Louisiana uses bidding system to fill nursing shifts
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
January 2, 2008
To help lessen the effects of a large nursing shortage, two hospitals in Louisiana have started using a bidding system which allows nurses on staff to bid for extra hours, reports the Associated Press. Nurses are allowed to bid 1.1 to 1.5 times their current salary, and the winner is the lowest bidder. Administrators at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge, LA and Lafayette General Medical Center in Lafayette, LA have said this method not only strengthens patient safety by using nurses who are already familiar with the patients, but lowers costs by not having to use temps.The bidding system allows nurses to pick up extra shifts if they want, and know about the shifts ahead of time. The region, which lost 3,000 nurses after the hurricanes of 2005, is now operating at a nursing shortage of 6,000.
