Is this from the Aquarium?

That’s the million dollar question.

I mean, I’d happily volunteer to teach an overpaid administrator how to insert a foley cath, hang IV meds, calm down a pt in the middle of a mental health crisis, etc. if they think it’s such an easy job. Hell, I’d PAY to teach them how to care for a pt with a leaky rectal tube.

Yeah, it probably def depends on the individual hospital or system. I am also suspect. The ED I used to work at brought in a ton of travelers during COVID, supposed to be temporary to “get us through” but now, according to my friends who are still there, they’re still hiring majority travelers. An inpatient floor I was recently at at Prov had maybe 50% travelers for day shift and nights was 90% travelers. Though supposedly they are trying to get rid of travelers, which should be interesting considering they’re hemorrhaging core staff right now. Not sure who will be left to care for patients.

So, I asked an acquaintance of mine who worked as a hospital admin why they keep getting travelers instead of paying core staff more and their response was that after considering all the benefits they have to pay for their core staff, travelers are actually cheaper (short term). I don’t know how true this is or if I was getting smoke blown up my @ss, but that was what I was told. Issue is, travelers aren’t really temporary anymore, they seem like they’re here to stay unless they can actually keep core staff, which they won’t be able to unless they pay them more.

Not long ago St. Michaels on Kitsap had their ED charge nurse call in the local EMTs to help staff their department they were so overwhelmed. It’s a mess out there.

One issue is Prov Everett is a level 2 trauma center and there aren’t a ton around (two other closest are Bellingham and Tacoma and they’re also pretty swamped). Only level 1 trauma center is Harborview which is the only one in WA ID AK and MT so it’s swamped. Lesser injuries could be seen at other hospitals but almost every hospital is swamped. Why are they swamped? Higher acuity patients (not reallyfixable unless we completely revamp our primary care system and make it more accessible so it can be more focused on preventative healthcare) and short staffing. Everywhere is short staffed because nurses are being underpaid, treated poorly and leaving bedside. Quickest fix would be to pay nurses more and enact safe staffing laws so they feel more supported. Longer term fix is to expand nursing school spots but that would require more educators, paying them more, and making sure there are enough nurses in the hospital to train the students. It’s honestly a mess and I don’t have good solutions. My hope is that we will eventually completely revamp our for profit healthcare system and go towards universal healthcare.

I have friends who work in the ED at PRMC and it is grim right now… don’t get me wrong it’s bad at almost ever ED but Prov especially is struggling. Their administrators brilliant idea to respond to this event? Make floor nurses cover 7-8 patients instead of 4-5. They are not doing anything to retain their current staff and are having problems getting new staff. I attended a nursing school that was basically a direct pipeline to work at PRMC but after spending all their clinicals at that hospital is it any surprise that the nursing students are now looking at other hospitals in the area for their first job? I know I did. Most of the other hospitals pay better too…

Ha this was my immediate thought as well.

Was just watching The Hunt For Red October and was wondering the same thing. Thanks for asking!