StaffDNA provided this article.
For many nurses, this year has brought a sigh of relief. Mask mandates have been dropped, and Covid hospitalization rates are no longer blowing census numbers out of the water. It seems like the healthcare world has settled into its new, post-Covid normal.
For other healthcare workers, this might feel like unfamiliar territory. If you graduated with your nursing license during or after 2019, then nursing during the pandemic is the only healthcare world you’re familiar with, when sky-high travel nursing rates, paired with nonstop admissions, became the rule instead of the exception.
So the question is – What happens now? The regular flu season is upon us while Covid is no longer the presence. It was mid-pandemic. Many travel nurses are starting to think about what the market will look like over the next several months as we approach our first “normal” flu season since the pandemic first hit in 2020.
Last year
Last year’s flu season hit the pediatric population particularly hard, as babies born during the pandemic were not exposed to various strains of non-covid flu due to quarantine. This means they all went into their first unquarantined flu season with no immunities to regular flu strains. So RSV numbers were up, with the number of patients needing hospitalization and prolonged supplemental oxygen peaking at almost five times higher than rates the year before.
In addition, the respiratory season hit earlier than normal. Typically, hospitals will hire most of their “flu season” staff starting in late October or early November, with some hospital systems waiting as late as January.
For the 2022-2023 season, respiratory hospitalizations peaked in November, which left hospitals scrambling to find seasonal staff earlier than anticipated, leading to increased rates as facilities recruited as many workers as possible.
Then, the busy season came to a halt as quickly as it began. Hospitals had to backpedal because increased patient loads didn’t last as long as anticipated, with travel staff being canceled and rates being reduced due to demand decreasing.
Anticipating needs
Predicting numbers for any respiratory season can be a bit like predicting the weather. Health officials have the technology and advanced science to better examine viral strains, including the level of contagiousness and affected populations, to hopefully get an idea of what we might be able to expect each season. But every once in a while, we have a flu season unlike anything we could have expected.
Medical authorities speculate flu season likely hit early last year as an after effect from the pandemic, as normal human socialization was disrupted by shutdowns and quarantines. As a result, our flu season was earlier than anticipated.
Hospitals are predicting flu season will hit earlier than usual again this year as well. This means we will likely see a peak in respiratory hospitalizations around November or December again this year.
What that means for travel nurses
The winter season is always a waiting game. As we round the corner from summer into fall, travel nurse rates generally start to creep up. It can be hard to know when to jump on a decent rate because there’s always the possibility something better might come along.
Since we’re expecting another early flu season this year, anticipate that facilities will try to get ahead of it rather than having to clamber for staff and offering sky-high rates in November or December — you will likely see seasonal positions coming available as early as September as management tries to get ahead of peak respiratory season.
So, take into consideration that this year, facilities are expecting the unexpected and will likely be on top of staffing early. Thus, it’s wise for travel nurses to expect an early season as well. It’s a personal decision whether you want to get ahead of the curve and book an assignment early on, with the opportunity to have a longer contract, or whether you want to stay informed on early flu numbers and attempt to ride out when you might find the highest rates, knowing flu season might end early again this year as well.
Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. There, you can search for what you are looking for in housing.
