Calling All Displaced Doctors And Nurses

Courtesy SRMC via Facebook

Nurses pose for a picture with their protective equipment at Sumner Regional Medical Center, which is caring for more COVID patients than any hospital in the state.

It’s unclear exactly what roles they may be asked to take on and when, but the state has established a way for furloughed doctors and nurses to apply for COVID-response jobs with the state. They’d join the “Tennessee Medical Reserve Corps.”

The site is meant both for people looking for employment and wanting to volunteer, according to a Department of Health spokesperson.

Sign-ups don’t require a clinical background, but that’s the priority right now. The state is looking for displaced workers across many specialties, from doctors to X-ray techs, and even students training in those fields.

Once registered through the site, the state plans to share that information with a staffing agency for hiring and credentialing.

What will they do? The state is building overflow hospitals for non-critical COVID patients in convention space across the state, including 1,600 beds at the Music City Center. So that’s the main way, but details are still being worked out.