What is Healthcare Staffing?

If you work in the healthcare industry, you’re likely familiar with the fact that staffing issues are a commonplace and universal issue with facilities and healthcare providers, one that consistently affects the quality of life and care for those in our society who need it most. Healthcare staffing agencies represent the frontline effort towards combating this issue and are an invaluable and indispensable resource for those companies who need to fill positions quickly. For workers, going through a staffing agency is an excellent way to achieve higher pay, better benefits, and a lifestyle that provides more freedom and personal agency than a traditional hiring process.

Everyday Heroes

A common mantra repeated in the healthcare industry, often a fast-paced and stressful job, is to remember: “What if it was your grandma needing care?” While we cannot always live up to this, it’s a noble goal and one that provides most people who work in this field with the motivation to get through the day. Few workers within this industry do it for the money, as there are far more lucrative and easy jobs available. 

Healthcare staffing companies provide the means to accomplish this, as no one can reasonably perform to their best ability working in a facility or building that is chronically understaffed or short-staffed. More importantly, it presents serious and very real issues of personal dignity and suffering for those who are placed in the care of a hospital or facility. Many organizations rely on staffing agencies or travel agencies to fill critical positions that need to be filled, sometimes immediately.

Types of Healthcare Jobs

While many think of the nurse, doctor, or CNA when they picture a healthcare worker, it is a common misconception that these are the only critical workers in the healthcare field. Many other types of professionals and licensed individuals are necessary, such as:

• Information Technology (IT) workers
• Janitorial/Laundry staff
• Public Health government jobs
• Administrative/secretarial work

Without these critical components to the healthcare industry, the whole process would lose its momentum and collapse. While the direct patient care staff, such as nursing, represent perhaps the most visible and directly interactive jobs, positions such as tech support, janitors, and clerks or secretaries act as the lubricant, or “oil”, that keeps the engine of a hospital or facility running. Without these dedicated workers taking care of paperwork, washing bedsheets, taking out the trash, or dealing with phone calls, the nursing staff would be sorely lacking and would find themselves having an extremely difficult time completing their jobs and taking care of patients. 

How Staffing Agencies Provide a Better Life for Workers

Besides these excellent reasons to contract through staffing agencies, along with wider opportunities and greater convenience, staffing jobs can provide a higher quality of life for the worker. These agencies can allow you to choose where you want to work with a greater degree of flexibility and can facilitate a smoother transition between jobs if you find yourself unsatisfied with your current one.

For example, if you are willing to work with a staffing agency and become a traveling nurse, your average yearly salary jumps from around $80,000 per year to over $100,000, according to Indeed. This is because any hospital or facility contracting through an agency is likely more desperate to fill the position, and you will find yourself working a job that was sorely needed. Specialized workers in the healthcare field are becoming a more and more scarce commodity, and you should always be paid what you are worth.

Additionally, these agencies allow you to have more freedom where you live, and can facilitate a lifestyle that, while not for everyone, is extraordinarily free and simple. If you’ve ever dreamed of being able to simply pick up and move if you want to, and maybe even have housing provided for you through your work contract, a healthcare staffing agency is the best place to start.

Finding Fulfillment

The healthcare industry is full of surprises – just ask any CNA or nurse, and you will find that is true. It’s not an average job, and it takes a special kind of person to handle it. However, if you find yourself with the credentials or certifications to do it, then contacting a staffing agency is the best way to make sure you are being paid what you are worth and living the life you deserve. If you’re reading this and don’t have any credentials or certifications, don’t sweat – many facilities will offer to pay for Nursing Assistant training for you, usually provided you work there for an allotted period of time. 

This is an excellent way to get your foot in the door to a career you can be proud of, and that will offer you a higher quality of life, pay, and benefits.