While 2020 was dominated by COVID-19 shut-downs, 2021 looks to be mainly devoted to COVID-19 vaccination efforts. While this is a very good thing so that people can begin to move around again, travel, and enjoy life to the fullest, it’s a daunting challenge, even for a healthcare system as good as America’s. Healthcare facilities across the nation are facing staffing challenges, and it’s hard to fathom why.
Abbella Medical Staffing is a nursing staffing agency based in Baltimore, Maryland, that helps fulfill short-term assignments for medical facilities across the nation. We offer travel nurses and allied health professionals who can help. We have a thorough vetting process so that when your hospital, doctor’s office, or other healthcare facility contacts us, our staff is ready to answer your call expeditiously with trained workers ready to hit the ground running. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the reasons why you are seeing such a shortage for COVID-19 healthcare workers. Contact our medical staffing agency to get started today!
Nationwide Healthcare Shortages
For years, there has been a shortage in healthcare workers, from nurses to doctors and front office staff. This is simply due to the fact that more people are in need of medical care as the Baby Boomers age, we are living longer, and less people are choosing healthcare as a career. When combined, this yields to understaffing. Throw in an unplanned pandemic, and the shortage in healthcare workers is only amplified.
Competitive Wages
Because of the shortage in healthcare workers, there is now an increase in demand. This demand is fueling stiff competition for the best doctors and nurses. This means that many healthcare workers have their choice of where to work both in terms of medical facilities and in terms of location in the United States. This can lead to stiff competition between medical facilities and an increase in wages. While an increase in wages is great for workers, it’s not so great for healthcare facilities who may not be able to pay premium dollar for workers. Thus, under-funded facilities and unfavorable locations can stack up against those looking to fill healthcare roles.
Licensing Requirements
In order to administer the COVID-19 vaccine, there are federal, state, and local laws, conditions, and licensing that must be met. This further reduces the number of qualified available workers since once certain healthcare professionals can meet this demand. When you pull these people from the front lines, there is often no one in the ready to take their spots.
Supply Limitations
Planning can truly only do so much. When shipments of the promised COVID-19 vaccines don’t arrive, or less arrive than previously promised or thought, this can lead to those who have appointments walking away empty handed. This then leads to a bottleneck and a backup of even more people waiting. On the staffing side of things, if your nurses who were scheduled to work those shifts now have no work, they will begin looking for work elsewhere, leading to more of a staffing shortage than previously.
Shortage of Man Hours
Before COVID-19, many short-term scheduling needs were met with overtime pay for those employed or for medical students willing to take the shifts for low pay or for experience. Now, healthcare staff themselves may not be able to fill these spots, due to quarantine themselves or just the need for a mental break from it all. Or, these workers may also be helping in other healthcare facilities already.
Abbella Medical Staffing is a nursing staffing agency based in Baltimore. We fill short-term medical assignments with our travel nurses and allied health professionals. We are currently staffing for COVID-19 needs around the nation. Our travel nurses have years of experience and expertise in working in short-term, high-demand environments. They are adaptable and quickly able to step in to fill your vacant role. When you partner with us, you’ll get expertise at the ready, and you don’t have to do any of the legwork. Our medical staffing agency thoroughly vets those we employ, so you can rest assured that your patients will be expertly taken care of.
If you are interested in partnering with our healthcare staffing agency, reach out today!
Leave a Comment