NRHA's Rural Health Voices blog offers informed commentary on the latest news in rural health care from NRHA staff and editorials from selected contributors.

Attracting, retaining talent amid the travel nurse surge

As hospitals leaders scramble to secure nurses to care for patients, we have seen increased salaries and a bidding war over nurse talent that have driven the average nurse pay rate up. This has hit rural health care facilities particularly hard, where often budgets can no longer compete with larger health care systems. Learn four ways rural health care facilities can attract and retain nurse talent amid this staffing crisis.

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From Nepal to Nebraska: The story of PreeTy

It's a long way from Nepal to northeast Nebraska. Yet, that's exactly where licensed nurse PreeTy found herself arriving one day in February of 2018. The Nebraskan countryside was foreign, but the weather was similarly blustery to her homeland at that time of year. Living in the U.S. was not new to her, however. She'd been here before and felt fortunate to be back.

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How rural hospital staffing can go global

One chilly morning in February 2016, Mary Rose and her family were greeted at a U.S. airport. The weather must have been shocking to the family who hailed from Quezon City, Metro Manila in the Philippines. They had been warned about Iowa winters and the need for proper clothing, but there’s something unsettling about saying farewell to family and friends in 90-degree heat and humidity only to deplane a few hours later to the foreign concept of wind chills.

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Why rural hospitals should consider international nurses

The pandemic has brought much attention to the national nursing shortage. Hospitals have felt the pressure of limited resources to maintain safe staffing ratios while combating the devastating effects on patients and weary full-time nurses. Concurrently, the cost of travel nurses has risen sharply due to higher hourly rates demanded by companies that ration their clinical workforce to the highest bidder. Embracing an international recruiting strategy not only opens up a channel to bring in...

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Time for new perspective: Rural nursing workforce 

After being a nurse for more than 40 years, one thing is certain: Health care and nursing are ever changing. Nearly 30 years of my nursing experience has been at critical access hospitals, so my heart holds a special place for rural nursing. Some of the greatest challenges of working in a small rural hospital have become my most memorable moments and accomplishments. I was part of a group of rural nurses who started a nurse-owned business as leaders in the research utilization movement ...

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