COVID-19 upended plans and left healthcare facilities scrambling to reorganize their day-to-day operations. Despite the unprecedented disruption, however, post-COVID trends in healthcare staffing look much the same as they did in 2019\u2014only amplified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Medely<\/a> took a broad look at the marketplace as well as what healthcare workers and experts are saying to call out the top five healthcare staffing trends post-covid that facilities of all sizes should have on their radar:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a look at each of these trends and what they could mean for your organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Signing bonuses have become more over the past year, and salaries have gone up. But a year of juggling family time, work responsibilities, and personal wellness has shown many healthcare professionals that money isn\u2019t always enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that roughly 3 in 10<\/a> workers have considered leaving the healthcare profession. \u201cMore than half are burned out. And about 6 in 10 say stress from the pandemic has harmed their mental health,\u201d reported William Wan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To hold onto your best people, better support systems can make a significant difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Healthcare consultant India Owens, MSN, RN, CEN, NE-BC, FAEN, said practical interventions organizations could implement<\/a> help to build frontline support systems. \u201cOffering early and unlimited access to mental health care that is readily available and offered without reproach will be the key to survival for many nurses impacted by this tragedy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Addressing professional concerns can also help nurses and allied professionals feel respected. Paying attention to career advancement opportunities, boosting staffing levels, and taking steps to alleviate safety concerns have all been shown to have an impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, service providers will likely rely even more on recent graduates in the years to come. You\u2019ll need to find a way to reduce the churn rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pre-pandemic, nearly 33%of new nurses chose to leave the profession within the first two years, driven away by several factors<\/a>: work environment, fear of injury, intense workload, emotional stress, and even a lack of support from their nursing colleagues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All of these aspects have been compounded and made even more complicated by COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recognizing these difficulties is particularly important for nurses who are new to the workplace. \u201cIt will be important for healthcare organizations, professional development specialists, educators, and preceptors to be mindful of the disruption to their clinical education,\u201d said one report that includes recommendations<\/a> to help new nurses adapt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the nursing profession is one of the fastest-growing professions in the country\u2014and the number of new graduates hasn\u2019t been able to keep pace. Significant shortages<\/a> are projected for the next few years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And that was before COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now the pandemic has driven the talent shortage to an even more concerning level. Per diem nursing and travel nurses have long been an effective way to close gaps, but the pandemic proved just how essential flexible expertise is. For more than a year, healthcare organizations have leaned hard on travelers to close critical gaps. The Washington Post reported that the number of open jobs for travel nursing peaked at 30,000<\/a> late last year\u2014more than triple the norm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Temporary staffing to that degree isn\u2019t sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means retention and job post fill rates<\/a> are critical. And many organizations are getting creative to find insights they can use to get an edge and turning to technology for solutions<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From identifying regional imbalances<\/a>\u2014where some areas have a surplus of healthcare professionals and others have a deficit\u2014to tracking down new graduates through LinkedIn and other social networks, learning how to find and analyze different types of data is essential if recruitment programs are going to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Telemedicine capabilities swelled during 2020. One study conducted by the CDC found that 95 percent<\/a> of health centers reported using telehealth during the pandemic, compared with 43 percent in 2019. That\u2019s a significant investment by providers to deliver patient-centered care in a safe, convenient, and often more effective way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Critically for staffing considerations, it also requires fewer resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a convenient option when demand for talent exceeds availability and budgets are tight as facilities wait for service delivery levels to return to normal. Virtual health offers a viable way to reduce overhead, reach more patients, skip unnecessary appointments and focus resources without compromising quality of care. And more technology is coming to improve patient care<\/a>, from remote monitors to tech-driven scheduling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chad Mulvany, a director in the Healthcare Financial Management Association\u2019s Washington, D.C. office, speculated about the potential impact<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith fewer patients being seen in person, they\u2019ll need fewer nurses and techs to triage them. And depending on the telehealth system used, the clinic may need fewer administrative support staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile the system would probably want to keep a nurse and\/or tech working virtually to act as care navigators\/coordinators, they probably wouldn\u2019t need as much clinical support staff and could redeploy them to other areas of the system.\u201d<\/p>\nChad Mulvany, Director in the Healthcare Financial Management Association\u2019s Washington, D.C. office<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n For now, enhanced access to telehealth services is dependent on the temporary public health emergency (PHE) declaration for COVID-19. But many within the healthcare industry are pushing for a longer-term solution. In early May 2021, a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation to set a foundation for telemedicine<\/a> moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare has been a priority for years. We know that better representation enhances the quality of care and ultimately leads to better patient outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet, 2020 has proven that there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done. Within the U.S. healthcare system, COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on women and women of color in particular. It\u2019s a group Karen Kahn, writing for Nonprofit Quarterly<\/a>, called \u201cthe healthcare \u2018underclass\u2019\u201d\u2014nurses and allied pros whose occupations put them most at risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding a way to create better balance, particularly in the face of staffing shortages, is no easy feat. A report from McKinsey & Company<\/a> said companies must focus on a few specific interventions that fit the current context and can have an impact. \u201cThere has never been as universal a need to reimagine working norms for all employees,\u201d the authors wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Pedulla, an associate professor at Stanford University, said there\u2019s no single answer\u2014but there are solutions that have worked in the past<\/a>. \u201cCompanies have the daunting task of figuring out what works \u2026 From counting, collecting, and comparing to accounting for complex organizational contexts, progress is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Igor Belokrinitsky, a partner with PwC\u2019s Strategy, recently spoke on the \u201cNext in Health\u201d podcast about convergence he sees toward what he calls health ecosystems<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne of the lessons of last year was that no one organization is big enough or strong enough to handle this crisis on its own,\u201d Belokrinitsky explained. It\u2019s become clear that efficacy requires collaboration with strong partners\u2014an ecosystem within which you can share at multiple levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c[One] type of collaboration that we see is sharing of capacity,\u201d Belokrinitsky said. For example, a facility could partner with other systems in a region to maintain one stockpile of protective equipment instead of several. Another example would be to share staff: \u201cSo in case of a natural disaster, for example, or some other urgent event, we can pull on people from other organizations in the region or in the state or even nationally,\u201d he said. <\/p>\nIgor Belokrinitsky, Partner with PwC\u2019s Strategy<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n There are barriers to such tight partnerships\u2014including regulatory considerations. However, Boston Consulting Group said benefits such as improved access at scale<\/a>, improvements in quality, lower costs, and the ability to allocate resources accordingly might appeal to those in the healthcare industry who see value in a more modular approach to doing business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Staffing trend 1: Healthcare leaders will implement COVID-sensitive strategies to improve retention<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Staffing trend 2: Healthcare staffing will increasingly rely on data-driven recruitment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Staffing trend 3: Virtual health tools will have significant implications for staffing models<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Staffing trend 4: Nurses and allied pros will expect action on diversity, equity, and inclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Staffing trend 5: Healthcare service providers will explore cooperative ecosystems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n