Travel Nursing at Small Rural Hospitals

Small rural hospitals are often in need of travel nurses. Such hospitals present some unique and challenging circumstances. Understanding the issues involved will help travel nurses ensure a very rewarding experience.

Defining small rural hospitals

You’ll find many people who will classify hospitals within agricultural communities as small rural hospitals. In that respect, they may cite Bakersfield, California or Fresno, California as places with small rural hospitals. However, Bakersfield and Fresno are actually very large cities with very large hospitals despite the fact that they are considered agricultural communities. So while the cultural and social-life aspects of Fresno and Los Angeles are indeed quite different, the business aspects of travel nursing are quite similar.

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For the purpose of our discussion here, we’ll put a much narrower scope on our definition of a small rural hospital. Here we’re discussing hospitals located in remote rural areas. These areas typically have much smaller populations and the hospitals typically have fewer than 75 beds. Sure, the hospitals and communities can be a bit larger, but not much more. This is because the larger they are, the less likely they will be to exhibit some of the unique circumstances that we’ll discuss here.

Small rural hospitals have unique staffing needs

Small rural hospitals tend to experience spikes and lulls in census across all of the more specialized units. This includes L&D, ER, and ICU. While all hospitals experience spikes and lulls in census, the ramifications are quite different for small rural hospitals. For example, a small rural hospital may have only 2 beds in their ICU. So when there is a lull, there maybe no patients to care for in the unit. The same is true for ER and L&D.

This means that all staff members, including travel nurses, are commonly required to float when needed. In fact, you may even be scheduled to work in the Medical Surgical unit and get called to the specialized unit only when patients are there. I worked with many L&D nurses who experienced this at small rural hospitals.

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Of course, the obvious question is, “Why are they bringing on a travel nurse if they don’t have a need?” This is where the unique staffing needs of a rural hospital come into play. A lull in census typically means that there are no patients and a spike can easily overwhelm them. Unlike hospitals in urban areas, small rural hospitals don’t have a PRN float pool of qualified nurses that they can call when census spikes. Therefore, they need to make sure that they have qualified staff on hand to provide adequate patient care.

Travel nurse housing can be difficult to find

Another unique aspect of travel nursing at small rural hospitals involves housing. There are rarely any major apartment complexes in these small towns. When they do exist, they tend to have very stringent lease requirements. They also tend to charge very steep premiums when they’re willing to overlook their standard lease requirements.

As a result, you’ll often need to be flexible regarding your housing requirements. You can often find in-law quarters rented by the owner which is typically the best case scenario. You can also find shared living arrangements with families in the area. There are often hotels and motels that offer Extended Stay type accommodations. And you may even find the occasional apartment to rent. In any case, you may end up with a bit of a commute which is more common in rural areas than most people think

There are a couple tips to be aware of for finding housing in these communities. First, you should remember to ask the manager or staffing office representative about housing options during your interview. Most managers and human resources personnel at rural hospitals are aware of the difficulties and should be used to answering questions on the subject. These hospitals tend to take a greater interest in the issue because it often prevents them from attaining the talent they need. Craigslist is also a great tool in smaller communities. When using craigslist, you should look for housing options in the surrounding communities as well as post your own advertisements for housing wanted.

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Another consideration loosely related to housing is internet access. Many rural areas are under-served by internet service providers. If internet access is very important to you, then you’ll want to inquire with potential landlords regarding your options. You may also want to inquire with your cellphone provider regarding Aircards that provide internet access to your computer via your cellphone.

 The benefits of travel nursing at small rural hospitals

Travel nursing at small rural hospitals has many benefits. First and foremost, you’ll be providing a desperately needed service in what is most likely an under-served community. Rural communities tend to have a much more difficult time attracting and retaining skilled healthcare professionals. In fact, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation cites this reality as one of the primary catalysts of the travel healthcare industry. However, this should not reflect negatively on rural communities and hospitals. The truth is that qualified healthcare professionals have traditionally exhibited a preference for urban living.

In fact, another great benefit of travel nursing at small rural hospitals is that they are typically wonderful places to work. The hospital staff tends to be very welcoming and supportive of their travel nurses. Travel nurses are typically viewed as an integral part of the team in rural hospitals where it’s widely accepted that the hospital will be unable to adequately staff the facility from the surrounding community.

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Many rural communities are also great travel destinations. Many of the towns are quaint and the general population is very welcoming and thankful to have you there. Many of the small rural hospitals are in locations with excellent recreational options as well. You’ll find them in coastal regions, near lakes and rivers, in beautiful desert settings, in the mountains, and sometimes near some of the nation’s most popular resorts.

As always, we’d love to hear about your experiences and suggestions regarding this topic. Please post them along with any questions or comments in the comments section below.