As COVID-19 cases spike across the U.S., staffing has become an even greater concern at hospitals, particularly as workers are sidelined for virus-related reasons. Therefore, many of these organizations are relying more heavily on outside staffing, including travel nurses, to ensure the needs of patients are met.
Five notes about the issue:
1. Aya Healthcare, a San Diego-based travel nurse staffing agency, on Dec. 3 listed 37,034 crisis response, travel nursing and allied jobs available nationwide. Contracts are for up to 13 weeks.
2. On Dec. 1, Aya listed 37,162 travel nursing and allied jobs available nationwide, which the company said is 222 percent higher than the same time a year prior, according to The Arizona Republic.
3. The number of travel nurses is estimated to be at least 25,000, The New York Times reported, noting that the number continually changes.
4. Throughout the pandemic, travel nurses have helped hospitals battling COVID-19 surges. For example, Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare said Nov. 11 it was hiring about 200 traveling nurses, as well as adding intensive care and medical/surgical beds, in response to a rise in COVID-19 cases.
5. Data from temporary healthcare staffing website NurseFly, viewed by Becker's, revealed demand for intensive care unit travel nurses nationwide jumped 281.1 percent from March 1 to Nov. 16. States with the most month-over-month growth in ICU travel nurse jobs since March, as of Nov. 16, were Hawaii, Minnesota, New Jersey, Delaware and Illinois.
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