A recent survey by the Travel Nurse Source say the travel nursing industry is "a pretty stable place to be, especially in today's financial climate".
"Travel nursing has always been about filling staffing holes with qualified professionals," said Terry McDermott, vice president of marketing for the Akron, Pa.-based company. "In spite of the economy, those holes still exist and it takes a special type of person to come into an acute care environment, in many cases, and hit the ground running. Hospitals still look to travel nurses to fill the void and maintain high standards of patient care."
Despite a soft economy that has produced massive layoffs across many sectors, analysts are predicting a shortage of up to 500,000 nurses by 2020.
"Even the healthcare industry has been challenged to implement some cutbacks," said Janet Fikany, a recruiter for the Healthcare Staffing Network in Colorado. But there probably will be an increase in travel assignments after the first of the year, she said.
"Once (President-elect Barack Obama's) administration takes office and consumer confidence begins to rise the employment picture will improve. Also, new budgets will be in place in January and will result in more opportunities for travel nurses," said Fikany.
"An aging population, a lack of qualified nurse educators and older nurses opting for retirement will continue to fuel the demand for travel nurses," said Chris Eales, president of Premier Healthcare Professionals, a Georgia-based travel nursing agency.
Jesse Sabo, vice president of North American operations for ID Medical in New York, said travel nursing offers more stability than other options under the current climate.
"Compared to per diem work, travel nursing presents a number of advantages. A travel nurse normally signs on for a 13-week assignment," said Sabo. "In addition, travel nurses can expect guaranteed hours as part of their agreement."
Is your hospital or system facing a nursing shortage? How are you dealing with the issue? Send your comments to Associate Editor Chelsey Ledue at chelsey.ledue@medtechpublishing.com.