Since the start of the pandemic, media has covered the staffing shortages hospitals have faced with healthcare workers. And the issue is still as prevalent as ever in the midst of the Omicron variant. So, now that hospitals have two years of experience with the pandemic, what is causing the persisting shortage, and what are hospitals doing to curb the issue and continue to provide care for patients?
The Great Resignation and COVID-19 Are Major Contributors to Staffing Shortages
Burnout is one of the top issues when it comes to healthcare staff leaving the field over the past two years. Many nurses from the baby boomer generation are reaching retirement while the elderly population continues to grow, creating an imbalance. Because of the persisting pandemic, some nurses have opted to take a break from healthcare altogether if they can afford it, while others have sought management jobs off the front line or have chosen to contract through travel companies that offer higher wages and bonuses. The healthcare industry is the Great Resignation’s second hardest hit industry with 52,000 resignations in November 2021 alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, healthcare staff themselves aren’t immune to COVID-19, which is only compounding the staffing issues as personnel testing positive is further contributing to shortages. All of this has led to increased demand for nurses and many facilities have been forced to turn to staffing agencies, that now have escalating rates that many hospitals are struggling to afford.
Managing Operational Adjustments
To combat the shortage, some hospitals are choosing to activate the “crisis standards of care” to allocate scarce staff. This concept includes adjusting staffing ratios and cross-training staff to fulfill duties of other departments within the hospital. Both adjustments help enable staff members to better care for the influx of patients in need.
Altering healthcare workers’ daily work to prevent burnout is a strategy that hospitals have found benefits both workers and the hospitals themselves. The idea is to minimize clinical staff burnout by decreasing the number of nonclinical tasks they must attend to. Other employees, whose typical duties do not include clinical care, can earn additional income by working beyond regular work hours to deliver meals, transport patients, or guide patients through discharge.
By choice or by necessity, some hospitals have also temporarily eliminated services and paused elective surgeries. By doing so, staff and physical resources can be deferred to emergency situations and COVID-19 patients. While this does help improve the use of available staff, it can also reduce the availability of specific care needed in the community and reduce critical revenue streams for the hospital.
TPC Members Are Creating Solutions Around Their Staffing Needs
Hospitals are reaching outside of their facilities and communities to find the resources they need to administer care to their patients. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has aided in fulfilling staffing shortages to ensure COVID-19 patients receive proper care. For example, Parkview Health System in Colorado was able to receive a 15-person healthcare team for 12 days via the National Disaster Medical System.
Midland Health has taken a creative approach to help increase their supply of resources to fulfill staffing needs. They have entered a partnership with the University of Texas Permian Basin’s School of Nursing, in which nursing students will receive on-the-job training with Midland in exchange for an employment commitment upon graduation. In addition, Midland is even branching out to high school students to recruit for ADN and BSN tracks to fill future staffing needs.
Innovation is also at the forefront of combating staffing shortages. Shannon Medical Center has recruited the Moxi robot from Diligent Robotics to assist nurses. While the robot does not provide bedside care, it does aid the nursing staff with tasks that support patient care such as obtaining equipment and medications.
While the pandemic continues to drone on, hospitals have slowly been adjusting and innovating to combat staffing shortages. Flexibility and adaptability have been and will continue to be the defining characteristics of hospitals that will allow patients to receive the care they need while staffing shortages remain an issue.
References:
1. https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/95764
3. https://www.kktv.com/2021/11/11/parkview-hospital-requests-emergency-assistance-through-fema/
4. https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/hospitals-innovate-amid-dire-nursing-shortages
5. https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/healthcare-second-largest-sector-hit-great-resignation
7. https://www.midlandhealth.org/main/news/utpb-and-midland-health-partner-to-help-with-nursi-362