Airbnb does tens of billions of dollars in bookings annually. Most of that money is turned over to hosts, who take in strangers into their homes for cash. It can be lucrative but there are caveats. You can’t make much as a host unless you live close to a desirable vacation destination. Also, you’re taking in complete strangers, random people. Nursesbnb is a new platform that allows people to house gainfully employed, professional healthcare workers. Most exciting, you don’t have to live in a big city or near a beach: if there’s a hospital close by, your home or apartment is prime real estate.
There is a serious nursing shortage in the United States. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1.1 million new registered nurses will be needed by 2022, to prevent a shortage. Travel nursing has emerged as a direct response to that shortage, today there are some 25,000 travel nurses in the U.S. alone. Travel nurses usually take short-term assignments at hospitals, ranging from a few weeks to a full year. They tend to be paid well, too: travel nurses in Washington, DC average $84,000 annually. Travel nursing is an exciting, lucrative profession but housing is a struggle and options are limited.
A typical shift for a traveling nurse might be from 7 PM to 7 AM. Hotels and Airbnb hosts simply can’t accommodate such odd schedules because they mostly cater to tourists. Nurses are caught in a pinch and that’s why Nursesbnb was created. Keisha Manning is herself a nurse who’s seen the issue firsthand. She vividly recalls an experience she had with another nurse who was recruited for an assignment at the hospital she was working for, in 2019. The new nurse began his shift that night without a clear idea on where he would stay after he got off, at 7 the next morning. He frantically called hotels in the area and checked with several Airbnb hosts. Keisha saw him the next night and asked where he stayed after he finished his shift. His answer was appalling: he was forced to sleep in his car. Hotels weren’t willing to adjust their check-in or check-out times and after a 12-hour shift, he had no other option. He worked that night but never came back, refusing the assignment because he couldn’t find suitable housing. Keisha knew there was a real issue but also, a tremendous opportunity.
There are a limited number of beaches in the world and if you don’t live by one, it’d be difficult to make a tremendous amount of money renting out your spare bedroom. Hospitals, however, can be found in every corner of the world. Whether you live in rural Arkansas or a working-class community in the city, it’s very likely that a hospital is reasonably close. Thousands of nurses — and other health care professionals including doctors, phlebotomists and sonographers — who are well paid and simply want to sleep after a 12-hour shift, would gladly rent your space, if you made it available. All you need to do is sign up to be a host at Nursesbnb.com. Once you’re in, nurses and other healthcare professionals can contact you and if you’d like, you can confirm them as a guest. Nursesbnb is currently available to healthcare professionals in the U.S. and Canada and will expand in the near future. Nursesbnb is the next big thing, you should get your piece of the pie.
Nursesbnb is currently offering a hearty thank you to traveling healthcare professionals who book on their site. For a limited time, healthcare workers will receive a $50 amazon e-gift card when booking with Nursesbnb. In addition, Nursesbnb has also launched a crowdfunding campaign, which you can find by clicking here.