Collaborative Approaches for Healthcare Staffing Issues
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Year after year, the healthcare industry experiences a shortage of staff members. Projections show that, by the year 2032, the physician shortage will increase by nearly 122,000; by 2025, home health aides will likely experience a shortage of over 400,000, and Nurse practitioners will additionally recede by an impactful shortage of 29,400 members. Seeing as healthcare is one of the most important industries, this major staffing issue is a legitimate crisis, one that requires a viable solution to preserve the safety of both existing staff members and patients. Here, We’ll review the reasons for the staffing decline in the healthcare industry, along with its impact and ways to remedy this issue, both for now, and far in the future.
Reasons for Healthcare Staffing Shortages
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Over the years, healthcare facilities have found it increasingly difficult to operate as efficiently as possible, due to the decline in inadequate staff. It is speculated that the COVID-19 pandemic jump started this staffing issue, as students found it difficult to continue their studies and many existing healthcare workers were forced to leave their positions for their own safety and the safety of others, and although COVID-19, had a major impact in the medical field world wide, The pandemic only exacerbated an already prevalent issue, it was not the singular or even the root cause.
The most common reasons for healthcare staffing shortages include:
Lack of Clinical Sites
For nursing students, clinical experience is a core part of medical education. This hands-on training prepares them for the unique experience of working in a healthcare environment, providing them with the skill-building opportunities they need to excel at their jobs. Healthcare staffing decline means fewer clinical instructors to guide nursing students through this requisite experience. Since there aren’t enough existing staff members to deal with the growing patient load at many facilities, there aren’t enough qualified individuals available to assist with clinical placements, leading to a decline in available clinical sites.
Many institutions have found themselves dependent on simulated clinical experiences to supplement the lack of available clinical sites. Although this is helpful, it does not truly replace the in-person experience that nursing students are depending on to prepare them for their careers.
Wage Competition
Wages are a huge reason why many healthcare facilities are struggling to retain or gain staff members. Since facilities across the industry are competing for the limited amount of potential staff members available, many of them are vying for these individuals with lucrative benefits packages and competitive wages. This can be difficult for hospitals that cannot afford to compete with the other facilities in the area that have higher budgets and can afford to pay staff members more.
Workplace Safety
Safety is a huge issue for healthcare workers across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for nurses, doctors, and other workers to stay healthy, especially due to the prolonged exposure to infected individuals, lack of adequate PPE, and long working hours that can compromise staff members’ personal health. There has also been an increase in workplace violence in the healthcare industry, with staff members being five times more likely to experience workplace violence than other workers from different industries.
Increased Elderly Population
Advances in healthcare have made it possible for older populations to thrive, providing viable solutions to sick individuals and helping older people who experience age-related health issues. Though this feat is something to celebrate, the amount of older individuals requiring care outpaces the available staff members in healthcare facilities. The population of people 65 and older increased by 38% between 2010 and 2020 — and is expected to continue increasing until 2030 — putting further stress on the already-understaffed industry. This means more staff is required for geriatric specialties, along with an increased focus on chronic disease care, all of which require more research, more participation, and overall, an increased focus on healthcare worker retention.
Burnout and Job-Related Stress
One of the primary reasons for healthcare staffing shortages is burnout and the effects of job-related stress. Many nurses in particular feel like the job is too emotionally and physically burdensome. This can cause nurses to either leave or plan to leave their position. This makes it crucial to combat burnout in nurses and other healthcare professionals.
Since these facilities are struggling to maintain proper staffing levels, there is often a shortage of much-needed resources for nurses who are looking to combat burnout. Facilities looking to retain their nurses must find a way to provide appropriate health resources for them, such as on-site counselors and guidance for work-life balance. Having these resources available and acknowledging the importance of this balance and well-being can be a great way to attract new staff members and keep existing staff happy with their positions.
How Staffing Shortages are Impacting the Industry
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These staffing shortages can have a profound impact on the lives of not only existing healthcare workers but their patients and incoming staff members as well.
Patient Safety
Overall, a well-staffed healthcare facility can save lives. Facilities with a shortage of staff members have higher rates of issues like medication errors, infection, and mortality. And though human error is nearly inevitable in any industry, mistakes in the healthcare industry can have fatal consequences.
A hospital or facility that is understaffed may not have enough hands or eyes to give each patient the attention they need to remain safe and get healthy. It can also cause staff members to resort to unnecessary measures to get the results they need or administer the care required — according to the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, in understaffed facilities, aspirin use is greater, restraints are used more often, and patients tend to have a higher rate of falls, indicating rushed care.
