Hospitals are relying more on expensive travel nurses in a cycle that has no end in sight

Hospitals are relying more and more on expensive travel nurse agencies to fix staffing shortages, an issue that has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. And that's hurting their bottom line and alienating full-time nurses, healthcare industry experts say.

For nearly two years, hospitals have continuously sourced nurses from external staffing and travel nurse agencies to fill the gaps created by the coronavirus pandemic.