Nursa

Nursa improves shift pickup, cost savings, and clinician engagement with branded payments experience powered by Branch

Background

Nursa is a healthcare staffing platform that connects nurses seeking flexible work with facilities looking to fill per diem shifts. Driven by a strong belief that relationships matter, Nursa regularly seeks feedback from its users to improve the clinician experience. When clinicians began asking for a way to get paid faster through the platform, Millie Rapp, Manager of Strategic Initiatives, was all ears. Rapp and her team started searching for a solution that could offer clinicians faster access to pay than their previous solution, while complementing the existing Nursa platform. We spoke with Rapp about why the team ultimately decided to partner with Branch to launch Nursa Direct—and how it’s benefited their platform and the lives of their clinician users. 

In search of a cost-effective solution to deliver same-day pay

Rapp and her team were learning that fast, flexible payments were becoming a must-have for healthcare staffing platforms. When they heard firsthand from clinician users that this was an important incentive, they took the request to heart. 

“We take clinician feedback really seriously,” says Rapp, “And we try to act on it in meaningful ways.”

Case in point: Rapp and her team immediately started the search for a same-day payment solution. While they evaluated a few different options, most solutions came with high fees for both the company and clinicians—something that Nursa wanted to avoid. 

When Rapp and her team discovered Branch, they were pleased to discover a fast payment solution that was free on both sides. 

“Ultimately, Branch was aligned with our desire to provide clinicians with access to their pay as quickly as possible—at no cost,” says Rapp.

Nursa knew there were a few different ways to partner with Branch, but they wanted to create their own branded solution in the form of a separate, easy-to-use payment app for clinicians looking to get paid the same day they worked. Rather than building a payments solution in-house, they found a reliable partner in Branch. They knew that Branch had experience with white-label solutions and could quickly create a branded payments platform that would put the clinician user experience front and center without requiring a heavy lift on their end.

A white-label payment solution with white-glove service: Nursa Direct, powered by Branch

The process of launching the app was made smooth and efficient by partnering with a payments expert who handled program management: Branch took care of everything from KYC verification and fraud identification to end-user support. With Branch’s help, Nursa was able to create Nursa Direct, a payment experience that is user-friendly and adds value to clinicians’ day-to-day lives. 

Native to iOS and Android, Nursa Direct maintained the look and feel of Nursa’s brand—without requiring any heavy lifting on their end. And because the application would be built on Branch’s core technology, any new innovations or upgrades added to the Branch App would be built into Nursa Direct as well. This would streamline the process for ongoing payment innovation and make updates more seamless for the Nursa team. 

“The team we worked with was very organized,” says Rapp. “They were friendly and collaborative as we worked together to be proactive about any potential challenges.”

With Nursa Direct, Nursa clinician users can create their own digital bank account and branded Mastercard debit card* that allows them to get paid quickly after each qualified shift. Clinicians can now verify their independent work attendance and access their earnings as soon as they complete a facility shift—a benefit that’s been an instant hit. 

Branch enabled Nursa Direct to offer partnership perks like cashback rewards and the ability to enable Google Pay and Apple Pay, which have served to surprise and satisfy clinicians from day one. Branch also allowed Nursa to quickly launch their new solution in just 14 weeks. 

“Clinicians love the fast and free instant pay, but they’ve also been delighted by the free access to ATMs as well as the convenience of being able to use Google Pay and Apple Pay, so they can just bring their phones to their shift and don’t have to worry about a wallet,” says Rapp. “They also love the cashback rewards, and for many, they haven’t had a debit or credit card that offered any kind of rewards before.” 

One part of the ongoing collaboration Rapp and her team especially appreciate is the co-marketing assistance Branch provides. This includes partnership on landing pages, videos, emails, and other resources to help users make the most of Branch and be onboarded swiftly. Marketing a new financial product can come with a lot of nuance, which Branch is happy to oversee, ensuring materials help promote engagement while being user-friendly and compliant. 

Nursa and clinicians save money, see improved shift pickup

Partnering with Branch has benefited Nursa and its clinician users in several ways. For one, it’s been cost-effective, saving both the Nursa team and clinician users money on fees. It has also helped ensure that Nursa stays competitive in the acquisition of top healthcare talent. After just a month of full rollout, about 1 in 4 active clinician users have adopted the white-label solution as their primary payment method and worked 15% more shifts than clinicians who used other payment methods.

“Nursa Direct is an important clinician value-generator. Having access to Nursa Direct means that a clinician is never going to choose to use a competitor platform simply because of faster access to pay,” says Rapp. 

When it comes to the impact Nursa Direct has had on the lives of clinician users, Rapp understands that faster pay goes far beyond a good feeling or nice perk: it can be life-changing. Improving cash flow can help clinicians avoid overdraft or late fees and help them budget better for weekly expenses.

“Faster access to pay means that clinicians can more easily meet their financial obligations and their personal goals,” says Rapp. “And in a lot of cases, it helps them to save money by avoiding costly alternatives.”

The Nursa team has also seen a real ROI in terms of shift pickup for clinicians who use Nursa Direct versus those who don’t. 

“Clinicians that choose to use Nursa Direct tend to complete more shifts than clinicians who use a more traditional method,” says Rapp. “That’s something we’re really excited about.”

With burnout in healthcare at an all-time high, incentives like fast payments are crucial in finding a meaningful way to boost morale and engagement. And if you can find a payment partner who can support you every step of the way, it takes the hassle out of offering a new payment experience for your user base. 

“This is a small but effective thing that Nursa can do to help reduce stress in the lives of clinicians serving at the bedsides of patients in need,” says Rapp. “We’re proud to provide clinicians with the kind of payment experience that makes a real difference.”