Opinion: Uber for nursing is here — and it’s not good for patients or nurses

Dana, a 29-year-old nurse in St. Louis, checks her phone to see if the gig nursing app CareRev still has her scheduled at the local hospital. She’s already arranged child care for her son, but cancellations are common. “It’s a gamble. … I’ll wake up at 5 in the morning, and I’ll find out if I’m canceled or not,” she told us. Cancellation means Dana will miss out on a day of pay. (Note: All names have been changed to protect privacy.)

Dana also worries about what will happen at the hospital if her shift doesn’t get canceled. Sometimes, she shows up and finds out that she’s caring for 30 patients on her own or that she should have brought her own thermometer and blood pressure cuff. Most times, Dana doesn’t have an orientation before she works for a new health care facility, and too often, she can’t find the supply closets or figure out how to log into patient portals to check medical histories and current medication lists.  

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