Virtual nurse staffing is an innovative method that addresses staffing issues, such as shortages. Discover how it all works and how to select a staffing agency.

More nurses are leaving the workforce at an alarming rate, and this will affect patient safety.

Now, most nurses complain that their units are inadequately staffed.

Before COVID-19 happened, there were enough nurses who could attend to every ICU patient.

Today, it’s not like that anymore. There are more ICU patients than the nurses available.

This is a major concern for nurses and one of the main reasons they talk about leaving their job.

Many progressive hospitals have turned to virtual nurses to help relieve the impact of the nursing shortage.

Most hospitals implemented some form of telehealth during the pandemic. Virtual nurses can be a feasible next step.

In this article, you’ll learn how virtual nursing works, how to get a virtual nursing solution, and how to find a virtual nursing agency.

Now, let’s begin.

How Does Virtual Nursing Work?

In our day and age, things like health care are benefiting a lot from advances in technology.

These technologies, like telehealth technology, make specialized health care accessible and easy.

Virtual nurses are usually remote nurses who provide 24/7 observation and communication at the patient’s bedside using specialized telehealth technology.

This technology can include smart TVs or medical carts prepared with two-way audio/visual capabilities.

This allows the virtual nurse to observe and communicate with the patient and collaborate in real-time with bedside nurses for more effective care coordination and timely interventions.

One of the greatest benefits of using virtual nurses is that more patients can be cared for with fewer resources.

A great example of this is ICU patient monitoring. This is when you care for patients who are severely ill.

Such patients need greater medical expertise and 24/7 monitoring.

Virtual nurses can work from a centralized ICU monitoring station where they can monitor multiple patients in multiple ICU locations from a single “command station.”

Virtual nurses can also help prevent falls.

They’ll inform the floor nurses when they notice a patient is trying to get up without assistance.

They’ll also encourage the patient to let them know that help is on the way.

You can also use solutions developed by Banyan. Their solutions integrate well with nursing call systems and others.

How To Choose A Virtual Nursing Solution

There are several virtual nursing solutions you’ll find, but not all of them are the same.

If you want effective and the highest quality care, it is crucial to look for those with customizable solutions and use the latest telemedicine technology.

Here’s a list of the competences you should look for.

• Allows the use of a hospital’s existing devices, such as tablets, medical carts, stands, and smart TVs
• Integrates into existing EMR and other hospital systems
• Offers 4K and 5K displays
• Enables audio-only or both audio and video communication
• Includes zoom functionality for better observation and enhanced patient engagement
• Seamlessly integrates with existing audio and video infrastructure
• Supports quick scaling to accommodate fluctuation in patient census
• Provides simple-to-use onscreen “one-click” buttons for easy communication between the virtual nurse and the patient or others in the room
• Enables virtual nurses to monitor multiple patients at the same time on the same screen
• Supports virtual rounding and real-time communication between staff, providers, specialists, patients, and the patient’s family

Factors to Check When Choosing a Nurse Staffing Agency

Here are the factors to check when you need to choose a nurse staffing agency:

Speed

How quickly you need a nurse to fill in will depend on the type of nurse you need.

If you have urgent needs, you should consider using a per diem (per day) nurse or a Pro re nata (as needed) PRN nurse to supplement the vacancy.

Alternatively, if your facility is always short of staff, maybe finding a permanent placement contract would bring more sustainability to your unit.

The permanent placement contract option can take longer, sometimes weeks, to find a qualified nurse who fits your needs.  

At Spring Hill Med Group, it takes between eight and twelve weeks on average to place a nurse once the contract is signed.

It generally takes longer to place a nurse on this route.

This is because the nurses will have to go through the interview process, like Aventura Mall COVID testing, to get the nurse specialty specific to your hospital.

Even if it takes longer for RNs to get to the facility, it might be beneficial to look into a practical long-term plan, even though speed is a crucial short-term priority.

Price

Chief nursing officers always look to reduce their emergency spend by cutting labor costs.

Supplemental labor will eventually become expensive. This is why healthcare administrators want a lasting solution to properly staff their facilities.

It’s quite tempting for you to choose a staffing agency based on low fees or rates. But, it may compromise the quality of Registered Nurses you receive.

So, before choosing an agency just based on the price, first know what types of benefits they offer.

If it’s a temporary-to-permanent arrangement you want, go for an agency that offers long-term support through the duration of the Registered Nurse’s contract.

If you want to quickly fill up a vacancy, traveling nurses may be a good option.

However, you may end up spending more when they plan to do the assignment for the short term, while you need to address long-term staffing challenges.

Then again, international nurse staffing can reduce your emergency spending by reducing labor costs.

Quality

In addition to being experienced and hardworking, a quality nurse should also fit well into the culture of the organization.

They should also prioritize teamwork, communication, and patient safety.

The level of preparation a registered nurse receives before their contract begins will determine how they’ll transition into your facility.

For example, at Spring Hill Med Group, we have international nurses who have prior experience of about 5 to 10 years before they’re accepted into the program.

After meeting this qualification, we make them go through a pre-arrival online program before they get to our facility.

Usually for up to eight months.

After arriving, they begin a five-week complete clinical and cultural transition program to help them understand how we do clinical practices here.

Our client base also has full control over the selection process of nurses.

Having nurses who can easily and quickly adapt to your unit is fundamental to keeping up with the fast-paced environment.

A nurse who performs very well will ultimately contribute to the long-term stability of the unit. This is why you need to look out for quality when choosing a staffing agency.

Conclusion

The time to act is now. Having the right virtual nurse staffing will guarantee patient safety and the best outcomes.

With us at Spring Hill Med Group, you can reach more nurses with fewer resources.