Smaller Knowledge Pool
Nurses in particular are experiencing a stark reduction in the knowledge pool, as 23% of existing RNs will or plan to retire by 2027. Since these nurses have an overwhelming amount of experience and such a high percentage of the nursing workforce will be exiting the industry, new nurses won’t be able to benefit as much from their expertise. Community is essential for any job, and losing this resource can have a negative impact on newer nurses looking for guidance that they may not be able to receive.
Mental Health Decline Amongst Staff
As mentioned previously, burnout is incredibly common for healthcare workers. This burnout can lead to mental health issues that interrupt staff members’ personal and work lives. Over half of doctors who responded to a 2023 survey had said their mental health had been adversely affected by witnessing the impact of staffing shortages on patient safety.
Other studies have shown high percentages of healthcare workers reporting mental health issues such as stress (93%) and anxiety (86%), with only 13% of these staff members actually receiving mental healthcare themselves. If staff members are unable to care for themselves due to unsustainable time commitments at work, it can only lead to more healthcare workers leaving their positions or providing subpar care for patients.
Addressing Healthcare Staffing Shortages
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These staffing shortages are a major source of stress for the healthcare industry. However, there are ways to combat this shortage and bring a new wave of applicants and workers to healthcare facilities in need.
Refining Recruitment Strategies
A crucial component of addressing the staffing shortage is to figure out new ways to encourage people to not only apply to these positions but to promote attendance in medical school or healthcare training programs. One way to improve healthcare recruitment and retention is to have facilities partner up with local schools and provide students with more information about jobs within the industry. Often, students aren’t aware of all the diverse healthcare careers available, and getting connected earlier on can help increase that awareness, as well as boost interest in healthcare careers altogether.
Recruiters can also employ other tactics to attract the right talent to available positions. Recruiters should always put extra care into creating an interactive job fair experience, along with a job posting that exemplifies the work experience and the benefit of joining the team. Paint a picture of what it means to be a staff member at your healthcare facility. Is community important? Is there an emphasis on work-life balance? Also, clearly define what skills and qualifications the ideal candidate should have. Salary and benefits are important components of a job listing as well — be sure to include a salary range to attract the widest pool of job applicants.
Implementing Technology for Increased Safety
Because safety concerns are a huge factor in healthcare staffing shortages, using widespread developments in healthcare technology can reassure staff members that the best safety practices are being utilized for both workers and patients. Simple workplace updates, such as hands-free clock-in devices, can make it easy for staff members to check in for work without risking contamination or excessive exposure to infection.
COVID-19 made the concern for airborne pathogen exposure more relevant than ever. Using smart technology, like smart HEPA filtration systems, in the workplace can help reduce these airborne infections and give staff members some extra peace of mind when working. It is also especially beneficial in units like the ICU, where infection control is absolutely essential.
Beyond that, technology can also help address areas that have been negatively affected by staffing shortages. Since patient care can be affected by the lack of available workers, accidents are more prone to happen, such as falls. Though this can be rectified by redesigning room layouts to include more railings or other physical support beams and systems for patients, telesitting can also be a great strategy for increasing patient safety. Telesitting tracks the movements of patients, allowing staff members to know immediately if a fall or potential injury is happening when a patient is unsupervised. This notification can be the difference between a minor injury and one that completely alters the care plan and health of an individual.
Properly Addressing Staff Burnout
Creating an environment where staff members can feel unburdened by burnout is one of the best ways to retain current workers and attract a team of new, loyal staff members. Provide all new staff members with a comprehensive list of mental health resources they can reach out to as a proactive strategy for managing the stress of the work environment. You should also routinely provide training for staff members to combat toxic workplace behavior, as this can be especially prevalent in the healthcare industry.
More than this, fostering a healthy work environment where workers can feel comfortable communicating with supervisors about their feelings and limits is one of the best ways to ensure staff members don’t reach the point of burnout.
At the end of the day, staff members require support, whether that means having on-site counseling services for dealing with the loss of a patient, a workplace error, general stress, or offering benefits packages that include things like gym memberships and subsidized wellness classes.
You can also regularly provide surveys or other methods of feedback for staff members, offering them a direct line to their supervisors to give consequence-free insight into their workday or specific issues they may have in the workplace. Ultimately, the best way to combat staff burnout is to employ enough team members, but, with these strategies in place, you can begin to properly address the staffing shortage in your facility.
