Gig work is fairly common in many sectors of the American economy, but a report released Tuesday by the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive think tank, details how the gig model is currently impacting the healthcare industry. They argue that this is creating new ways of working. Dangerous to workers and patients.
This overview, written by Groundwork Collaborative Fellow Katie Wells and King’s College London Lecturer Funda Ustek Spilda, explores the ‘on-demand nursing companies’ that are gaining traction with up-and-coming hospitals, including CareRev, Clipboard Health, ShiftKey and ShiftMed. is sounding the alarm. Increased control and flexibility for nurses and nursing assistants.
In reality, these “new Uber-style apps use algorithmic scheduling, staffing, and management technology (software often touted by companies as cutting-edge “AI” or artificial intelligence) to We connect understaffed medical facilities with nearby nurses and nursing assistants. work,” he said in the prepared statement.
The authors, whose study is largely based on interviews with 29 gig nurses, argue that these apps “encourage nurses to work for lower wages” and that nurses are less likely to be paid when it comes to schedules and the amount and type of work they do. He argued that he had not provided clarity to his mentor and that he was not sufficiently concerned. “Putting nurses into unfamiliar clinical environments without onboarding or facility training can put patients’ health at risk.”
The authors say these platforms are using the same tactics as ride-hailing service Uber when it comes to lobbying state legislatures to protect themselves from labor regulations, and that large hospital systems across the country are hiring gig nurses for their jobs. It is pointed out that it is included. Since 2016.
The researchers argued that while platforms like ShiftKey could lead to higher rates for nurses and nursing assistants, nursing on-demand platforms could create a race to the bottom for wages. “Nurses and nursing assistants who use these apps bid for shifts and win bids by offering to work at a lower hourly rate than their colleagues.”
When nursing-on-demand companies classify workers as self-employed, nurses and nursing assistants are also “excluded from the protections of local, state, and federal laws regarding minimum wage, overtime, and worker pay,” and therefore higher rates. You will be exposed to risks. Compensation, retirement benefits, employment-based health insurance, and paid sick leave. ”
Employees will also be evaluated based on facility feedback and algorithmic decisions, and could be penalized if they cancel shifts due to illness or conflict, the report said.
According to the authors, “In at least one case, a nursing assistant reported to the hospital sick with COVID-19 because she did not know how to cancel her shift without receiving a negative rating.”
By way of background, the authors of the brief also argue that the oft-cited “nursing shortage” is actually a misleading term. In fact, according to recruitment guidelines, there is not a shortage of available nurses and nursing assistants, but rather a “chronically understaffed, low-paying, unsafe, and stressful workplace.” An increasing number of nurses and nursing assistants are refusing to do so.” External research.
In fact, many of the workers interviewed said they continue to work in on-demand nursing services because, broadly speaking, they like the job. Interviewees “repeated many times how important flexible schedules are to their lives, especially their own care for children, spouses, and seniors,” according to the briefing. However, the study authors wrote that this does not mean “whether it is for one’s life, for one’s children, spouse, or elders.” The concerns expressed by workers are not noteworthy.
The rise of gig nursing is occurring against a backdrop of increased corporate ownership of the healthcare industry as a whole, including increased private equity ownership of medical facilities and medical staffing companies.
“Policymakers need to proactively intervene to regulate these platforms and provide adequate labor protections for working and non-working nurses alike,” Wells said in a statement Tuesday. “There is,” he said. “But these apps are a symptom of a broken healthcare infrastructure that has fallen victim to corporate takeover. Failure to act on both fronts poses risks to healthcare systems and the workers who support them.”
Wells also told the Guardian that gig companies don’t release data and the industry is unregulated, so it’s unclear how much the U.S. health care system relies on gig nurses. He said the trend is clearly increasing.
According to sources the authors spoke to, these on-demand nursing apps can also have negative effects on patients. One nurse said, “There were times when I couldn’t access patient records or couldn’t find the supply closet.”
“Other staff members said that due to a lack of supervision and resources, critical safety issues for patients were being prevented, such as the inability of gig nurses to obtain up-to-date information on a patient’s medication or instructions on whether the patient needed assistance with eating. “We report that it can cause a deficiency,” the authors wrote.
