Traveling nurses fill shortage of RNs for hospitals

• Scott LaMar/WITF
  BioRecent Stories

  

  Scott LaMar was formerly the Host and Executive Producer of The Spark program on WITF-FM, 89.5 & 93.3 in Harrisburg, Pa.
  
  Previously, LaMar was WITF TV’s Sr. Public Affairs producer and produced the station’s award-winning weekly public affairs TV program, Smart Talk.
  
  In addition to his on-air duties, LaMar moderated political candidate debates, including those for candidates running for Pennsylvania governor and the U.S. Senate and was a regular contributor to BBC World News TV before and after the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.
  
  The American Society of Civil Engineers honored LaMar with their national Excellence in Journalism award in 2020. He has been nominated for five Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
  
  LaMar and The Spark have been recognized throughout the Central Pennsylvania community including ADVOZ Lancaster’s “Dignity in Dialogue Award”, the South-Central Assembly’s “Regional Citizen Award” and was named a “Humanitarian Hero” by The Humane Society of the United States/Pennsylvania.
  
  A native of Coatesville, Pa., LaMar has also worked as a broadcast news anchor, sports play-by-play announcer and manager.

 Jae C. Hong / AP Photo

Registered nurse Kimberly Sateri gets the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif. Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021.

Airdate: Thursday, January 27, 2022

Pennsylvania hospitals are missing about 27% of the registered nurses needed to provide direct patient care. That comes at a time when almost half of hospitals are at 90% capacity and 12% are full.

Many are turning to traveling nurses who are contracted to the hospitals. For the nurses, they’re earning higher wages without dealing with some of the stressful issues staff nurses face.

Hospitals don’t view traveling nurses as a long-term solution to staff shortages but it is a temporarily fix.

WITF’s Transforming Health reporter Brett Sholtis has dug into the nursing shortage and traveling nurses. He appears on Thursday’s Smart Talk with details.