Jordan Young is Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of AMX Healthcare, a leading national allied health & travel nurse staffing agency.
getty
The Covid-19 pandemic ultimately exposed the weaker links of the global healthcare system, in particular the need for adaptive staffing processes. It is imperative that we embrace these lessons and enact change to create a stronger, more resilient healthcare system for the future.
In the early days of the pandemic, healthcare providers were hailed by the media as heroes who stepped up to care for their communities while putting themselves directly in harm's way. As the pandemic continued, providers became increasingly burnt out and exhausted. As a direct and inevitable result of the last few years, the healthcare industry is now facing escalating staffing shortages that threaten the health of the entire system. The impact of Covid-19 requires meaningful changes that can set hospitals up for success before the next global health crisis occurs.
The Impact Of Covid-19
Many hospitals are working at capacity, but there are still significant disruptions to supply chains, with no one area of patient care immune to the outbreak of staff shortages. Healthcare professionals have continued to succumb to infection themselves, while for many, the mental and physical toll of working through a pandemic has caused them to leave the medical field altogether.
One healthcare trade journal estimates that 100,000 nurses have left the industry between 2020 and 2021. Over the last year, nursing strikes occurred in some of America's biggest cities, including Los Angeles, Minneapolis and San Francisco. In January 2023 alone, more than 7,000 union workers went on strike in New York City.
This has a profound impact on patient care. With new Covid-19 variants evolving and respiratory conditions surging, it is critical to implement new systems and fail-safes before the mounting strain on healthcare comes head-to-head with another global health outbreak. Fortunately, legislation has been introduced across the country, with bills progressing in Washington State to require formal staffing plans and in Pennsylvania for a solution to establish a Skilled Nursing Home and Nurses Retention Loan Repayment Program—but these will take time to implement and for the long-term value to be felt.
How To Address The Staffing Crisis Now
Nurse.org reports in its 2023 State of Nursing survey that 79% of nurses say their units are inadequately staffed, while 71% of nurses said improving staffing ratios would have the greatest impact on the nursing shortage. This profound insight from more than 2,100 nurses across the U.S. clearly states that more nurses are the answer—something that can be alleviated quickly by integrating travel nurses into the staffing workflow.
Hospitals and other healthcare facilities have long relied on travel nurses to fill gaps in staffing, but a sound strategy to add travel nurses to the roster provides ongoing benefits as well as an immediate solution to the staffing crisis. To do so effectively, here are some recommendations for changing the role of the travel nurse from pro re nata—Latin for “as necessary”—to an integral part of the staffing solution.
Establish Clear Expectations
Even if hospital administrators have experience working with travel nurses, they should communicate what is expected in terms of job duties, patient care and hospital policies. It is important to discuss the new staffing workflow strategy and to provide clear guidance on any unique procedures or protocols that the hospital follows.
Establish Clear Communication Channels
Hospital leadership—including HR and the head of nursing—must establish clear communication between travel nurses and their supervisors, as well as between the contracted nurses and other members of the healthcare team. This helps ensure that everyone is on the same page, especially about how travel nurses are being fully integrated into the staffing workflow and to ensure they have the support they need to provide high-quality care.
Ensure Comprehensive Orientation
As required for all hospital staff, the orientation program should cover the hospital's policies and procedures, patient care protocols and any other important information relevant to the nurse's role. Providing both online and in-person training sessions is also beneficial, so the nurses can learn additional protocols at their own pace, have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with their colleagues.
Assign A Mentor
Mentors can help guide travel nurses through the orientation process, answer any questions they may have and provide ongoing support throughout their assignments. With a strategy in place to utilize travel nurses as an ongoing staffing solution, a mentor can help them to navigate the hospital's culture and politics, which can be especially important for nurses who are new to the organization and otherwise considered "temp."
Share Technology Resources
Hospitals should provide travel nurses access to the hospital's electronic health record system, as well as any other software or tools that are used by the healthcare team. This access should extend to continuing education opportunities and other resources to help them stay up-to-date on the latest nursing practices.
Encourage And Foster A Positive Work Environment
As always, hospitals should create a welcoming and supportive culture, where all nurses feel valued and respected. This is achieved by encouraging collaboration and teamwork among all members of the healthcare team.
While there will never be a slow season in healthcare, hospitals must evaluate takeaways and opportunities to grow from lessons learned over the past three years as soon as possible. Preparing now with an immediate staffing solution can set systems up for success ahead of when the next global health crisis emerges or in the event of a major resurgence of an existing disease.
Now is the time to evaluate staffing needs and enact change. By leveraging travel nurses, who have served healthcare systems well in times of short-term need, administrators can create an immediate solution to the nurse staffing crisis that can have an ongoing positive impact on permanent staff—and patients.
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
