Nurse Manager Hiring Travel Nurses

I am a nurse manager and am hiring travel nurses. What should I consider when integrating travel nurses into my staffing mix?

Travel nurses licensed and working in Nova Scotia are accountable to practice in accordance with the professional scope of practice for their designation in Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia standards of practice and the code of ethics.

Your accountabilities as a nurse manager are to:

• Ensure the travel nurses are supported to work within their role, scope of practice and individual competence.
• Provide essential support systems, including human and material resources to support the travel nurses to meet their standards of practice.
• Address any professional practice issues or employment issues that have been brought to your attention.

Consider engaging in the following actions as you support the integration of the travel nurses:

• Provide an appropriate orientation to the care area/facility. This could include, a review of employer-specific policies and procedures, specific care area policies and identifying another nurse to act as a collaborator for the travel nurse when needed.
• Arrange for any education for the travel nurse if there are specific competencies needed by the travel nurse.
• Consider the competencies of the travel nurse and other staff to ensure appropriate staffing and when determining client assignments.

If a professional practice issue is brought to your attention, you should consider the following:

• Obtain more information about the issue, including discussing it with the nurse(s) involved.
• Work with the nurse(s) to develop a plan to resolve the issue.
• Consult with Human Resources as needed and follow any employer-related processes such as incident reporting.
• Depending on the nature of the issue, you may have a duty to report.

A professional practice issue is any issue or situation that either compromises client care/service by placing a client at risk or affects a nurse’s ability to provide care/service consistent with the standards of practice for nurses, code of ethics, other standards and guidelines, or employer policies or procedures

Suggested Reading:

• Nursing Scope of Practice Guideline        
• Supporting Nurses with Professional Practice Issues Guidelines for Employers

For further information on anything contained within this practice support tool, please contact an NSCN Practice Consultant at practice@nscn.ca.