Why healthcare needs a new, unique staffing model
In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, one thing remains constant: the need for skilled and dedicated staff. However, the traditional hiring model is in need of a revamp as the industry faces severe challenges with staffing shortages, provider burnout, morale issues, and the nationwide hiring crisis that reaches far beyond the healthcare sector.
In this blog post, we will explore the critical pain points within the healthcare industry and introduce a solution that hones in on why a unique staffing model is desperately needed to move forward in an effective way.
Let’s dive in.
4 Pain Points in Healthcare Hiring That Require a New, Unique Staffing Model
When looking at the healthcare industry as a whole, there is always room for improvement, however, healthcare faces unique challenges that are worth addressing. From our perspective, the following pain points are pushing healthcare systems and organizations to rethink their staffing needs and approach:
1. Employee Shortages Nationwide
The healthcare industry in the United States has been grappling with a chronic staffing shortage for years. Why? An aging population that has 10,000 baby boomers retiring each day, an increase in demand for healthcare services that an aging population and pandemic demands, and a limited supply of healthcare professionals coming into the field to replace those retiring. This perfect storm of issues has led to an overworked and overwhelmed workforce, compromising patient care and safety along the way.
2. Provider Burnout
One of the most significant repercussions of staffing shortages is the alarming rise in provider burnout. Healthcare professionals – doctors, nurses, support staff, and others – are facing heavy workloads, long hours, and relentless stress. No one is immune. This burnout not only affects the quality of care but also leads to high turnover rates, exacerbating the staffing crisis and calling for human resource teams to rethink their retention strategies.
3. Low Morale
Low morale among healthcare staff is a pervasive issue. Staffing shortages and provider burnout contribute significantly to this problem, causing people to work long hours without additional compensation or recognition. As with any industry, when healthcare workers are overworked, underpaid, and undervalued, it impacts their motivation and commitment to providing high-quality care and may lead to retention issues long-term.
4. Rise in Travel Nursing
To address staffing shortages, many healthcare facilities have turned to travel nursing agencies. While these agencies provide a temporary solution, they come with their own set of challenges, including high costs, and a lack of continuity in patient care and team camaraderie and trust.
With all of these elements in mind, the need for a new staffing model that addresses the root issues is key – but what does that look like?
We have a solution…
Em-Staff's Unique Staffing Model: A Game-Changer
With healthcare providers at the helm who have experienced many of the pain points listed above, Em-Staff has recognized the pressing need for a fresh approach to healthcare staffing and is committed to rethinking the traditional model to replace it with something better. Our unique model centers around hiring local healthcare workers, compensating them well, and using a pooling method to fill hard-to-fill positions that come up in health systems each day.
Let's delve into the details of this innovative solution.
Unique Staffing with a Healthcare Pool Method
Em-Staff's approach involves attracting highly talented staff and creating a pool of local and dependable locum healthcare professionals who are readily available to fill in as needed. In our contracts with healthcare organizations, we are provided a daily list of roles that require outside support. We provide this list to our contracted staff members, giving them the opportunity to pick up shifts locally and support their community’s health needs. This pool method ensures a workforce that can step in during times of crisis or increased demand, while still fostering higher morale and internal dependability.
What are the Advantages of the Pool Method?
Em-Staff's approach fosters a sense of community among healthcare professionals. By building a dependable working pool of local locums, they create a support system that enables professionals to collaborate, share experiences, and learn from each other. This sense of camaraderie enhances job satisfaction and contributes to a healthier work environment. Here is what we’ve seen in our few years in business deploying our unique staffing model:
Immediate Availability for Hard-to-Fill Roles: With a pre-vetted pool of professionals who are highly trained in their specialty, healthcare facilities can access qualified staff at a moment's notice, eliminating delays and lack of continuity of care often associated with traditional recruitment processes. Which leads us to…
Greater Continuity of Care: Patients benefit from consistent care provided by local professionals who are familiar with the facility's protocols and procedures.
Reduced turnover, training, and recruitment costs: By eliminating the need for costly travel nursing agencies or training new staff that come on board following internal retention issues, healthcare facilities can reduce their staffing expenditure significantly by working with dependable locums on a longer-term basis.
Better Understanding of the Community Needs: A huge benefit of working with local locums is their deep understanding and commitment to serving the community they’re in. As active community members, they are well-versed in knowing the best places for transfers, ambulatory protocols, EMS engagement, specialist referrals, pharmacy hours, nearby hotels, good local restaurants, and more. In short, these people understand the unique needs of their neighbors and deeply care about the outcomes.
Reduced Stress: When the hospital staff and patients see a familiar face, that they know will provide great care and help make a better shift --- this makes a world of a difference.
Knowledge Sharing: We know that trust is built over time and knowledge can only be effectively shared once that trust is established. By having dependable locums that can pinch hit when needed, collaboration within the pool allows professionals to share their expertise, improve their skills, and have a go-to team member to learn from and work alongside.
Competitive Wages for Improved Flexibility, Morale, and Retention
Let’s address the elephant in the room: the discussion around higher wages.
Em-Staff recognizes that competitive wages are essential for boosting morale and retaining healthcare professionals. Our unique staffing model ensures that local locums are compensated at a higher rate than the industry average, which leads to greater retention long-term, higher morale, and greater dependability and trust within a unit. By offering competitive wages we attract top talent, keep them motivated and committed to their local role for the foreseeable future, and offer last-minute fill-in’s for hospitals that save money and time often dedicated to credentialing. While it may seem counterintuitive, this actually decreases health system costs long term. Here’s how…
The Positive Impact of Higher Wages
While this isn’t a one-stop-shop fix, higher wages have been shown to play a significant role in improved morale and increased retention. When healthcare professionals feel adequately compensated for their hard work, their job satisfaction and morale increase. This, in turn, positively impacts the quality of patient care. Additionally, higher wages lead to lower turnover rates, reducing the costs associated with recruitment, onboarding, and training, and ultimately saving money for the healthcare organization over time.
Healthcare Industry Crossroads: It’s Time for a New, Unique Staffing Model
The healthcare industry is at a crossroads, facing unprecedented staffing challenges. Traditional staffing models have proven ineffective in addressing the issues we’ve covered in this blog post, leading to healthcare worker burnout, low morale, and compromised patient care. By focusing on local locums and fostering a dependable working pool, there is an immense opportunity to revolutionize the way healthcare facilities address staffing shortages. By rethinking the way we’ve always done things, the future of healthcare staffing looks brighter, promising better care for patients and a healthier work environment for healthcare professionals. It's time for the industry to embrace change and prioritize the well-being of both staff and patients alike.
Curious to learn more about Em-Staff's innovative approach? We encourage both health systems and providers to get in touch.*
*Of note, we currently support New England’s healthcare staffing needs and hope to expand our footprint and offerings in the future.