Are hospitals willing to pay nurses more to work during the COVID-19 crisis?
They might not have a choice if the number of hospitalizations continues to rise.
“They are stretched to the limit,” said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff at a briefing Wednesday. “We think we have maybe two more weeks of this, but it’s not sustainable.”
While San Antonio hospital officials would not discuss specific job offers or pay rates, nearly all hospitals have started to offer incentive pay for nurses willing to work extra shifts during the coronavirus crisis.
Methodist Healthcare System officials said they are trying to recruit an additional 200 experienced nurses to boost its workforce. Others hospital systems are cross-training workers and redeploying them from other departments throughout the hospital. Some hospitals are bringing in traveling nurses to meet staffing demands.
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Nurses have been in short supply in Texas for years. Data from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration shows a statewide shortage of nearly 16,000 nurses by 2030.
The United States has nearly 4 million licensed registered nurses, 82 percent of whom work in health care facilities, according to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis.
As of Wednesday, more than 75 percent of staffed hospital beds in Bexar County were filled with COVID-19 patients.
Metro Health reports more than 12,000 positive cases, resulting in more than 1,000 hospitalized patients and at least 111 deaths.
Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, which has been coordinating the COVID-19 response, is reportedly bringing in more than 800 critical care nurses to help with the expected influx of severely ill patients.
The medical personnel are coming from the Navy and Texas Department of State Health Services, and are working in overwhelmed hospitals. And if hospitals hit capacity, they’ll help staff a 250-bed field hospital at Freeman Coliseum.
University Health System, which operates Bexar County’s public hospital, said it is not offering hiring bonuses but has already added a dozen nurses through the state’s program.
Baptist Health System, owned by Dallas-based Tenet Health Corp., said its six San Antonio-area hospitals currently have adequate staff to manage the expected surge of coronavirus-infected patients.
“Cross-training staff, use of outsourced nursing pools and incentive pay are among the solutions we are investigating and potentially putting into action,” said Baptist spokeswoman Patti Tanner.
Employees may be willing to undergo additional training to work in COVID-19 units because they fear being furloughed as a result of Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on nonemergency surgeries.
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Christus Health, a nonprofit hospital operator with three Christus Santa Rosa Hospital locations and the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, is offering supplemental staffing bonuses to meet the increased demand.
Other strategies include offering part-time registered nurses the opportunity to switch to full time, spokeswoman Katy Kiser said.
Since March, the system has redeployed specialty nurses from other areas of Christus hospitals to support its COVID-19 response. That includes certified nursing assistants, licensed vocational nurses and nonclinical staff.
“We know we can’t do anything without those people on the front lines,” Kiser said. “They offer healing holistic care, bravery and compassion like no one you will ever meet.”
It also helps that Christus can lean on resources and staffing from its other hospitals, including 30 in Texas.
Methodist spokeswoman Cheri Love-Moceri declined to comment on pay ranges but says the system is working to address staffing shortages.
The nine-hospital system plans to offer incentives for all full-time and part-time registered nurses, respiratory therapists, techs and other staff for scheduling shifts above their normal schedules.
Methodist operates under a 50-50 ownership agreement between Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare and San Antonio nonprofit Methodist Healthcare Ministries.
“We are incredibly proud of the hundreds of staff members that stepped up immediately to participate to extend themselves even more than they already have to care for our community,” she said.
Methodist also hired contract nurses who are expected to arrive in the next week or so.
On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio nurse returns from COVID-19 hot zone
These temporary jobs can be lucrative, with nurses making well over $100,000 per year. Offers from staffing agencies often include uniform and travel reimbursement, bonuses, health insurance and 401(k) benefits.
One recruiter on Facebook was looking for registered nurses to work in a intensive care unit for the next eight weeks in San Antonio. The job would pay $3,380 a week, or $65 an hour, plus weekly stipends of $450 for housing and $200 for meals.
The pay is attractive in part because the work is risky.
Health care workers are at higher risk of infection because of the prolonged, close contact with COVID-19 patients, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Cindy Zolnierek, CEO of the Texas Nurses Association, said while the organization supports “hazard pay” for nurses, incentive pay programs fail to recognize the long-term nature of the COVID-19 crisis.
Zolnierek said TNA is encouraging employers to support their nurses by ensuring safe staffing, adequate rest breaks, appropriate personal protective equipment and other resources.
“Paying a much higher amount per hour can also incentivize nurses to work beyond what is safe, such as working longer shifts and working several days in a row without adequate time off for rest,” she said.
Laura Garcia covers the health care industry in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Laura, become a subscriber. laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura
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Some San Antonio hospitals willing to pay more for front line workers amid coronavirus pandemic - San Antonio Express-News
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