Source: FreepikWhat You Should Know:– Nursa, a nationwide platform connecting nurses with healthcare facilities for per diem shifts, has released the results of a survey examining the work and career preferences of its nurse clinician user base.– The survey, which gathered responses from over 2,000 nurses across 44 states, provides valuable insights into the growing trend of per diem nursing.– As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, per diem nursing is likely to play an increasingly important role in meeting staffing needs and providing nurses with flexible work options. Platforms like Nursa will continue to innovate and adapt to support both nurses and healthcare facilities in navigating the changing landscape of healthcare staffing.Per Diem Nurses Often Have Other Jobs72% of clinicians using Nursa also hold full-time or part-time positions, primarily in healthcare settings. This highlights the flexibility that per diem work offers, allowing nurses to supplement their income or explore different work environments.Other key findings include:Exclusive Per Diem Work: 28% of respondents reported working exclusively through staffing platforms like Nursa, indicating a growing trend of nurses embracing the autonomy and flexibility of independent contracting.28% of respondents reported working exclusively through staffing platforms like Nursa, indicating a growing trend of nurses embracing the autonomy and flexibility of independent contracting. Open to Traditional Employment: While many nurses enjoy the freedom of per diem work, a significant portion (33%) are actively seeking full-time or part-time positions, and another 10% are open to the right opportunity. This suggests that per diem work can serve as a bridge to permanent employment or a way to explore different career paths.While many nurses enjoy the freedom of per diem work, a significant portion (33%) are actively seeking full-time or part-time positions, and another 10% are open to the right opportunity. This suggests that per diem work can serve as a bridge to permanent employment or a way to explore different career paths

Curtis Anderson, CEO and founder of NursaGaps in the nursing workforce remain elevated, with an 18.4% hospital turnover rate for registered nurses and an RN vacancy rate of 9.9%, a recent report shows. In fact, more than half of hospitals face nurse vacancy rates of 10% or higher.It’s a sign of the need to seriously evaluate how we are filling nursing shifts, rather than clinging to a full-time-only model for support or expecting part-time nurses to work exclusively for the hospital or health system.The Business Case for an Expansive ApproachIt would be unwise to ignore any option for closing nursing workforce gaps, especially when the qualitative and quantitative case for doing so could strengthen nurse retention and recruitment as well as patient satisfaction and revenue.The nurse staffing shortage didn’t start with the pandemic, though COVID did exacerbate nurses’ feelings of dissatisfaction with familiar workforce challenges, from decreased time for direct patient care to rising administrative demands to the desire for greater time for professional growth. It’s an area where McKinsey Company believes flexibility in care delivery models and operations could attract more people to nursing roles and improve nurse work-life balance, strengthening retention.These are just some of the reasons why a pragmatic approach to solving for nurse staffing gaps—one that considers caregiver work more flexibly—is becoming an essential way for hospitals to ensure they have access to the right levels of nurse staffing, when and where they are needed.For instance, the per diem nurse staffing market is rapidly expanding, set to reach $16.4 billion by 2033, up from $8.7 billion in 2023. When hospitals take the necessary steps so that they can lean in are willing to lean toward support from contingent or contract nurses leverage tech-enabled platforms that reimagine how nurses are assigned to shifts, allowing nurses to select specific openings rather than take on a predetermined number of shifts, our experience shows that 56% of shifts posted are filled within 24 hours of the shift start time. Moreover:1 out of 4 nurses who join hospital teams as 1099 resources ultimately choose employment with that hospital.Filling 10% to 15% of open nursing shifts with 1099 nurse support over the course of six months not only reduced turnover rates for hospitals, but also decreased nurse vacancy rates by 27%. For hospitals that deploy this type of staffing model, the impact of diversifying staffing pools extends beyond the initial burst of 1099 hiring. Over time, it proves essential to continued nurse staffing success