Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 17, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 17 staff nurses are disgruntled by the difference in demands and pay. It's com- mon knowledge among nurses that travel nurses make multiples of staff nurse pay, she said. "Hospitals have to get creative in how they're going to keep their staff," said Malatesta. In her role as an instructor at the graduate school of nursing, Malatesta said she urges students to start in staff positions to gain experience rather than immediately jumping into travel nursing. "It's not a good practice to start there," she said. A small pool of workers A March 29 report from the Massa- chusetts Health Policy Commission sug- gests the nursing shortage isn't caused by a decreased interest in entering the field. Rather, established nurses are leaving the industry. e high pay for travel nurses is direct- ly leaching from the pool of staff workers, said Murphy, from the MNA. Anecdotally, the sustained reliance on travel nurses is a concern for quality of patient care, said Murphy. While the skill of the travel nurses compared to staff nurses is not the concern, the team dynamic that is critical in nursing is, she said. Building a team of nurses with varied skill sets who have knowledge of the protocols of the hospitals they work in has been a cornerstone of the nursing dynamic, said Murphy. "Having temporary nurses parachute in for eight or 12 weeks really affects the quality of care," said Murphy. During the panel with the Health Pol- icy Commission, Walsh made clear his stance on a need to return to pre-pan- demic utilization of travel nurses as part of the solution to the myriad problems plaguing the healthcare industry. "If we care about any of the other things that are important to us, we have to solve this problem," he said. COVID-related expenses are less of an issue The healthcare industry continues to deal with impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly staffing challenges across healthcare systems. Temporary visiting and travel nurses employed on a contract basis represent a high cost to hospitals, as they are paid up to four times what a staff nurse is compensated. This expense for hospital systems is showing no signs of disappearing. When polled online, more than 70% of WBJ readers said their businesses' COVID-related expenses are no longer an issue or are relatively minor. Is your business still experiencing any COVID-related additional expenses? F L A S H P O L L No, we never had additional expenses related to the pandemic. H E A L T H C A R E F O C U S To learn more, contact: Peter Staiti SVP, Commercial Lending Center Manager 100 Front Street, Worcester, MA | 508.769.5725 RocklandTrust.com/Worcester Member FDIC A Local Partner, Financing Businesses Across Worcester County Fitness Facility Real Estate Acquisition $4,150,000 Littleton, MA Recreational Facility Equipment & Working Capital $700,000 Worcester, MA Manufacturing Facility Equipment Purchase $250,000 Worcester, MA Restaurant Equipment & Working Capital $250,000 Whitinsville, MA Multi-Family Investment Real Estate Portfolio Refinance $1,800,000 Worcester, MA Residential Real Estate Construction 228 units $57,000,000 Worcester, MA Industrial Real Estate Construction 135,000 sq. ft. $13,545,000 Worcester, MA Retail Liquor Store Real Estate Refinance $350,000 Millbury, MA Thin Malatesta at UMass Chan has worked as a travel nurse during her career. Yes, they are putting a significant strain on our business. 21% Yes, but they are minor. 39% No, all the COVID-related expenses are no longer an issue. 32% 8% Justin Precourt at UMass Memorial said travel nurses have tra- ditionally been viewed positively. W

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