The healthcare industry has turned to the gig economy to provide flexibility to nurses and fill staffing gaps, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

As an example, Mercy, a multistate health system based in Chesterfield, Missouri, partnered with Trusted Health to introduce Mercy Works on Demand, an app and online platform that allows its full- and part-time nurses, as well as other experienced nurses in the area, to easily pick up gig shifts. Providence, based in Renton, Washington, and SSM Health, based in St. Louis, have also embraced gig nurses by using apps to offer premium pay and shifts.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nurses to leave their local hospital jobs for travel nursing opportunities and has also led some to retire early or relinquish bedside positions due to the effects on their physical and mental well-being. Healthcare organizations such as Mercy have responded by looking for ways to provide flexibility and fill vacancies.

A National Council of State Boards of Nursing and National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers study found that about 800,000 nurses intend to leave the workforce by 2027, which highlights the urgency of the situation.

However, not all healthcare organizations have joined the gig economy. Pittsburgh-based UPMC, for example, has created in-house travel staffing programs to address shortages. UPMC launched its own temporary agency a year ago to attract and retain highly skilled nurses and surgical technologists.

While gig work may provide flexibility and fill staffing gaps, it also has some drawbacks. Gig workers are often classified as independent contractors, which means they do not receive benefits such as health insurance or paid time off. Furthermore, gig work can be unpredictable, with workers not knowing when their next shift will be or how much they will earn.

Overall, the healthcare industry’s embrace of the gig economy highlights the need for flexibility in the nursing workforce, but it is important to address the potential downsides of gig work and find ways to ensure that nurses are adequately compensated and supported.

We, at NurseContact do not believe that this gig type of economy will last in the industry, as it should only create more problems and exacerbate the nursing shortage. We believe in a more useful strategy of employing RNs and helping fix the shortage.

The utilization of international nurses should be the top priority for facilities so they do not have to worry about a gig economy. The gig economy will not fix turnover, continuity of care, and other problems plaguing the industry. This is just a bandage on a large problem, and it’s only creating a deeper cut.

Instead, healthcare facilities and nurses should embrace the NurseContact/VisaMadeEZ model and make use of our online software AI portal. Nurses can easily be placed into open job positions by facilities, and our portal will match the right candidates to the right jobs.

It is a seamless process that should make it easier for facilities to retain their nursing talent, mainly through direct-hire of international nurses. Nurses will also be happier being actual employees instead of a contract with zero benefits, but still taking on all the tough tasks that go into being a nurse.

The gig economy is a quick-fix solution, but we do not believe this will last. Join NurseContact and VisaMadeEZ today instead, and you will be ahead of the curve with what is to come