Susan Hefner, president of Medical Assets of Wisconsin, a temporary staffing company that specializes in placing licensed practicing nurses, registered nurses and certified nursing assistants, purchased the company last June and is preparing to expand it into new areas.
Medical Assets of Wisconsin was formerly known as Staff Development Corp. Hefner purchased the health care staffing division of the business for an undisclosed price.
Before buying the company, Hefner was general manager and vice president of an electrical assembly manufacturer in Waukesha for 12 years. Prior to her career there, she was a licensed practicing nurse.
“My original plan was to buy that company (that I was working for),” Hefner said. “That didn’t happen. But I always wanted to own my own business.”
Karen Rehn, partner with Brookfield-based Acquisition Business Advisors LLC, facilitated Hefner’s acquisition.
Medical Assets of Wisconsin, which has locations in Wauwatosa and Watertown, routinely sends its nurses and nursing assistants into hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, schools, hospices and correctional facilities, Hefner said. Most clients are looking for temporary help because of staff on vacation, out sick or patient increases.
“(They call) when they have an influx of needs and don’t have excess staff,” Hefner said. “We’re a 24-7 service. The phone rings at 1 a.m. – and when it does, it goes to an answering service, so there’s never a gap without service.”
The company now has about 45 nurses and nursing assistants in its pool of workers and is seeking more.
“We’re actively recruiting,” Hefner said. “And we’re involved with Herzing College in Sun Prairie (a technical college with a first-year nursing program).”
Most of the nurses and nursing assistants who work for Medical Assets of Wisconsin are looking for flexibility. Most are either students or parents of young children, Hefner said.
“Working in a pool isn’t for everyone, but it might be an ideal fit for a person looking for flexibility,” she said. “It’s also a good fit for a nurse that already has a full-time job but wants to work some extra shifts or take on new challenges.”
Medical Assets of Wisconsin is now forming working relationships with military reservists, who work in the medical field and may have lost their positions during their time of deployment, said Jessie Krowley, the company’s staffing coordinator.
“We want to help them transition back into the work force, and that might happen in the next 60 to 90 days,” she said.
The company already employs at least one reservist, Hefner said.
By next spring, the company hopes to offer its clients temporary health care workers who specialize in respiratory and physical therapy, as well as surgery technicians, X-ray technicians and anesthesiology technicians.
“There’s a lot of need in a lot of different places,” Hefner said. “The work’s there. But we’d like to have slow and steady growth.”
