Temporary staffing has risen to prominence in the healthcare industry. To ensure that you are linking with the best providers in the market, read on.
Why has temporary staffing become so popular?
Right now, there is a healthcare worker shortage that has affected all of America. Facilities do not have enough staff to accommodate rising and fluctuating demand for healthcare services. They cannot thoughtlessly bring in more full-time employees, because they might be overstaffed and incur needless labor costs. Temporary staffing allows HCPs to dynamically adapt to the current healthcare market.
If there is a sudden surge of demand for healthcare services, due to an epidemic or an accident that left a large number of people injured, they can bring in additional help for a couple months, weeks, or even a single shift. If someone has to pull out of work suddenly, they can even fill these vacancies in short notice. This is why nurse staffing agencies and staffing apps have only continued to grow and expand.
How do I choose the best staffing services?
You want to make sure you are taking on the best temporary staffing options available to you. Regardless of the situation, healthcare facilities need to take extra lengths to provide the best care services possible. Settling for the cheapest staffing services, or the first option you see on your search would be a disservice to the patients who have placed their trust in you. Before you settle on a specific staffing service, these are factors worth considering:
Word-Of-Mouth
This may seem like a rudimentary consideration, but it is well worth highlighting. You want to be sure that the staffing service you use is well-regarded in the industry. A prior history of excellence or success is reassuring for a facility looking for proven solutions. Check reviews on third-party websites or their Google/Apple App pages, to make sure you are reading impartial feedback. You can also reach out to healthcare professionals who work in other facilities, to get another perspective on the service you intend to use.
Pricing
You want to be sure that you are working with an agency or an app that is as transparent as possible, with regards to expenditures. A reliable institution will be upfront with all the costs and charges a facility will incur, instead of obscuring them or hiding them until it is time to pay. While some facilities will just charge you per shift, others will charge an additional platform fee or ask you to pay for additional services you may not need. Do your due diligence, and read how pricing is structured and what fees you will incur, before you sign up with a service.
Customer Service
You want to work with a platform with a responsive customer service department. Sometimes, a discrepancy may appear or scheduling errors occur. Nothing is perfect, and this can easily be mitigated by a strong customer support team. Good teams will pick up your calls instantly, listen carefully to your issues, and work diligently to resolve any issues as soon as possible. Check their features list, to see whether or not they prioritize good customer service. Apps like VitaWerks even provide 24/7 customer support, to ensure that their users run into minimal hitches or delays that cannot be resolved in a timely manner.
Go out there!
Though the shortage looms over the industry, the next few years of healthcare also show promise. Demand for healthcare services is only continuing to grow.. Every facility needs a base of reliable full-time staff, but temporary staffing offers reinforcements. Instead of supplanting them, your regular workers are supported with per-diem employees. This provides them the support they need to weather the storm of spikes in demand or sudden vacancies. With the right approach and preparation, facilities are in a good position to prosper and thrive within the coming years.
Explore VitaWerks, an AI-enabled healthcare staffing platform to connect nurses with the best healthcare facilities.
