There is an urgent need for more healthcare workers nationwide.
Recruiting firm NuWest Group is working to find 200 nurses before the end of this week. Specifically, they want intensive care unit (ICU) nurses who will travel to the hardest hit areas, like New York City.
“What all these facilities are gearing up for is this middle of April timeline, so the big rush to get these nurses to where they need to be before the peak hits,” said Mona Veiseh, President of NuWest Group’s Healthcare Division.
NuWest Group says it wants to speed-up nurses becoming licensed to work in other states. They did this in Washington state. New York is already willing to look at any licensure across the country.
Nurses are being paid more incentives to work where the greatest need is.
Mona Veiseh says the pay rates for ICU nurses and registered respiratory technicians are the highest she's seen in her 14 years in the business. She's also seeing many nurses already answering the call to go where there is need.
“I have seen entire units lend groups of ICU nurses to other units across the country trying to get the nurses to where the outbreaks are the most significant,” said Veiseh.
Another unprecedented measure – nurses and medical students are being fast tracked to work in hospitals earlier.
Some nurses in New Jersey are working in field hospitals for their final semester instead of going to school. Students at New York University’s school of medicine will start their internships at hospitals in the city three-months early.
NuWest Group has
information on its website
for any nurses willing to travel to respond to coronavirus needs.