Mississippi is experiencing a nursing shortage. According to the Mississippi Hospital Association, state hospitals were short 3,038 registered nurses in 2022. One in four RN positions were vacant, with numbers much higher in rural areas. This article published in the Mississippi Today reported that in 2023, Mississippi’s nurse vacancy rates were the highest in more than a decade. There are many reasons for this shortage, including an aging population, increased healthcare demand, and stress and burnout.
When your facility is facing a nursing shortage, turning to temporary medical staffing agencies in Jackson MS can help. Staffing agencies provide a smart, flexible solution that not only meets operational needs but also saves time and money. Let’s explore some of the ways that these staffing firms can help your facility navigate the nursing shortage.
Reduce Hiring and Onboarding Costs
The process of hiring permanent staff is time-consuming and expensive, involving job postings, candidate screenings and interviews, background checks and credential verification, and training and onboarding. With a temporary staffing agency, these costs are absorbed by the agency itself. Facilities can skip the recruitment process and quickly bring in qualified professionals who are ready to work from day one.
Fill Critical Gaps Faster
Staff shortages can occur without warning—due to sudden employee absences, burnout, or seasonal patient surges. Searching for full-time staff under these circumstances can take weeks or months, time you need to handle the day-to-day operations of your facility. Temporary staffing agencies maintain a pool of pre-screened, qualified candidates available for immediate deployment, ensuring your facility avoids disruptions to your services and patients.
Avoid Overtime and Reduce Burnout
When you stretch permanent staff too thin and then require them to work overtime, it can cause burn out, which can lead to depression, anxiety, substance use, and physical health issues. You can help your full-time staff prevent burnout by hiring temporary workers. This move also decreases labor costs from overtime pay, decreases turnover rates, and allows you to distribute the workload more evenly.
Scale Staffing Levels Based on Demand
The healthcare industry is often unpredictable, with fluctuating patient volumes due to cold and flu season and other factors. Rather than maintaining a large full-time staff year-round, temporary staffing allows your facility to scale up or down based on your immediate needs. For instance, during cold and flu season, you can temporarily bring in extra nurses. Specialty staff can be hired for short-term projects like vaccinations or health fairs, and temporary staff can cover employee vacations and maternity leaves without disrupting care.
Improve Patient Care and Satisfaction
Staff shortages can negatively affect the quality of patient care, leading to longer wait times and higher risks of medical errors. Temporary workers help maintain optimal patient-to-staff ratios, ensuring that patients receive the attention and care they deserve. In the long run, better patient outcomes translate into higher satisfaction scores and fewer costly errors or complaints.
Contact Our Medical Staffing Agencies in Jackson, MS
Temporary medical staffing offers a practical, cost-effective solution for healthcare facilities facing the challenges of fluctuating demand, staff shortages, and high turnover. By partnering with a staffing agency, your facility can reduce recruitment and overtime costs, prevent burnout, and ensure top-quality patient care—ultimately saving both time and money. To learn more about our medical staffing services, contact Capitol Staffing today.