Gap Widening
While demand for healthcare services is increasing, the growth in healthcare workers cannot keep up. In particular, the wave of Baby Boomer retirements is fully underway and will continue, resulting in ever greater demand for experienced clinicians to fill those roles. Since the Baby Boomer generation is larger in size than succeeding generations, there is a smaller pool to replace them when they retire.
The unfilled jobs gap is widening; there are approximately twice as many healthcare job openings as job hires, according to BLS data. This situation likely won’t improve any time soon. Nurse hiring managers will need to change their tactics when hiring travel nurses to ensure quality care and fill shifts -- now and in the future.
Carolina Araya is the senior vice president of client management for AMN Healthcare.