With the improvement in medical care and increased access to sound healthcare facilities, life expectancy has increased by 3 years in the US. Essentially it has risen to 78.8 years in 2019.
Automatically, this implies that the geriatric population has risen to almost 46 million. In fact, speculations are rife that the older generation is expected to increase to 90 million by 2050. It is this population that needs the most care and timely medication. That’s why nurses are crucial.
While healthcare facilities can use nurses’ email lists and healthcare industry email lists to hire qualified nurses, they need a proper staffing agency to ensure the availability of nurses. This blog will help you understand the nitty-gritty of starting a nurse staffing agency.
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What is a Nurse Staffing Agency?
While there is a 5.1% increase in enrollment into the nursing programs in 2019, it is insufficient to combat the demand for nurses. Moreover, with the more than 1 million registered nurses set to leave the workforce by 2030, it has become crucial to hire more nurses.
However, you might wonder where healthcare facilities hire nurses from isn’t it? That’s where the nurse staffing agency comes into play. They are the ones who will help you fill the gaps in a healthcare facility.
A nurse staffing agency recruits quality candidates to help healthcare facilities adapt to the changing needs. It also enables them to fill in staffing shortages due to nurses being on leave or patient numbers increasing. Essentially a nurse staffing agency will help healthcare facilities in the following ways:
- They ensure the facility doesn’t run short of nurses
- They will help healthcare segments access qualified and skillful nurses
- Hospitals might find it economical to hire a nurse from these agencies
- Healthcare facilities will have access to 24/7 support
- The healthcare facility will have increased productivity rates
How Do Nurse Staffing Agencies Work?
Now that you know what a nurse staffing agency is, you might wonder how they work. Especially if you want to start a staffing agency for nurses, you need to know how they work.
A nurse staffing agency works similarly to other staffing agencies. They have a pool of qualified candidates with specialized skills available to work whenever a healthcare facility requires it.
When a healthcare facility partners with a nurse staffing agency, they can easily find temp nurses to fill in for nurses on leave. They can also easily find full-time nurses.
With a nurse staffing agency, healthcare facilities can find the following types of placements:
- Permanent nurses – Healthcare facilities can directly hire full-time nurses if there is a consistent staffing need.
- Temp-to-perm nurses – This allows facilities to try out nurses to figure out their requirements
- Per day nurses – Healthcare facilities can hire nurses on a per day basis, especially when another nurse cancels or there is an immediate demand
- Travel nurses – These are nurses that healthcare facilities hire to fill employment gaps. They are hired on a case-by-case basis
- As needed nurses – the healthcare facility can hire these nurses to work weekends or holidays to meet staffing stipulations
Essentially, a nurse staffing agency works to eliminate nurse staffing shortages and provides healthcare facilities with improved productivity.
How to Start a Staffing Agency for Nurses?
Knowing how staffing agency works and how they can benefit healthcare facilities might motivate you to start your staffing agency for nurses, isn’t it? However, you might wonder how to start a staffing agency for nurses.
Here are ten easy steps to start an in-demand staffing agency for nurses:
1. Think of a Name
Firstly, you must think of a name to call your nurse staffing agency. The name should be original and recognizable. Moreover, you should check out local directories and national players to ensure your name doesn’t clash with any other agency.
Furthermore, your agency name should represent you well.
2. Ensure Your Paperwork is in place
While starting a staffing agency, it is necessary to ensure your paperwork is in place. That includes registering as a business entity, be it a limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or corporation.
You should also have your business license to ensure adherence to state laws. Moreover, you might benefit from having a nursing license as it will help you understand your customers’ and employees’ situations.
3. Check Your State’s Requirements
You might need to check the health and safety codes required by the state where you are starting your agency. Moreover, in some states, you might need to register your agency with the Department of Labor and Health. So, ensure you read through all the state rules and adhere to those requirements.
4. Create a Business Plan
(Source: Smartsheet.com)
Creating a sound business plan for your nurse staffing agency is important. That implies you need to list the objectives of your business. You should also develop your mission statement and vision for the agency. After that, you should list the required employees and their roles and responsibilities.
Then you must list the equipment you need and the expenses you might incur. Then include a proper pricing strategy with projected profits. Having this business plan will give you a starting point to work with.
5. Secure At Least Six Months’ Worth of Financing
It will take time to recruit nurses and build a clientele. So, you must ensure you have enough funding to sustain without revenue for at least six months. Moreover, with hospitals taking their own time to make payments, you must ensure you can meet your payroll and sustain your business.
6. Purchase Insurance
You must ensure you buy sufficient insurance to protect your nurses and other employers. Moreover, you will be liable for any mistakes your nurses make, so you must protect yourself.
So, get the appropriate professional, workers’ compensation, and general liability insurance.
7. Establish Payroll Systems
You should establish a well-organized and efficient payroll system. You can either do it yourself or outsource it to a company that meets all state and federal requirements.
8. Choose Well-Organized Databases to Recruit Your Employees
You can take the help of well-organized, well-vetted, and trustworthy databases like the nurses email list. These lists have the contact details of the nurses, their geographic location, preferences, and qualifications. You can purchase such lists and scour them to recruit the best nurses.
9. Ensure You Market Yourself
Another important step is to market yourself well. You must be active on social media forums, register yourself in local and national directories, and align yourself with several healthcare facilities to promote yourself. Ensure you have a user-friendly website with direct call-to-action.
10. Get potential Clients
Once you are all set up, you should search for potential clients. You can access a healthcare industry email list and contact various hospitals and healthcare facilities to contact potential clients. Moreover, you can contact trade organizations, American Hospital Associations, and other such entities to get potential clients and kickstart your business.
Endnotes
Nurses are the pillars of the healthcare system. They are the ones who perform many functions as ascribed by the doctors. Moreover, they care for geriatric patients with utmost patience and perseverance. Additionally, with nursing shortages, it is imperative to have expert nurse staffing agencies.
So, if you aspire to start a nurse staffing agency, follow the steps and research more about how to start a staffing agency for nurses. You will contribute positively to the healthcare system and ensure facilities have nurses when needed.
