Study: Supplemental RNs More Cost-Effective than Overtime

The national nursing shortage is making�it hard for hospital administrators to address their staffing gaps. In response,�facilities�are increasingly opting for solutions like travel nursing or international recruitment to find healthcare talent.

It's�reasonable to�think�that supplemental nurse staffing is an expensive option to address staffing vacancies. But the data confirms otherwise. According to a new study conducted by�researchers at the University of Rochester School of Nursing,�supplemental nurses are actually more affordable than you think.

Using longitudinal hospital unit-level data to investigate the cost and cost efficiency of supplemental nurses, the research discovered that�hourly personnel costs for supplemental nurses efficiently offset the overtime costs of permanent nurses. More from the study:

Prior research has shown that temporary and contract nurses are just as qualified-through education and experience-as permanent nurses," said Richard Wahlquist, president and chief executive officer of the American Staffing Association (ASA). "This study shows that supplemental nurses offer the strategic flexibility that hospitals need to augment their workforce during peak times, and to address any interim labor shortages related to leave coverage, vacancies, and expansion of services."

According to Linda Aiken, a researcher who works for the Center of Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania, overtime for full-time nurses is a real problem. She wrote in an�ASA statement:

In addition to not being cost-effective, overtime hours performed by permanent nurses may equate to poor nurse and patient satisfaction.�Extensive research indicates that overtime work is connected to nurse burnout, turnover, and poor patient outcomes. The use of supplemental nurses can alleviate these risks.

You can read the�report on supplemental nurses in its entirety here,�or read the National Associations of Traveling Healthcare Organization's (NATHO's)�article on the report.

The bottom line: don't believe everything you hear. When all things are taken into consideration, international nurses are an extremely�useful, economic long-term staffing option. For more information on why�international healthcare talent is so effective, click the button below!