Theo Francis wrote a post The Wall Street Journal’s Health Blog about the nurse shortage and some of its causes.  Although the outlook looks bleak, he mentioned a unique source of new nurses–Career-changers.  Crediting the Boston Globe, Francis explains how the healthcare system can cope with the nursing shortage by “tapping mid-career professionals who go to nursing school for a change of pace or after taking early retirement.” 

Click here to read the entire post with reader comments: Nursing crunch may be hard to fix.

This article appeared in the September 17 issue of the American Staffing Association’s Staffing Week E-newsletter.  Although aimed at all staffing agencies, medical staffing companies could be affected even more by client bankruptcy because the majority of America’s hospitals are already operating in the red.  The bottom line is to continuously monitor your clients’ credit terms and their payment trends.

With the U.S. economy showing some weakness in areas such as home construction and mortgage financing, staffing firms might begin to worry about the financial strength of their clients. Economic downturns can lead to business failures that put companies that provide services in troubled sectors of the economy—such as staffing firms—at increased risk.

Staffing company owners often wonder whether their firms have any basis for claiming priority status for unpaid client invoices when a client is in bankruptcy. Unfortunately, unless the claim is secured in some way, the answer generally is no.

Because employee wage claims enjoy priority status in bankruptcy, staffing firms commonly ask whether unpaid client invoices can be treated as a claim for unpaid wages. In most cases, however, the staffing firm has already paid its employees when the client’s claim in bankruptcy is filed, so courts treat such claims as for unpaid vendor invoices, not wages.

Some years ago, ASA considered seeking an amendment to the federal bankruptcy law to grant priority status to staffing firm claims. The association was advised by bankruptcy experts that this would not be feasible. ASA was told that, since 1898, Congress has granted preferences to just two industries—farming and fishing—and then only in very limited circumstances and with a low dollar cap (currently $5,400) on the amount of the claim entitled to priority status.

The bankruptcy experts concluded that there was virtually no chance of success in getting preferential treatment for the staffing industry. It was unlikely that Congress could be persuaded that staffing firms are uniquely different from other business services or are suffering significantly greater hardship. Moreover, any relief granted would be very limited in terms of dollar amount.

Given the remote chances of success, and the limited relief even if the effort was successful, ASA decided not to pursue an amendment.

Because of the “supplier beware” legal environment created by the bankruptcy laws, it is always a good business practice, regardless of the state of the economy, for staffing firms to be careful about extending credit to clients and to closely monitor their receivables.

-Ed Lenz

PRN Funding, LLC will be exhibiting at the 2007 American Staffing Association (ASA) Conference in San Antonio, Texas in booth 324.  We’re excited to see some of our old friends and greet the many new faces that will be in attendance.  We’re also just as excited to learn about business trends in the overall staffing industry, particularly the medical staffing industry.  We received a brief preview of a seminar that we thought would be of particular interest to our current clients in an email from ASA last week entitled: .

Negotiate a Competitive Advantage and Grow Your Bottom Line

All of life is a negotiation. Are you a world class negotiator or just so-so?

For the most part, staffing industry growth slowed this year. So if the pie isn’t getting bigger, you need to grow your slice of it. Learning how to negotiate on value instead of price will help keep you ahead of the competition.

Many workshops at Staffing World 2007, Oct. 9–12 in San Antonio, will help you succeed in the year ahead. One of the most important will be Negotiation Boot Camp: How To Make Better Deals, with Ed Brodow.

When your clients are using clever new tactics for negotiating fees, margins, and indemnity clauses, do you have the confidence and diplomatic skills to get what you want while still leaving them with a sense of satisfaction? Register for Staffing World 2007 today and learn these critical skills.

Brodow, chief executive officer of Ed Brodow Seminars, best-selling author, and one of the nation’s most acclaimed and innovative experts on the art of negotiation, will share proven strategies used by successful negotiators for making deals and getting what you want out of life. You’ll learn how to negotiate staffing contracts and communicate more effectively with clients, suppliers, colleagues, and employees.

Brodow will discuss negotiating techniques he has developed for clients such as Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Starbucks, Philip Morris, the Hartford, Johnson & Johnson, Hyatt, Revlon, Kimberly-Clark, and the Department of Defense.

Brodow is one of many top-notch experts who will be impressing Staffing World attendees. He is a nationally recognized television personality, and has appeared on PBS, Fox News, Inside Edition, Fortune Business Report (New York), and KRON-TV4 (San Francisco). His two-hour PBS negotiating special garnered rave reviews and his ideas have been showcased in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Professional Speaker, Smart Money, Readers Digest, and Selling Power. “Ed Brodow is the king of negotiators,” says Harvey Pitt, former chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Q: Will you be attending the 2007 ASA Conference in San Antonio? 

NNBA 18th Annual Conference Details: October 20-21, Charlotte, NC

Four simultaneous pre-conference workshops: Oct. 19, Charlotte, NC

Early registration: Must be received one month before the conference (Sept.19).

$199 NNBA member

$300 Non-member

$99 Bring-a-friend: Each NNBA member attending may bring one friend for $99.

Note: Pre-conference sessions are not included in general registration

See pre-conference workshops

Caution: Membership is verified. Non-member purchases at the member price will not be processed until additional payment is received. (click here to purchase membership for $99 )

Late registration: Received within one month of conference Non-member $350 NNBA member $249 Bring-a-friend $149: Each NNBA member attending may bring one friend for $149.

October 19, 2007, four pre-conference seminars

See the four pre-conference workshops

October 20 and 21, 2007, two-day annual conference

Click here to see the conference agenda and speaker schedule

Special events:

* Nurses in Business Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

* Evening networking reception Saturday October 20, 2007

Reserve your hotel room NOW. Group rate ends Sept. 18.

The group rate is $89 for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (October 18, 19, and 20).

The rooms are limited and on a first come, first serve basis. When the rooms run out, the non-group rate can be as high as $230 depending on the demand.

Click here to reserve your room at the Sheraton Airport Hotel

3315 Scott Futrell Drive

Charlotte, North Carolina 28208

Phone: (800) 325-3535 or (704) 392-1200

Continuing education: The conference is approved for 12 hours of nursing continuing education. To receive the continuing education credit, there is an additional $15 charge that you will pay directly to the CE provider. Pick up a request form at the conference. The provider (recognized nationally) will mail you a certificate, maintain your records for five years, and replace certificates at no cost to you.

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, BRN Provider number CEP-3285, for stated contact hours credit. CE credit is accepted in all states and for many national certifications; call 1-800-743-4006 for CE information.

Refunds: Full refund less $30 processing fee if notified SEVEN DAYS BEFORE the conference. No refunds or credits given after the conference.

Changes: Schedule and speakers subject to change. The NNBA reserves the right to cancel this conference. In the event of cancellation, all registration fees will be refunded in full. Please check with NNBA prior to booking your flights in case of changes.

Money back guarantee – If you are not satisfied, notify us at first break and we will refund your registration fee, no questions asked.