Oregon nurse group wants to end state’s reliance on travel nurses (KEZI)

The Oregon Nurses Association wants that state to stop relying on travel nurses out of concerns more staff nurses will resign to take on the higher-paying travel positions, KEZI television reported. “It is such a large problem on many levels,” said Matt Calzia with the Oregon Nurses Association, the union that represents nurses throughout the state. “We are becoming way too dependent upon travelers and it’s not a functional system for how you staff a hospital.” KEZI reported a travel nurse can cost $204 per hour while the average salary for a registered nurse in Oregon is about $40 per hour.