Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and other healthcare organizations are increasingly relying on contract nurses to fill staffing gaps. And why not? It’s certainly a flexible option when patient counts climb or fall off, when a staff member has to take an unexpected sick leave, and during vacations. Contract nurses arrive fully vetted by the agency and ready to take up patient care immediately. In this current era of nursing shortages, using contract nurses just makes sense.
While partnering with a staffing agency to meet the needs of your healthcare facility has numerous advantages, there are some disadvantages as well. Here, we give you the pros and cons of using contract nurses as well as best practices to get the most out of your relationship.
Pros of Using Contract Nurses
The demand for quality nurses is high in 2025 and expected to become even higher in the coming years. Recruiting good nurses for your staff is a long and arduous process, followed by vetting, hiring, and onboarding. The amount of time and budget spent on hiring staff, and the hope that you can retain them, is a burden all healthcare organizations face. When time matters and patient care is in the balance, finding staff now is essential. That’s why contract nurses make so much sense. Here are some of the benefits of using contract nurses.
Hiring is Fast and Flexible
Cover those staff shortages fast and maintain patient care easily when you work with a staffing agency. The agency has already done the necessary due diligence, such as verifying credentials and performing background checks. Most agencies manage payroll and many of the HR tasks, which eases the burden on your team.
Many Contract Nurses Have Special Skills and Certifications
Partnering with an agency means you’ll choose from a wide pool of talent. If you require specific skills or certifications, agencies can access those nurses in a much shorter amount of time than it takes most facilities.
Reduced Administrative Burden
As mentioned above, agencies handle all of the time-consuming administrative tasks that would otherwise burden your staff. Recruiting the right nurse for your staff needs, vetting them, putting them on the agency’s payroll, and even providing benefits means your administrative duties are practically nil.
Adaptable Scheduling Options
Contract nurses allow you to respond immediately to staff issues. Accessing nurses on short notice allows you to address patient care seamlessly. Most agency nurses are open to flexible scheduling in order to fill shifts, improve nurse-to-patient ratios, and for better regulatory compliance. In addition to those perks, contract nurses prevent your current staff from being stretched too thin, which helps prevent job dissatisfaction and burnout.
Cons of Using Contract Nurses
Working with contract nurses helps healthcare organizations in so many ways, there are some drawbacks. We want to be transparent and show you some factors to consider.
Onboarding Issues
While the formal onboarding process is reduced greatly by using contract nurses you do need to go over your facility’s protocols and procedures with your agency nurses. When these staff members are short-term or you have a need to bring on several at one time, familiarizing agency staff with your way of doing things can become time-consuming and tedious.
Using Contract Nurses May Impact Culture
The frequency of turnover with contract nurses may impact the continuity of care and impact the relationship between staff members as well as staff and patients. There is also the potential for your permanent nursing staff to feel slighted and resentful, especially if the contract nurses are paid more for the same work.
Minimizes Your Involvement and Control
Because the hiring process is conducted by an outside source you have far less control. This makes it difficult to know whether the contract nurse will be a good fit with your other staff, and moreover, an asset to the values and culture of your organization.
Contract Nursing Agencies Differ
The quality of the agencies differ so its up to you to perform your due diligence insofar as their practices and your needs. Be sure to verify their reputation and their credibility. Some agencies are lacking in hiring practices. Some offer very little in the way of service when you need them. Others are simply low-quality agencies which results in lesser-quality contract nurses.
For Best Practices Contact BOS Medical Staffing
For best practices it’s wise to partner with a reputable and high-quality staffing agency. BOS Medical Staffing has consistently won awards for our services and our clients are more than pleased with their results. So, should you use contract nurses in 2025? Yes. But only when you partner with the best, BOS Medical Staffing. Contact us to find out how we can help you.
