Lessons Learned From the Creation of an Internal Agency: A Strategy for Nursing Recruitment and Retention

To address high turnover of registered nurses leaving their positions for travel, Advocate Aurora Health (AAH) developed an internal travel agency, Flexible Staffing Services (FSS), mirroring practices currently in place with travel agencies across the nation. Nurses who had recently left their positions were contacted and offered an hourly rate equivalent to 60% of the current bill rate for external agency if they would consider a travel assignment within 1 of AAH's 27 acute care facilities across Illinois and Wisconsin. This ensured competitive wages and resulted in an estimated 40% cost savings over an external agency. In the first year, over 100 RNs were retained or rehired resulting in $12.7 million in cost savings. Socialization of the program and its success resulted in expansion into new roles and continued growth. Other large health care organizations utilizing staffing agencies should develop an internal agency to retain talent, reduce costs, and continue to provide high quality patient care.