The healthcare industry is extremely fast-paced and patient needs can change on a dime, this creates a constant need for highly qualified nurses to fill important roles. Whether you’re a nurse looking for more work-life balance, or a healthcare facility looking to maintain your operations, nursing staffing agencies offer a solution.
In today’s blog, we’ll show you how staffing agencies work, and why they might be the best fit for you.
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What is a Nurse Staffing Agency?
A nursing staffing agency acts as a bridge between nurses and healthcare facilities. Staffing agencies keep a pool of nurses who want to work PRN (as needed) or on a contract basis. Healthcare facilities can partner with staffing agencies to fill different types of staffing gaps. Some staffing agencies will also have a pool of travel nurses who will take on local or out-of-state contracts.
For nurses, staffing agencies offer a lot of opportunities to gain experience, earn competitive pay, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. For healthcare facilities, they provide resources to address staffing shortages, which helps them provide high-quality care even during peak demands.
How Staffing Agencies Work
Some staffing agencies will operate differently. Especially 1099 vs. W-2 agencies. Cascade Health Services is a W-2 staffing agency, so we’re going to focus on the W-2 side of things for the sake of simplicity.
If you’re curious about the difference between 1099 and W-2 agencies, check out the blog we wrote about it.
For Nurses
- Application/Registration: Nurses start off by applying to work for the agency. After a quick interview, they’ll upload all of their credentials, like licenses, certifications, and work experience. W-2 agencies like Cascade will handle background checks to ensure compliance with state and facility requirements.
- Assignment matching: Once you’re officially hired, most agencies will have you enter your availability to help us match you with the right assignments and not overwhelm you with notifications. You can enter specific days, times, and unit preferences. Make sure you keep your availability up to date so you can get alerts on shifts that meet your lifestyle.
- Pay and Benefits: Agency nurses are usually paid weekly, but Cascade has an option for pay advances so you can get a portion of your paycheck before payday if you need to. Pay rates will depend a lot on location, facility type, and license/certifications. In general, nursing staffing agencies pay higher rates than staff nurses.
- Schedule flexibility: Besides increasing your pay rate, one of the biggest draws of working for a staffing agency is the ability to choose when and where you work. It isn’t a secret that facility nurses are burning out at an alarming rate because of their demanding schedules.
When you work for a staffing agency, you have complete control over when and where you work. Have a super busy week coming up but need the money? You can make up lost time the week before or after, and take that whole week off to bring balance to your personal life.
For Healthcare Facilities
- Partnership agreement: When a facility has an expected or unexpected gap in their schedules, the gaps can come from general staffing shortages, seasonal surges, or unplanned absences. The agency they partner with provides pre-vetted nurses to step in.
- Requesting staff: Facilities request staff, either through a portal, email, or just about any other form of communication. They’ll specify things like the time of the shift, the date, and the type of license/certification they’ll need.
- Access to a talent pool: Since agencies have a large pool of nurses, facilities can quickly access the right people without the time-consuming hiring process.
- Cost-effective solutions: When facilities use staffing agencies effectively, facilities save money on recruiting costs, training, and employee benefits.
Benefits of Using a Nursing Staffing Agency
Once again, we’re going to focus on W-2 agencies.
For Nurses
- Flexibility: You create your own schedule, so you can choose when and where you work. This lets you have the work-life balance you deserve.
- New experiences: PRN work lets you try out different care settings. Nurse staffing agencies partner with a lot of different facility types, so you can improve your skills in different areas of nursing.
- Competitive pay: This one speaks for itself. Staffing agencies pay nurses more money for being able to pick up last minute.
- Career growth: Since you’ll be able to go to so many different facilities, you’ll be able to network with healthcare leaders. This can help you down the road if you are ever looking to go back to staff nursing.
For Healthcare Facilities
- Quick solutions: Staffing agencies are here to help address urgent staffing issues to keep patient care as the top priority.
- Quality assurance: W-2 agencies thoroughly vet their candidates so they can make sure they are only hiring qualified nurses. Joint Commission Certified agencies like Cascade tend to have an even more in-depth interview process, so they can maintain their certification.
- Reduced administrative burden: Eliminate the time and cost associated with recruitment, background checks, and credentialing.
Common Misconceptions About Nursing Staffing Agencies
“Agencies are only for temporary work”
Agencies are known for filling temporary staffing shortages, but large agencies like Cascade will have plenty of work for nurses to make this a permanent gig.
“Using an agency is expensive for facilities”
When used correctly, partnering with an agency often saves money by reducing recruitment and onboarding costs and minimizing overtime pay for existing staff.
“Agency nurses are less reliable”
Reputable agencies screen candidates, ensuring they meet professional and ethical standards. At the end of the day, we are all dealing with humans. If unreliable staff is a concern for you, I recommend partnering with a W-2 agency since they will be able to discipline staff, unlike their 1099 counterparts.
How to Choose the Right Nursing Staffing Agency
When selecting a staffing agency, consider these factors:
- Reputation: Check reviews and testimonials to gauge the agency’s reliability and success rate.
- Opportunities and Benefits: Look for agencies that offer competitive pay, benefits, and diverse assignments.
- Support and Communication: Choose an agency that provides ongoing support, clear communication, and easy access to resources.
- Specialization: If you have specific needs, such as PRN or travel nursing, ensure the agency specializes in those areas.
- Geographic Reach: For nurses interested in travel assignments, make sure the agency has assignments in your preferred areas.
What are the Best Times for the Healthcare Staffing Industry?
In general, staffing agencies see an influx in hours starting in the fall, and it usually lasts until summertime. This is mainly because students are returning from school, which makes it less likely for some facilities to need extra staffing. That doesn’t mean that there are no hours for PRN nurses during the summer. Reputable agencies like Cascade work with enough facilities to keep you busy year-round.
Nurse Staffing Agencies are Essential
Nursing staffing agencies play an important role in bridging the gap between healthcare professionals and facilities. For nurses, they offer flexibility, career growth, and competitive compensation. For facilities, they provide reliable staffing solutions to maintain high standards of care.
If you’re considering working with a nursing staffing agency, take the time to research your options and find a reputable partner like Cascade Health Services. Our team is dedicated to connecting nurses with fulfilling opportunities and supporting facilities with dependable staffing solutions.
