News

Study: Temporary Nurses Just as Good

Posted Wednesday, January 30, 2008

A new study found that temporary nurses are just as qualified as nurses on permanent staff, the American Staffing Association reported. The study "Supplemental Nurse Staffing in Hospitals and Quality of Care," ran in the Journal of Nursing Administration.

The study reported misconceptions about temporary nurses formed because resource-poor hospitals tend to use more temporary nurses and morale woes at those sites may have trended the perspectives toward the negative, according to the ASA. Research showed that permanent nurses at resource-poor hospitals planned to leave within a year. However, the study found that patient care in hospitals that use more temporary nurses is the same, as far as medication errors and patient and family complaints, as in hospitals with more resources.

The study also found that more than 50% of temporary nurses are permanent nurses with a second job.