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News Articles: traveling nurses

Mary Venus, a nurse from the Philippines, on duty at Billings Clinic in Billings, Mont.

Short-staffed and COVID-battered, U.S. hospitals are hiring more foreign nurses

Montana's largest hospital recently signed employment contracts with two dozen foreign nurses. Nationwide, a backlog of 5,000 international nurses await approval to enter the U.S.

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By:
  • Nick Ehli
Hospitals around the U.S., including large academic medical centers like Vanderbilt University's in Nashville, Tenn., have been forced to rely on traveling nurses to keep their intensive care units fully staffed. The demand for travel nurses has driven up their hourly rates, which then motivates more staff nurses to leave in pursuit of a traveling gig.

Worn-out nurses hit the road for better pay, stressing hospital budgets — and morale

In areas overwhelmed by COVID cases, hospitals must rely on traveling nurses to operate ICUs. Hospitals pay a premium for that temporary help, while also struggling to keep their staff nurses happy.

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By:
  • Blake Farmer
Nurses at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City protest what they say is a staff shortage at several of the network's hospitals in the Bronx and nearby suburbs. During the Nov. 19 demonstration they walked from the hospital to a nearby cemetery.

Battle-Weary Nurses Wonder If New York Hospitals Can Handle Another Coronavirus Surge

Compared to last spring, there's more clinical knowledge about how to treat COVID-19, and bigger stockpiles of protective equipment. But nurses worry about staffing shortages as patient numbers grow.

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By:
  • Fred Mogul