Travel Nurse Onboarding: Current Trends and Identified Needs

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Healthcare Administration
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Effective onboarding is essential for travel nurses (TRNs) to deliver safe patient care.
• Current onboarding practices for TRNs require streamlining and organization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe current onboarding practices for travel nurses (TRNs).
• To identify the specific onboarding needs of travel nurses (TRNs).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional descriptive survey was employed.
• Data were collected from 306 TRNs across the United States.
• Participants were recruited electronically via a social media group.

Main Results:

• TRNs highlighted the need for critical information, including unit patient ratios and a 7-14 day pre-assignment onboarding schedule.
• Access to login IDs and system access on day 1 was identified as crucial.
• Onboarding and competency assessment checklists should be tailored to the specific unit and facility.

Conclusions:

• Study findings can assist hospitals in developing streamlined and customized TRN onboarding processes.
• Optimized onboarding supports regulatory compliance and enhances patient safety.
• Implementing tailored onboarding strategies can lead to significant cost savings for healthcare facilities.