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.