Supplemental Nurse Employment Has Surged Since 2019, New Report Reveals

• A new report from the Government Accountability Office found that supplemental nurse employment has increased since 2019.
• Among the six hospitals that provided complete data to the GAO, the use of supplemental RNs jumped from 53% to 266%.
• Agencies like Luminous Travel Staffing expect travel nursing to remain an attractive option for those looking to increase their income and gain diverse work experience.

Use of supplemental nurses has more than doubled in some hospitals since 2019, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.

Its findings, which were released in early August, support media coverage that detailed an increase in travel nurse employment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Staffing agencies that place nurses in temporary roles can also speak to the influx of workers to the travel healthcare space. 

The State of Supplemental Nurse Employment

More than 150 healthcare staffing firms exist in the United States in 2024, compared to 103 just two years ago, according to the University of Illinois Chicago Center for Healthy Work Open Sources.

The average hourly travel nurse pay is nearly $49, according to July 2024 ZipRecruiter data. The job search platform also reported wages upwards of $66 per hour and below $20 an hour.

Data from the GAO report shows that hospitals in 2019 paid between $41 and $77 per hour for supplemental nurses compared to $93 to $150 per hour in 2022, while average hourly pay rates for directly employed RNs never saw an increase of more than 45%. 

Alysia Adams, DNP, APRN, AGANCP-BC, CCRN, NE-BC, co-founder of Luminous Travel Staffing, said the substantial increase in hourly wages from 2019 to 2022 reflected “heightened demand and competitive wages” offered to attract travel nurses.

The GAO report found that, of the hospitals that provided complete data, all noted an increase in the use of supplemental RNs between 2019 and 2022. Hospital representatives told GAO researchers that they worked with external staffing agencies to fill both temporary daily shortages and longer-term vacancies.

Some nurses left full-time employment for travel roles and recruiting full-time staff for their hospital became harder as a result, according to one hospital’s representative

Adams said hospitals continue to rely on agencies because of challenges with recruitment and retention due to workforce availability. However, they have goals to reduce full-time nurses, or “contingent labor,” because of financial challenges.

Since the public health emergency ended in May 2023, the industry has stabilized and seen a “slight decrease” in costs and pay rates for supplemental and travel nurses, according to Adams. Hospitals and staffing agencies now have a new compensation baseline. 

The Luminous Perspective

Recent media reports have shown that wage differences were a deciding factor in some full-time staff transitioning to a travel nursing role. Adams confirmed as much through her experiences at Luminous, seeing clients opt for higher-paying travel assignments, which sometimes came with housing stipends and meal allowances. 

“This shift was evident as many nurses opted for temporary assignments seeking better financial rewards and flexible working conditions,” Adams said. “The trend has continued post-pandemic, with travel nursing remaining an attractive option for those looking to maximize their earnings and gain diverse work experiences even in settings closer to home.”

As the pandemic transitions to its endemic phase, Adams anticipates several changes to the travel nursing landscape: 

• Continued demand for travel nurses, but at more stable levels; 
• Hospital reliance on flexible staffing solutions; 
• Emphasis on competitive wages and comprehensive benefits.
• Expansion in the types of assignments offered.
• 

The Bottom Line

A new report from the Government Accountability Office confirmed that the use of supplemental, or travel, nurses has increased since 2019. Interest in the industry niche from nurses who had previously worked on staff at hospitals also saw an uptick, in part, due to competitive wages and benefits. Agencies like Luminous Travel Staffing can attest to the report’s findings and see continued interest in travel assignments. 

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