Pandemic-era travel nursing trend going strong at TJ Samson

GLASGOW, Ky. – A pandemic-era trend is still going strong for one local hospital.

Travel nurses were a necessary resource throughout the pandemic, and now about 30 travel nurses continue to fill the gap for TJ Samson Hospital.

The demand for travel nurses exploded as hospital staff suffered burnout and shortages at the height of the Covid pandemic. In 2020 alone, traveling nursing demand grew 35 percent from the previous year. 

TJ Regional Chief Nursing Officer Brandon Dickey said, “We view them as our TJ employees, and our patients do, too. Thankfully, they’ve bought into that mentality, so it’s been a great relationship, and that’s not always been the case with travelers.”

Dickey says despite the average 13 week travel nurse contract many have stayed at TJ regional for over a year.