Nurses Resorting to Gig Work Apps Subjected to Low Pay and Less Protections, ‘AI Has Eaten the Managers’

Gig work is taking over the nursing industry and creating new challenges.

Gig work apps are taking over the nursing industry and increasing crucial risks that are not present in food delivery or rideshare.

A new report from the Roosevelt Institute called “Uber for Nursing” reveals the horrors nurses across the country face as they resort to gig work to make ends meet. The study emerges as apps like CareRev, Clipboard Health, and ShiftKey expand their user base by adopting strategies similar to those used by companies like Uber and Instacart to build their workforces, applying these methods to nursing in hospitals, care homes, and other medical facilities.

However, as more nurses and medical facilities turn to gig work, issues are beginning to emerge, Business Insider reports. The study found that medical facilities frequently rely on gig nursing services to reduce costs, particularly under the guidance of private equity firms.

“The stakes are higher because this has to do with patient safety, and the immediacy of health and care makes things more palpable,” said Katie Wells, a senior fellow at think tank Groundwork Collaborative and one of the report’s authors.

Medical professionals using these apps encounter many of the same challenges as other gig workers, including low pay and sudden account deactivations with little or no explanation. Nursing apps typically charge an access fee, and workers compete by bidding on their pay rates. According to the report, the user who offers the lowest rate secures the shift.

When they work the shift, they face new challenges, including not knowing how to navigate the facility.

“At most hospitals and medical facilities, no orientations are required for gig nurses and nursing assistants,” the report reads. “Workers do not know where supply closets are located, how to access patient portals with medical histories and current medication lists, and whom to contact in the chain of command.”

Nurses who use the apps also don’t have protection from a boss or human resources when they’re met with challenges. One nurse was barred from using the app for two weeks after leaving a shift early due to a hernia.

“It’s really as if AI has eaten the managers,” Wells said.

While the apps advertise that nurses can earn more money using their platforms, one nurse interviewed by the researchers reported a gross pay of $23 an hour on ShiftKey. After deducting the fees paid to ShiftKey, her earnings fell to about $13 an hour.

Despite the challenges, the report revealed that 19 of 29 interviewees intended to keep working for the apps. However, some mentioned they also held jobs in other industries to earn enough to make ends meet.