- Feb 10, 2022
Whether you are looking for work or helping need nurses for your medical institution, the process will probably be time-consuming.
With many skilled nurses and even more vacancies, connecting both can be a real hurdle. That’s why a nurse staffing agency can be a boon! These agencies have solid connections with medical facilities like hospitals, so they’re never short on the medical staff.
So, before you select a nurse staffing company, you need to know the essential details. Also, you need to consider some factors like expenses and quality of staff. We will talk all about it in this article. Let’s begin!
How Do These Nurse Staffing Agencies Operate? 
Source: Grand View Research
Nurse staffing agencies help medical institutions such as hospitals, nursing schools, nursing homes, and clinics by providing staff. They can also supply therapists, specialist doctors, medical assistants, and medical technicians.
These agencies use their connections within the medical industry to provide staff for temporary and full-time positions. In addition, they also have a huge database of registered nurses skilled to work in healthcare facilities.
That’s why these organizations have been able to balance the supply and demand of skilled nurses.
- These firms are an excellent talent pool for national and international nursing professionals
- They provide staffing at the international level by assisting the nurses with Visa and associated documents
- Professionals can also receive housing, educational facilities, and additional assistance from these agencies
The staffing agency will contact the employer or employee whenever there are vacancies to fill the positions.
Factors to Consider While Selecting a Nurse Staffing Agency 
Source: Morning Consult
It is expected that approximately 1.2 million registered nurses will be required by 2030 to tackle the current staff shortage. Being one of the most in-demand jobs in the USA, this situation increases the demand for skilled staff.
Only the best nurse staffing agencies can address this situation and provide a good workforce for improving patient care. Let’s look at the various factors you need to consider before selecting one.
Accreditations and Certifications
The first step in selecting a trustworthy nurse staffing agency is to check their certifications. So, check out if the agency is accredited by the Joint Commission, an important regulatory body certifying many medical organizations.
- This organization’s certification and accreditation mean that the staffing agency has met the standards for providing high-quality healthcare services.
- The next certification must come from the American Association of International Recruitment. This organization looks after the code of ethics followed by agencies associated with recruitment and staffing.
- So, if your preferred staffing agency is a member of AAIHR, it means that the agency is socially and ethically responsible for proper staffing.
Placement Categories
Before figuring out the best staffing agency, you need to understand the type of placements they offer. The most common categories are per diem, permanent, temp-to-perm, and travel nursing.
Per Diem Placement
This type of placement provides nurses with immediate requirements for emergencies. Their contracts range from a day to several weeks. Moreover, you can avail of their services during special situations such as a shift cancellation.
Travel Nursing
This staffing solution provides nurses from multiple geographic locations for 4-6 weeks and beyond. These professionals primarily work on short-term contracts depending on the need.
Permanent and Temp-to-Perm Staffing
Permanent staffing provides nursing professionals full-time permanent positions with a fixed salary. On the other hand, Temp-to-perm placement offers temporary staffing, enabling nurses to work for a fixed time in an organization.
Service Speed
The speed at which you receive placement services is a significant factor while selecting a staffing agency. However, this speed will also depend upon your staffing requirements.
- For instance, if you have immediate requirements and are short-staffed, per diem services will be suitable.
- If you face staffing problems frequently, you can handle that by requesting the agency for temporary nurses. The service speed will be quick in these cases.
- If you’re looking to fill full-time positions, permanent placement services will be appropriate. Here, it might take some time to find out suitable candidates.
Ongoing Support
You can also select agencies based on the professional assistance they provide during recruitment. So, whether you’re the applicant or employer, the agency must be supportive throughout the employment contract.
Check out if the firm assists you during the recruitment process or while interviewing. The best nurse staffing agencies usually provide a dedicated human resource professional to execute the process smoothly.
Service Quality
The quality of staffing services offered is crucial in differentiating one agency from another. You can understand this by the quality of nursing professionals the company provides. Only the best nurse staffing agencies will provide information on skilled, registered, and talented professionals.
As Steve Jobs rightly stated, “I’ve learned over the years that, when you have good people, you don’t have to baby them. By expecting them to do great things, you can get them to do great things.” So, high-quality professionals will help achieve your business goals.
Service quality also includes the professionalism with which the company approaches the recruitment process. If you are hiring, the agency must provide you with end-to-end support from interviewing to finalizing the contract.
Reach out to the agency professionals to understand if they provide exceptional training and onboarding facilities. It will help professionals joining your medical facility from other geographical locations.
Benefits of Selecting a Nurse Staffing Agency 
Choosing the services of a nurse staffing company will help you save a lot of time and effort in sourcing the right talent.
- Similarly, it will help nurses looking for jobs to move their careers in the right direction.
- It will help professionals receive better salary packages and professional assistance
- For employers, these agencies will provide you with the flexibility to select temporary, full time or per diem nurses
- You get access to a vast network of hospitals in medical institutions for staffing opportunities
Wrap Up
By 2028, the international nurse staffing market for per diem professionals might reach $11.1 billion! It means the requirement for professionals will increase in this highly competitive market.
So, only the best nurse staffing agencies will provide employers and job seekers with the assistance to fulfill their aspirations.
