Becker's Hospital Review

57 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Travel nurses see abrupt pay drops, canceled contracts By Molly Gamble S teady COVID-19 hospitalizations and the meltdown of pandemic relief funding are contributing to substantially lower de- mand for travel nurses, including lower pay and canceled contracts, NBC News reports. The reporting comes from Hannah Norman with Kaiser Health News, who found nation- al demand for registered nurse travelers dropped by a third in the month leading up to April 10, according to data from staffing agen- cy Aya Healthcare. When Oregon's governor rescinded the COVID-19 state of emergency April 1, Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Port- land lost funding for close to 100 travel nurs- es. The loss of funds, lower COVID-19 rates and more full-time hires has created a differ- ent labor landscape for now, John Hunter, MD, CEO of OHSU Health, told KHN. The hospital has negotiated contract rates with its travel nurse agency down as much as 50 percent in recent weeks. The report includes experiences of travel nurs- es in different states who have seen sudden pay drops mid-contract or the revocation of contracts completely. "One lady packed up her whole family and was canceled during orienta- tion," one travel nurse told KHN. Cancellations or changes to travel nurse pay mid-contract have grown frequent enough for a law firm to consider legal action against more than 35 staffing agencies. Attorney Austin Moore with national firm Stueve Siegel Hanson said some agencies are "breaching their con- tracts" while others are "committing outright fraud" in abrupt changes to existing travel nurs- ing contracts. Mr. Moore said contracts' fine print can vary, but that when a staffing agency cancels a con- tract at the last minute or gives a nurse one or two days to consider a lower rate, the agency is often breaching a contract — agencies should shoulder the loss when hospitals request lower rates, not the nurses. "Our phones are ringing off the hook," Mr. Moore told KHN. "Nobody has experienced it like this — historically, contracts have been honored." n yes to the travel nursing question. For workplace settings, the report only said "most nurses reported working in a hospital (59.9 percent), while oth- ers reported working at clinics and ambulatory settings (15.6 percent), other inpatient settings (8.3 percent) and other types of settings (16.2 percent)." The last NSSRN survey to include travel nursing data was in 2008, meaning the most recent publicly available data on travel nurses nationwide is over a decade old. That report found that 1 percent of the nation's nurses at the time were employed by travel agencies, or just over 26,000 people. A 2022 sample of the NSSRN is expected for release next year. "If all goes as planned, that will provide us more insight into whether male representation of travel nurses is higher than the general nursing popula- tion," Dr. Frogner said. Four male travel nurses told Becker's what made them choose the career track. Their responses are below. Editor's note: Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity. Deji "DJ" Folami, RN. Intensive care unit nurse employed by Cross Country Healthcare (Boca Raton, Fla.): I had met a few travel nurses during my work in the intensive care unit and was impressed by their large knowledge base, their confidence and their get-it-done attitude. I was happy in my position but want- ed to acquire more knowledge while also impacting the world in a wider way beyond where I lived. I was drawn to travel nursing aer having heard exciting stories from other travel nurses. eir experiences were dynamic; they seemed satisfied and happy. ese travel nurses expressed no regrets — I wanted that same experience and more! So I'm very glad I then followed up on a referral from an experienced travel nurse that I knew, and I haven't looked back since. Ricky Ironside, RN. A nurse employed by Aya Healthcare (San Diego): I grew up traveling with my family, and I wanted to see the rest of the country from an adult perspective. I absolutely enjoy what I do, and I wanted to see the dynamic of how the country takes care of people from across the country. Being from Texas, I wanted to see how everybody else takes care of people. When you go to college, you want to be well-rounded, but to actually see it firsthand is another story. I like understanding the dichotomy of how we take care of patients across the country. Same patient — not taken care of poorly but taken care of differently — with a similar outcome across the country. Whether it's medications or procedures of how things are touched on or tak- en care of, it's a very wide and broad spectrum. Bob Goldnetz, RN. A nurse employed by RNnetwork (Boca Raton, Fla.): My life seemed ordinary, planned out, prewritten; go to college, get a job, buy a house, find a partner and settle down. My mom was a nurse, and she seemed fulfilled, she seemed happy. e plan was fine until the first summer of nurs- ing school. I worked as a hang gliding instructor, and my life changed. I met people who sought adventure, experiences and relationships. Suddenly with a new mindset, focus and a way to get there, I sought a different horizon. I could travel, meet new people, see places I only ever imagined and do things once beyond my grasp. I could save, be a part of my community, contribute to my future and have the flexibility to make it all happen. So, I did. I explored the country, traveled the world and formed countless relationships. And it's all led here, to now, where I have even more. I have an amazing partner in crime, and we have a little pistol of a 1-year-old. Life is good and I have so many blessings. e big world has gotten a little smaller, and the best is yet to come. Robert Sniff, RN. A nurse on the mobility team at Christus Health (Irving, Texas): My intentions were to be a travel nurse from the beginning of this ca- reer choice. My wife and I are empty nesters and have grandchildren scattered throughout the North and South. Becoming a travel nurse gave us the oppor- tunity to still have an income and visit families. It's always a home wherever you lay your head. Editor's note: This article was updated May 16 at 1:20 p.m. CT. n

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