Hospital Employment Shortcomings & How it Benefits Supplemental Staff

Hospital Employment Plummets in Past 3 Months

Hospitals lost 1,200 jobs in February and hospital employment is down by 10,000 over the last three months, according to the most recent seasonally adjusted numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Despite the job losses sustained in hospitals, healthcare as a whole added 9,500 jobs last month. Most of the employment gains in the industry came from physician offices and outpatient care centers.

The nation's total employment increased by 175,000 last month, while unemployment continues to hover around 6.7 percent.

So we all know that working in Healthcare we benefit from a constant need and a very low unemployment rate but what does the overall drop in Hospital Employment mean to us? It means a great opportunity to capitalize on economic changes which are coming into play. As supplemental staff our experience, dedication, and expertise will be handsomely rewarded.

Those of us who are specialized and experienced will be (if not already) highly sought after. We'll in essence have the choice of which facilities, shifts, pay rates, and other perks we'd like to benefit from which is why now - arguably more than ever - is the time to take advantage of  agency work.

Why Go Agency?

Staffing agency healthcare professionals were once looked down upon as being inferior to full-time staff for not knowing often times the most basic of skills and of course shunned for sometimes pulling in more pay. The stigma which once surrounded agency staff is now a thing of the past with most agency personnel having at least five years of specialized experience. Plus agencies now have more rigid requirements and have current and former healthcare professionals working with or for them to make sure things are done correctly and by the book. 

The biggest reason to go agency is without a doubt flexibility. You want to partner with an agency which takes care of you and matches you and your skills to the right need. There's always a little bit of this and a little bit of that which will make one person choose agency A over agency B but there are agencies out there which can provide not only flexibility but a constant stream of work and even with full benefits so you can work to live and not the other way around. 

Accountable Healthcare Staffing has several specialized divisions and really focuses on their people. They have a 24 hour support line where you'll reach a live American person to help you with scheduling or other clinical needs or even listen to you if you just want to blow off some steam. They have branches nationwide and have a great travel division which will guide you from the application all the way through to your first day! The pay is great but what really makes all the difference is the people. They honestly care about matching you to the right facility and the right position and making sure that you're happy and taken care of. At the very least give it a try, pick up a shift or two and see how it goes you've got nothing to lose by just trying it out. If you don't like it then now worries and you still get paid - even same day if need be.

With the Affordable Care Act beginning to make waves and the nursing shortage becoming more and more apparent, now is the time to capitalize on our experience and expertise. Working with an Agency doesn't mean you'll be working full time for them (unless you want to), it also doesn't mean you'll have them nagging you every five minutes to go work a job you don't want to. At Accountable it's all about you, flexibility, and helping you to reach your career goals.