Prognosis
Hospitals to Lean on More Expensive Travel Nurses Even After Covid
- ‘Everybody is searching for more staff,’ association head says
- U.S. travel-nursing revenue tripled to $12 billion in 6 years
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Hospitals are facing a new budget-buster as dependence grows on highly paid travel nurses who are poised to take on a larger role in staffing even after the pandemic threat fades.
Rising rates of hospitalization during the pandemic forced many institutions to increase their use of travel nurses who work on short-term contracts, often for more pay than their full-time counterparts. Now the surge of pent-up demand for non-Covid care along with the departure of many nurses from full-time staff positions is forcing institutions to look far and wide for staffing help.