Through our latest expansion to Kansas City, Medely has partnered with facilities to offer a flexible, reliable option for finding coverage at a moment’s notice. One of these facilities is Briarcliff Surgery Center. As part of United Surgical Partners International, Briarcliff Surgery Center needs to uphold certain facility standards, so when they experienced staffing gaps, they knew they had to find a high-quality solution.
We sat down with Arrielle Esclamada, clinical director at Briarcliff Surgery Center, to hear about how Medely efficiently addressed staffing gaps at her facility during an influx of staff shortages and patient census.
Briarcliff Surgery Center’s needs
Before using Medely, Briarcliff Surgery Center had the appropriate amount of staff for its current patient volume, but over the past year and a half, 10 staff members went on maternity leave. Since their lack of coverage was short-term, Arrielle didn’t want to hire more full-time staff because their needs would eventually even out as existing staff returned from maternity leave. Alongside the decrease in available staff, Briarcliff experienced a sudden increase in patients. “We went from about 250 patients a month to 370, so we definitely needed a lot of staff to help supplement just running every day,” Arrielle shared.
As she explored options for covering the gaps, she discovered Medely. Arielle knew Medely was the perfect solution because of the short-term coverage options available and the ability to create a go-to list of reliable nurses and health professionals. “The majority of the staff that we needed from Medely is pre-op and PACU. They have to be picked up so quickly. There are a lot of times when it was just me being the only full-time pre-op and PACU nurse,” Arielle shared. “The pros who we’ve had here have been wonderful and flexible and can pick up what needs to be done and take on a solo role if needed. It’s been a godsend.”
Consistent nurses and health professionals
With Medely, Briarcliff Surgery Center has eliminated costly contracts with agencies and found flexible coverage to support facility needs. Not only has Medely filled shifts for Briarcliff, but Arrielle has maintained a consistent rhythm with the nurses and health professionals who come back, a major benefit in a busy operating room run by a small, tight-knit team.
One of the consistent per diem workers at Briarcliff Surgery Center is operating room nurse Peyton Clifton. Peyton quickly became one of Arrielle’s favorites and now frequently picks up shifts at the facility. “It was easy just having favorites,” Arrielle shared. “With how many people we needed to train on a day-to-day basis with an agency, it was nice having the same people come back. With Medely, it was nice having that option to favorite a nurse who’s been with us, seen our paperwork, and knows all the staff.”
Impressed with Peyton’s ability to integrate with her staff and her skillset, Arrielle decided to try out her very first assignment with Peyton. Instead of just one-off shifts when the need arises, assignments allow facilities to have regular shifts scheduled over a longer period, which proved to be a great option for Arrielle. “Having her consistently, she got to know a lot of our staff pretty well, and so we love having her back,” Arrielle shared. “We have a lot of last-minute add-ons, and so that sometimes puts us in a bind. We like to supplement those add-ons with another worker, or at least a recovery room or pre-op nurse.”
As Peyton has picked up shifts at Briarcliff Surgery Center, she’s had no problems fitting in with the staff and integrating into the facility. With Arrielle’s leadership and guidance, Peyton was able to hit the ground running and adapt to the facility environment quickly. “Arrielle was there pretty much every day. She was there first thing on my first day, so when I got there, she helped me and pointed me to the right room,” Peyton shared. “At the end of the day, we went over what would be expected for the week and if she needed any more help.”
Briarcliff Surgery Center’s results with Medely
As a clinical director who also spends a large amount of time working on the floor, Arrielle felt stretched thin in her role. With Medely, she’s able to alleviate pressure from one extra administrative task, reducing some mental burden and strain. When a need arises, she doesn’t have to spend hours searching for coverage. She can simply go on her computer and post a shift within minutes.
“Medely is so much easier to use. It’s so user-friendly. It’s been easy to hop on the app and just check on a shift or post a shift,” Arrielle shared. With pre-generated templates for all necessary facility information, Arrielle is able to simply fill out the date, time, and position needed without having to take the time to write out repetitive facility information, allowing for even easier repeat postings.
Medely’s easy-to-use app not only benefits Arrielle, but it also makes it easy for nurses like Peyton to quickly pick up shifts. When nurses and health professionals have all the information in one place, they can easily keep track of their schedules, reducing any miscommunication and ensuring a seamless shift pickup process. “They would just put the times into the app that they needed me,” Peyton shared. “I could see exactly how much I made that day, how much was overtime, and then when my next shift would be, and they edited it week-by-week, so it was really nice.”
Find reliable coverage near you
Reliable, consistent coverage doesn’t have to be challenging to find. Medely makes it easy for facilities to bridge staffing gaps quickly and efficiently, leading to less strain on administrators and a healthier, happier workforce. Ready to get started? Start your free profile today!
