The Tea: This Feels Familiar

We shared the first edition of The Tea nearly a year ago and we’ll be honest, it feels like we’ve come full circle. But while this ‘new new normal’ has truly become same-situation-different-day, we’re here to share new insights and get you answers. In this edition of The Tea, we’re talking ongoing delays, record breaking numbers, and new policies. 

There simply isn’t enough help to go around.

You’re not alone if it feels like just about everyone around you is testing positive or recovering from COVID, leaving them out of work for a week or more. As a result, everything across all industries is operating more slowly, or not at all. And this comes at a time when burnout is hitting an all time high.

On top of hospitalizations hitting record highs due to a combination of COVID, the flu, and RSV, a high percentage of nurses have COVID (including Trusted Nurses!). Over 20% of hospitals are anticipating shortages through this month, with many again suspending services and closing units to maximize resources.

While the CDC’s adjusted guidance on quarantine may get people back to work sooner and companies are looking abroad for additional resources, our best tools right now are patience, empathy, and kindness.

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The TL;DR? A perfect storm of surging cases layered with RSV and the flu and staffing and supply chain shortages across nearly every industry are resulting in delays in everything from shipping, restocked shelves, or customer support.

Here’s how this translates into what you may be experiencing as a travel nurse:

• Process delays: Whether it’s due to employees out or hospitals tightening the approval process for travel nurses due to record spend on contract labor, the travel nursing industry is experiencing delays with hiring managers reviewing candidates to interviewing and confirming contract (and extension!) details to processing and results with clinics, lab tests, or background checks.

• Support delays: Like hospitals, companies and businesses have been struggling to continue operating normally with 25-50% of teams out with COVID at any given time. Without enough healthy resources to keep up with the need and demand, customer service and support is taking longer than usual.

• Shipping delays: If your titers or drug screen need to be sent out to a specific lab, chances are it might take a bit longer - just like the Trusted SWAG you may have been eagerly awaiting. 

In case you missed it: 

• The details behind the Kronos outage you’ve heard about or experienced first hand
• An increasing number of states have adjusted their vaccine mandates for healthcare workers to include boosters
• As of March 31, all out-of-state medical personnel practicing in California will need a CA license

The Tea serves up the latest travel nursing intel, giving you the info you need to take control of your travel experience. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or new to the game, we’d love to hear what questions you have—feel free to drop us a note at thetea@trustedhealth.com  to have your questions answered by Trusted travel experts. 💌