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The Disadvantages of Travel Nurses to Hospitals

Travel nursing started as a solution to meet seasonal staffing needs in hospitals in the Sun Belt states. It was a win-win arrangement. Hospitals filled temporary staffing needs without having to add permanent staff. Nurses received attractive pay to travel to sunny states and vacation on their off hours. Because of the nationwide nursing shortage, the seasonal aspect of travel nursing has changed. Many hospitals rely on travel nurses to meet appropriate nurse-to-patient ratios. While travel nurses fill a significant need for hospitals, they do bring some disadvantages.

  1. Resentment

    • Permanent staff sometimes resent travel nurses because they are often compensated better, despite a perceived lack of commitment to the facility. The resentment can make working together difficult and result in lower quality of patient care.

    Lack of Screening

    • Many states have partnered in what is called a "compact" agreement to get nurses to the areas where they are needed most. Under the compact, the license obtained in a nurse's home state allows access to work in the other compact states. Because there is no central licensing for the compact, oversight of nurses is left to the individual states. States enforce licensing requirements and discipline nurses outside of the compact. However, within the compact, the states allow in nurses whom they have never reviewed. Without appropriate screening, hospitals could be jeopardizing patient care.

    Gaps in Licensing

    • State standards for nursing vary dramatically, making it difficult to clarify the licensing status of travel nurses. Gaps in licensing requirements can make it possible for travel nurses to maintain a clean multistate license even after at least one compact state has banned them. The lack of communication between states puts patients at risk.

    Insufficient Appraisal Mechanism

    • Performance measurement tools such as nurse appraisals are important to safety and the quality of care. A proper evaluation of travel nurses might fall through the cracks, if the hospital and the staffing company fail to establish who is responsible for this task. Thus, key quality measures outlined in a nurse's position description could go without review.

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