Staffing shortages are a significant burden on hospitals. With physicians and other healthcare workers leaving the industry due to burnout, this problem needs to be addressed.
It is crucial to develop plans for both short-term and long-term solutions to address the staffing problems. It will include strategies like:
Retaining Current Staff
As medical facilities face staffing shortages, patient care should not be compromised. Frequently, the cost of hiring and training new healthcare workers is much more than a facility can afford. To avoid degrading the quality of care, medical institutions should focus on retaining current staff, encouraging former employees to return to their jobs, and attracting new talent.
To successfully achieve these goals, we must adopt a comprehensive approach that confidently prioritizes telehealth technologies, boldly expands career pathways, offers enticing incentives, and proactively addresses workplace concerns. A nationally coordinated strategy organized around projected shortages is required.
Healthcare organizations should also consider social barriers that can impact the ability of healthcare workers to perform their jobs safely. It can include working around childcare and transportation obligations and living with family members at high risk of infection.
Another way to increase staff retention is by offering flexible scheduling. This option gives employees a better work-life balance, increasing job satisfaction. It can also allow them to feel more connected with their employers and be a part of a team. It can improve morale, which can help with reducing turnover. The bottom line is that when medical professionals are happy, they are more likely to stay with a healthcare organization.
Bringing in New Staff
Healthcare workers often serve as healers and caretakers, but they also tend to be some of the only friends people in hospitals or skilled nursing facilities have. These individuals may be going through one of the worst, most painful, and most stressful periods in their lives, and they need staff members who are compassionate with them. Unfortunately, healthcare worker shortages are making that difficult.
Overwork, burnout, and limited opportunity for time off have driven many frontline clinicians to explore new options or exit the workforce altogether, creating a true talent emergency for hospitals. Healthcare organizations can use various strategies to address this issue, including adjusting scheduling, recruiting retired healthcare workers, and working with local community groups to find volunteers.
Healthcare administration staffing agencies can also help in this effort by providing access to qualified candidates. Many of the best nurses, therapists, and pharmacists spend little time looking for work on their own; they instead sign up with an agency and get a constant flow of opportunities to apply to.
In addition to filling in gaps, staffing agencies can take some of the administrative burden off facility administrations. They can help streamline the hiring process by screening applicants, reducing the need for facilities to invest in background checks, and allowing them to bring in more experienced staff members who can hit the ground running.
Training New Staff
Healthcare administrators, nurses, and allied health professionals are on the front lines of providing patients with high-quality care. However, these medical professionals must also understand that hospitals and clinics are businesses and must operate as such. It is where healthcare administration staffing agencies come in. Focusing on providing the highest level of service possible, they help ensure patients get the quality care they deserve.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, healthcare organizations struggle to address workforce shortages. To do so, they leverage tried-and-true tactics such as asking existing employees to work overtime and hiring healthcare administration staffing agencies to fill in the gaps. However, these methods could be more sustainable as they drive up labor costs and cause staff burnout.
Fortunately, there are new ways to tackle healthcare worker shortages. For example, many states have passed legislation establishing safe staffing levels for healthcare facilities. This law is a step in the right direction as it gives hospital administrators and workers a measurable standard to hold their employers accountable.
Moreover, educational institutions are working to improve the way they train students. They are incorporating interprofessional education, where students from different fields are taught to work together in multi-disciplinary teams. This approach is proven to reduce medical errors, increase patient satisfaction, and decrease provider burnout.
Providing Support Staff
The high employee turnover rate in healthcare isn’t merely an economic issue. It also leads to a lack of continuity in patient care and a higher risk for infection and other medical problems. Healthcare administration staffing agencies can help reduce the turnover rates of employees by providing a stable workforce to handle the workload.
Staffing agencies can also provide flexibility for healthcare workers by offering part-time schedules and working-from-home options. These options can keep people happy at work and allow them to continue serving patients despite COVID-19 staffing shortages.
Finally, healthcare staffing agencies can offer many benefits to facilities that hire them. They can handle payroll and task risks, be an on-call resource, and help with legal issues during employment. Facilities can save time and money with these services, allowing them to serve their patients better.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, healthcare administration staffing agencies are vital in keeping healthcare facilities running smoothly. These agencies can alleviate the pressure placed on facilities by taking charge of recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining qualified healthcare administrators. Their role can help address the ongoing staffing shortages in the industry and ensure that patients receive the high-quality care they deserve.
