Cox adds internal staffing agency for nurses

The program is an alternative to contracting with outside agencies, said Carla Coleman, who in June accepted the position of CREW coordinator. She began interviewing candidates in early August, and the first CREW members began working Aug. 15.

“If you’ve got somebody on maternity leave and they’re gone for 12 weeks, this person can fill in instead of the staff working short. That way, not everybody’s having to either work a lot of overtime or having to work short-handed,” said Cindy Allard, retention and recruitment manager.

CREW options

What CREW does is trade set hours and benefits for flexible scheduling and higher hourly pay.

“(CREW) is a trade off,” Allard said. “You don’t need benefits. You’re waiving all your medical, dental and vacation time. You’re pretty much master of all your time off.”

CREW nurses don’t have a home unit within the hospital and must be willing to work whenever and wherever they’re needed.

“A lot of people don’t want to give up that home base. Some people you couldn’t pay them enough to give that up,” Allard added.

Shelley Overby, RN, started working for Crew I in September. “I was drawn to CREW for its flexibility, and I enjoy working in different areas of the hospital,” she said. “The premium pay was also a huge incentive, and luckily for me, needing benefits was not an issue.”

There are 25 nurses participating in CREW, with about 17 working and the remainder going through orientation. Coleman hopes CREW grows to 50 by spring.

The program gives nurses two options, CREW I or II.

To participate in CREW I, nurses must maintain CoxHealth’s education and credentialing requirements and work a minimum of 48 hours in a six-week schedule. CREW I nurses may work as much as 36 to 40 hours a week.

CREW II nurses are available to work 36 to 40 hours per week for a contracted period with a specific unit within the hospital.

“When that contract is over they would move back to CREW I. CREW II is contracted to a particular unit to cover for, like (Family Medical Leave Act). When that need is closed, then they slip back into CREW I,” Coleman said.

Pay per hour is higher with CREW than for regular nursing staff. CREW I nurses earn $33.10; CREW II nurses earn $35.10, Coleman said.

Outside of CREW, experienced Cox nurses make $28 per hour, Allard added.

Internal advantages

Internal staffing has advantages over using an outside staffing agency, Allard said.

“They know the system, the policies, the physicians, and they know each other, which is very positive,” Allard added. “They can walk into a unit and at least have some familiarity rather than somebody from the outside not really knowing who anybody is or how to use the system. That slows everything down.”

While CREW members don’t receive benefits such as medical or dental insurance, they do qualify for participation in a 403(b) retirement plan offered by tax-exempt organizations, free continuing education and a cafeteria discount.

Nurses are free to work for other hospitals while participating in CREW.

RN Overby plans to stay where she is. “At this time, I’m very happy with CREW and don’t have any plans to pursue any other position,” she said.

Filling the gap

Allard said CREW helps solve problems created by a shortage of nurses – an obstacle that she said isn’t going to go away.

“It’s still a factor,” she said, “and we hope CREW can help fill that gap. It’s not the end all but it is another part of the pie, we hope, that can help be a stop gap to help fill some of those needs.”

The concept of an internal staffing agency, Allard said, is not new. “We had thought about it for several years,” she said. “We looked at hospitals that had this program all across the country.” Ten hospitals were contacted during the research process, including Freeman Health System in Joplin, Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., St. Luke’s in Sioux City, Iowa, and Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J.

St. John’s hasn’t considered a program similar to CREW.

“St. John’s is able to meet our recruitment needs without assistance from agencies, either inside or outside the health system,” said Cora Scott, director of media relations. “We are fortunate to be successful in nurse recruitment and feel our model is one that works well for us.”

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