Nurses, Staffing, and the Gig Economy | The Nurse Keith Show, EPS 247

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On episode 246 of The Nurse Keith Show nursing career podcast, Keith interviews two founders of connectRN.com and delves into the ways in which technology is radically transforming the process of the nursing job search, hiring, and staffing, and how it’s possible for nurses to benefit from the so-called “gig economy”.

Michael Wood is the CEO and co-founder of connectRN. which is a marketplace connecting healthcare institutions with nurses looking for extra shifts. connectRN’s technology helps institutions cut administrative cost and reduce premium labor spend. Mike has spent his career in sales, marketing, and entrepreneurial roles. Before connectRN, he spent over a decade in the medical device industry in sales and marketing with K2M and Synthes Spine. He also co-founded a specialty distribution company focused on cost-effective surgical implants used to drive down the cost of care. Before his healthcare roles, he worked in high tech at PTC and Advizex. Mike is a graduate of Colby College and spends most of his time at hockey rinks with his wife and 3 kids. Please send Mike a personalized invitation to connect on LinkedIn and tell him you heard his interview on The Nurse Keith Show!

Idriz Limaj, RN, MBA is the CSO and co-founder of connectRN. Idriz is also the Executive Director of Care Continuum at Boston-based Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In this role, Limaj is responsible for executing the strategic vision across all areas of Brigham Health’s Care Continuum Management program. This work includes planning, directing and coordinating strategic initiatives related to program development and the daily clinical and administrative practices carried out by social workers, care coordination nurses and care transition specialists who support patients and families transitioning between care settings. Limaj received his Master’s in Business Administration and Bachelor’s in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Please send Idriz a personalized invitation to connect on LinkedIn and tell him you heard his interview on The Nurse Keith Show!

A few notes pertinent to the conversation:

Technology has radically transformed the healthcare industry, especially in nurse staffing. What are your thoughts on the state of the industry and where it’s heading with the development of new technologies like connectRN that connect two different audiences (clinicians and facilities)?
More workers are taking on side jobs or “gigs” than ever before. What is connectRN’s role in the “gig economy” and how is the healthcare industry as a whole adapting to changes in the way people work?
In order to fill gaps in staffing, healthcare facilities have traditionally turned to staffing agencies to hire temporary help or “per diem” nurses to work vacant shifts. However, this is usually a complicated process, involving back-and-forth phone calls and canceled shifts. How does connectRN streamline that process with its mobile app and digital platform? Can you tell us more about how the app works and the technology behind it?
More than 1 million nurses will reach retirement age within the next 10 to 15 years and over 55 percent of registered nurses are reported to be age 50 or older. Unless these statistics are reversed soon, the nursing industry is poised to face a serious staffing shortage. How can tech help combat that shortage?
In the nursing community, the practice and the definition of per diem nursing have evolved and developed a common set of misconceptions among nurses and facilities. Can you tell us how connectRN is trying to upend those stereotypes? – There are various different kinds of nurses and healthcare professionals out there, from LPNs, RNs, to BSNs. What kind of clinicians use connectRN? What is connectRN’s relationship like with its clinicians?

Why not connect with connectRN?: