As hospitals and other providers wrestle with the growing nursing shortage, an agency based in Hermitage has been matching qualified nurses to facilities' needs since 2002.

 

Angel Healthcare Staffing boasts about 90 full- and part-time nurses on staff to respond quickly to immediate shift vacancies or to fill slots for a contract period, typically 13 weeks. The company also handles some permanent placements. "Most of our business is in Nashville and surrounding counties, but we also do some work in West Tennessee and northern Alabama," explained President Dwinna Mullins, one of Angel's founders. She joined the venture soon after graduation from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in business administration and was named president earlier this year. In 2006, Angel was acquired by Staff Station LLC, owned by Nashville-based 1805 Investments, headed by H. Michael Barrett.

 

Angel offers supplemental nursing and allied staffing not only to hospitals, including several of the major Nashville hospitals, but also to long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, home-care operations and hospice. The company staffs registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing techs, as well as occasional radiation techs and occupational and physical therapists. Mullins said Angel prides itself on carefully choosing the right nurse for the job, whether a hospital needs coverage in critical care, emergency or surgery. "Our slogan is 'Quality Nursing, Healing Touch,' and we hire only top-quality nurses with a compassionate heart and exceptional skills," Mullins said. "We are known for our competent, caring nurses and … the ability to cater to the clients' specific needs since we are a smaller company."

 

Angel nurses undergo a thorough hiring process, and they must have worked as a nurse in the past three years "because the facilities we work with want the nurses to be able to walk in and hit the ground running," Mullins explained. Nurses are required to have a state license, CPR certification and applicable specialty certifications and pass a clinical-proficiency examination administered by NurseTesting, a standardized online system. An independent vendor conducts a criminal background check to verify education and references. The applicants submit health profile documents and undergo drug screening.

 

For many nurses, agency employment is an ideal scenario, offering flexibility not available with a permanent position. "Our nurses, pretty much, get to make their own schedule as long as the needs are there with the facilities that we work with," Mullins said. Younger nurses with children find the flexibility appealing, as do nurses who work full-time at one facility and are looking to pick up occasional shifts elsewhere for extra money. Agency staffing also gives nurses the opportunity to work at several different facilities before deciding where they'd like to land permanently, she added.

 

Angel is also in the travel nursing business, albeit on a small scale. Mullins said nurses, for example, in Alabama or West Tennessee may opt to fill a contract at a Nashville hospital, thus giving them a taste for healthcare in another city. The agency offers housing or a housing stipend for the duration of the stay. "It's a great way for nurses to get out and see the world," Mullins said. "We have several nurses from Alabama that we have placed here in Nashville, and some have even been hired by the facilities."

 

The company's latest venture is Angels At Home, offering nonmedical personal-care services such as companionship, light housekeeping, personal hygiene and transportation for the elderly, disabled, new mothers or clients recovering from surgery. The positions are staffed by either CNTs or companions/sitters with at least two years of experience. "We are currently taking the steps to make this division a nonprofit entity to assist those who need these services but do not have the money, considering the current economic state," Mullins said.

 

America's nursing shortage, Mullins said, must be addressed from several angles, and agencies like Angel Healthcare Staffing can be part of the solution, particularly when it comes to stopping nurses from leaving the profession in mid-career. "From the nurses' standpoint, we offer them an alternative and assist in the prevention of burn out, which many nurses experience after working at one facility for several years with high patient-to-nurse ratios and tiring overtime shifts," she said. "We offer them flexibility and a change of scenery or an opportunity to try a new area of nursing."

 

There's an advantage from the perspective of providers, too. "We offer them the option to utilize one of our nurses to relieve their nurses, instead of working an exhausted nurse on additional overtime shifts, which can be dangerous and costly to the facility," Mullins pointed out. Angel also can help facilities decrease the patient-to-nurse radio in the event of a sudden census increase.