How to Use Nurse Practitioners for on Call Coverage

Nurse practitioners are registered nurses with a clinical masters degree in nursing. These advanced practice nurses are able to work alone in some states, but are required to work under the supervision of a physician in others. Regardless of the regulations in your state, nurse practitioners are valuable assets to be used when the workload of a health care facility temporarily exceeds expectations. Nurse practitioners can assist with diagnosing illnesses within their specialties, yet they are profitable for the health care facility because their wages typically are not as high as those of doctors. If you are interested in utilizing nurse practitioners for on call coverage, you can do so by following a few relatively easy steps.

Instructions

• 1

  Post PRN (on call) job leads for nurse practitioners on your facility's website as well as on job boards in your local area. Interview the applicants to ensure that they have the skills required to meet the needs of your facility.

• 2

  Verify the credentials of all nurse practitioners you wish to hire. Contact your state's Board of Nursing to ensure that no disciplinary action has been taken against them. Offer PRN employment only to the nurse practitioners you believe will be suitable for the position.

• 3

  Provide a thorough orientation for every nurse practitioner you hire for PRN work. Because these nurse practitioners will not be in the facility every day, a thorough orientation is necessary to ensure that they know the policies and procedures of the facility and the location of important documents and medical supplies.

• 4

  Contact the nurse practitioners you hired when your facility needs them. Contacting them by phone is likely the best way to get in touch with them immediately.