BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Flu season is here and there's a surge in cases of RSV, but as beds fill up, we're seeing a nationwide shortage of nurses.
"Right now, it just seems like we're in this wave where we just don't have enough," said Melissa George, a nurse from Niagara Falls.
It's something we saw doing the pandemic, the demand for healthcare workers hit an all-time high and now the need for nurses continues.
"It definitely is difficult all over because you want to give the best care you can, but when you're working with limited resources and you're stretched so thin sometimes, it's hard," said George.
So hospitals do what they can to stay staffed and that can mean hiring travel nurses.
What's it like to be a travel nurse?
George is currently working at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. She left her job at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center in March for a career on the road.
"It was definitely difficult deciding to make that jump from a staff secure job that you know you have, to wondering every few months if you'll have a job," said George.
When George travels she also doesn't know how she'll be received at her temporary place of work, she fears it may not always be positive.
She's been working with Trusted Nurse Staffing, a company based in Buffalo, which she says has been her lifeline. The hours are tough, unpredictable and the work is not easy, but the pay is really good.
"About three times as much," said George.
In August, the average travel nurse in New York State made $2,740 weekly, or $69/hr, according to the healthcare hiring platform Vivian. Compare that to the average pay for an RN in New York State, which is $44/hr, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Surge in travel nurses in 2020
The hours worked by travel nurses grew dramatically during the pandemic, from 4% to 23%, according to the American Hospital Association.
"Depending upon the shortage of nurses nationally and in WNY, you use more, you use less. Certainly during the COVID period, we had to use more," said William B. Pryor, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer at Catholic Health.
Those big paychecks leave hospitals footing a big bill.
"Millions and millions of dollars. Tens of millions of dollars. Every place that I know-- we have spent tens of millions of dollars," said Pryor.
COVID relief funding from the federal government helped hospitals for a while, but now it's getting too costly and hospitals are cutting back.
Hospitals switching gears
Both Catholic Health and Kaleida Health are increasing their recruitment efforts, trying to hire more nurses here at home who know the community, instead of travel nurses.
"We have seen a decrease at Catholic health, not as far as we'd like to go. What we've done is we've had a massive recruitment effort over the last year or so, we've hired 2400 folks, around 516 nurses," said Pryor.
They're sweetening the deal by adding thousands in bonuses and hiring on the spot.
Now is the time to join the Kaleida Health nursing team, whether you're a new grad or a #nurse with years of experience. We’re now offering a $20,000 sign-on bonus for experienced RN’s and $10,000 for new grads! Apply today https://t.co/SeLBKrE35B #jobs #hiring pic.twitter.com/jC4mvDqjTW
— Kaleida Health (@KaleidaHealth) December 22, 2021
"Folks who work in the hospitals, our associates, those shortages will continue to be there. And so, what we have to do in healthcare is try to do better to recruit and retain and then to be ready for the next event that happens, whether or not it's a pandemic. And frankly, those will happen," said Pryor.
This doesn't mean travel nurses are going anywhere any time soon, but possibly that the pay won't be as good as hospitals make that shift. George plans to work in California come winter.
For job opportunities at Catholic Health, click here.
For job opportunities at Kalieda Health, click here.
For job opportunities at Trusted Nurse Staffing, click here.
