2023-11-08 09:21:15
Paramus (United States) (AFP) – Faced with a shortage of nurses, American hospitals are turning to applications allowing them to recruit by the task which offers better remuneration and more flexibility to these health professionals.
In 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica Martinez moved to New Jersey (northeast) for a temporary nursing contract when hospitals were experiencing an influx of patients.
But with the return to normal, this 38-year-old nurse, like more and more of her colleagues, opted for gig work, preferring to choose her shifts on applications rather than a contract of several months within a hospital establishment.
“It happened to me to only work one day a week or, conversely, to work seven days of eight-hour shifts, it really depends on what’s going on in my life,” she explains to AFP.
This gig activity – more lucrative and more flexible in terms of time – has grown because American hospitals are trying new approaches to compensate for their lack of staff.
A model that is compared to applications such as Uber.
The pandemic has caused nearly 100,000 nurses to leave their jobs due to stress, according to a recent report from their National Council.
Nurse Jessica Martinez during an interview in Paramus, October 26, 2023 in New Jersey © KENA BETANCUR / AFP
And more than 610,000 others plan to leave by 2027 because of stress, overwork or for retirement, he said.
Which represents a fairly high number for a workforce of 5.2 million active nurses in 2022.
“Staff crisis”
There is a “staffing crisis in the health system,” admits Deborah Visconi, chief executive of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, where Ms. Martinez works.
“Many people have decided to retire early or retrain,” she notes.
Since the establishment partnered with the CareRev platform, 150 professionals have registered to work there.
Deborah Visconi, CEO of Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, during an interview, October 26, 2023 in Paramus, New Jersey © KENA BETANCUR / AFP
“We can find someone for care in a few hours,” points out Ms. Visconi, adding that 80% of needs are met in this way.
The Aya Healthcare platform saw calls taken by task nurses increase by 54% in 2022.
Nationally, the number of guards offered on its application has increased by 62%, indicates Sophia Morris, its vice-president.
Flexibility
For Ms. Martinez, piece work is more “remunerative” than a contract with a hospital, “at least 30% more”.
But as a contractual worker, she does not benefit from benefits normally granted by the employer, such as health insurance, so she depends on that of her husband.
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, October 26, 2023 in Paramus, New Jersey © KENA BETANCUR / AFP
Others, like Chantal Chambers, take full advantage of the flexibility offered by choosing their care sometimes the evening before.
While living in San Diego, the young woman registered with Aya Healthcare, taking advantage of the possibilities offered to better combine family activities and professional schedule, thus having more time with her two children.
For Deborah Visconi, the use of platforms can only increase at a time when employees see their work differently and seek to have more free time or work more, depending on their needs.
CareRev chief nurse Susan Pasley on October 26, 2023 in Paramus, New Jersey © KENA BETANCUR / AFP
“We have an aging population, which demands more health care, we are on the verge of a crisis”, which pushes hospitals to “consider more flexible options”, estimates the head nurse of CareRev, Susan Pasley.
“Tension”
But some are concerned regarding the consequences on patient care.
“The risk is to see establishments poorly prepared, with an insufficient number of staff to deal with emergencies or influxes of patients,” points out Michelle Mahon, of the national nurses union.
Another risk: lack of knowledge of the workspace, such as knowing where emergency equipment is stored, she worries.
A nurse cares for a patient at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center on October 26, 2023 in Paramus, New Jersey © KENA BETANCUR / AFP
A very real problem, assures Sarah DeWilde. This nurse from Missouri (north) trains nurses in “gig work” in her hospital, without being able to properly assess their skills, according to her.
And “the consequence is that I no longer have time to take care of my patients because I help them take care of theirs,” she emphasizes, “I am already understaffed, overworked and overwhelmed “.
Worse: piece-rate nurses can be paid “up to twice as much” as others, “this can create tensions”.
Deborah Visconi, however, wants to be positive, expecting an improvement in the situation because these nurses tend to return to the same establishments.
© 2023 AFP
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