Planet Healthcare’s Senior Vice President, Jim Patton, recently sat down for an interview to discuss what he and his team are seeing in the healthcare recruitment space. Here are some of his insights regarding skillsets, nursing burnout, and contract length.
Q: What are you seeing in terms of demand for nurses?
A: The demand for nursing has never been higher. The U.S. is projected to experience a shortage of registered nurses, which will likely intensify as baby boomers leave the nursing profession and the need for healthcare services continues to grow.
Q: What nursing skills are in highest demand?
A: Throughout the last 18 months, we have seen a steady demand for all skillsets in healthcare ranging from Med Surg, ICU, and Emergency Room. Many of our clients have reached out for support as demand has outnumbered supply. This increase in demand, in many ways, is due to the pandemic.
Q: Does that play into the nursing shortage at all?
A: Absolutely. The nursing shortage is real—we’re seeing a number of hospital systems that are brimming with patients but do not have enough staff to help support those units. This leads to nurses who are working in higher ratios than they’re accustomed to and taking on more than they’re accustomed to in order to ensure the hospital keeps running smoothly and patients receive proper care. Because of this, it’s no surprise that nurses are burning out. In today’s market we’re seeing this burnout on a daily basis. It’s all too real.
Q: What typical contract length are you seeing for nurses?
A: Contracts were about 13 weeks long in the beginning of the pandemic but, as the pandemic raged on, we started to see many contracts go from 13 to 8 weeks. However, since the biggest pain point is keeping enough staff to care for patients, many hospitals are now offering longer-term contracts at 20+ weeks to try to keep nurses on staff as long as possible. We’re also seeing a big push toward permanent hires to try and fill the gaps they’re seeing inside hospital systems.
Planet Healthcare’s staffing solutions cover the entire healthcare and medical industry spectrum. Learn more about Planet Healthcare here or contact us to see how we can help with your healthcare recruitment efforts.
