From Crisis to Strength: Building Workforce Resilience in Healthcare Staffing
Is your hospital's healthcare workforce strategy resilient enough to meet tomorrow's demands? According to the National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, the projected demand for registered nurses outpaces supply through 2036, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable healthcare staffing solutions to bridge this gap.
Nurses today face demands that make resilience essential for sustaining an adaptable healthcare workforce. While resilience—the ability to adapt and thrive under pressure—is crucial, individual strategies alone are not enough. Hospitals must actively foster workforce resilience through collective, supportive measures.
5 Factors Challenging Healthcare Workforce Resiliency
To effectively future-proof healthcare staffing in hospitals, it's essential to identify the root causes of today's workforce resilience challenges. Here are five of them:
1. An Aging Population and Workforce
Our nation's aging population is driving increased demand for healthcare services, as longer lifespans require more sustained medical attention. This demographic shift is compounded by an aging hospital workforce; many experienced nurses are approaching retirement age, sparking concerns about potential staffing gaps and the loss of valuable institutional knowledge.
The 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey reveals that registered nurses’ median age is 46. Additionally, over one-quarter of RNs indicate plans to retire or leave the profession within the next five years.
2. Nursing School Limitations
Faculty shortages are the primary reason nursing schools cannot accept more aspiring registered nurses. Limited clinical placements and a need for preceptors to supervise students during their rotations are also contributing factors.
In 2022, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing reported that nursing schools rejected nearly 78,200 qualified applicants.
3. Skills Gaps and Emerging Competencies
The aging population and the increase in new chronic illnesses require nurses to possess a broader, more versatile skill set. However, current training programs often don't fully equip nurses to handle these evolving healthcare demands.
4. Lack of Mentoring for New Nurses
New nurses face a steep learning curve as they transition into their roles, striving to meet high care standards in a fast-paced environment. The stress and uncertainty of this adjustment period can lead to early burnout and departures.
According to the 2024 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report, approximately 30% of all the new nurses surveyed left their jobs within a year of service, contributing to 40% of the total nurse turnover.
5. Regulatory and Legal Constraints
Legal and regulatory restrictions can pose significant challenges for hiring in the healthcare industry. State licensing and scope-of-practice regulations can restrict healthcare workers from relocating across state lines, complicating the hiring process and limiting access to qualified candidates.
5 Consequences of Ignoring Workforce Resilience in Healthcare
When workforce resilience isn't prioritized, adverse outcomes can ripple through a hospital, impacting healthcare staff, patient care, and the bottom line. Some of these consequences include:
1. Increased Nurse Burnout
Challenges like heavy workloads and mandatory overtime due to staffing shortages have long affected the nursing workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has intensified these issues, leading to unprecedented levels of stress and burnout among nurses.
In a recent national survey of licensed nurses, nearly half reported feeling emotionally drained (50.8%), used up (56.4%), fatigued (49.7%), or burned out (45.1%) “a few times a week” or “every day.”
2. Decreased Patient Care Quality
Nurses experiencing stress or fatigue may be more likely to make clinical errors, potentially jeopardizing patient safety.
3. Lower Job Satisfaction
Nurses may feel undervalued or unsupported, leading to lower morale and decreased job satisfaction.
4. Higher Labor Costs
Low job satisfaction results in high turnover, creating a costly scenario that fosters an overreliance on travel nurses and contract labor and overspending on recruitment and training.
5. Impaired Innovation and Growth
Hospitals may struggle to adapt to changes and innovate, limiting their ability to improve care and operational efficiency.
3 Building Blocks of a Resilient Healthcare Workforce Strategy
Flexibility, innovation, and support are vital building blocks for workforce resiliency. As patient demands fluctuate and challenges grow, hospitals must rethink their staffing strategy and invest in their workforce.
1. Flexible Staffing Models
Flexible staffing models enable hospitals to adapt seamlessly to fluctuations in patient demand, such as seasonal increases and population shifts, all while maintaining high standards of patient care and safety.
By aligning staffing levels directly with patient needs, these models improve resource efficiency and help avoid the costly impact of overstaffing. Additionally, they support staff retention by fostering a healthier work-life balance and mitigating burnout.
Flexible staffing also addresses skill gaps through cross-training and varied scheduling, reduces dependency on costly travel nurses, and minimizes excessive overtime expenses.
The American Nurses Foundation's three-year annual assessment survey from 2023 found that 58% of nurses identified work-life balance as the most crucial factor in their job satisfaction.
There's no one-size-fits-all approach to implementing flexible staffing models—each hospital has unique workforce objectives. For example, a small community hospital might focus on expanding its internal float pool by leveraging flexible app-based technology, while a large health system may require a more comprehensive resource-sharing strategy. This could include a blend of core full-time nurses, internal flex pools, and on-demand clinical support to maintain efficient, cost-effective shift coverage.
Hospitals that utilize flex pools as part of an overall workforce management strategy can save 2 to 5% of total nursing labor costs.
2. Healthcare Workforce Management
Innovative workforce management platforms that provide full control over staffing operations are key to building resilience and stability within hospital teams.
These adaptable platforms allow schedulers to make real-time staffing adjustments based on patient demand and access valuable data to improve cost control and maintain high-quality care standards.
These platforms also connect hospitals to external labor pools, including per diem and on-demand nurses, allowing facilities to quickly scale resources to address staffing shortages or sudden surges in demand.
By integrating external talent into their staffing strategies, hospitals can sustain continuity of care, reduce burnout for full-time staff, and adapt more effectively to fluctuating needs—ultimately building a more resilient and responsive healthcare workforce.
3. Staff Development and Support
Developing and supporting nursing staff is crucial for building a resilient healthcare workforce. A well-prepared, healthy nursing team is better equipped to deliver high-quality care and improve patient outcomes.
Continuous training and professional development keep nurses current with evolving clinical practices, new technologies, and regulatory standards. This investment strengthens their competence, confidence, and adaptability across varied situations.
Mentorship programs for new nurses help create a welcoming environment where they can acclimate effectively. These programs foster a supportive community, providing emotional and professional guidance to buffer against stress and reduce burnout.
Our Pulse Check webinar, "Empowering Nursing Teams Through Mentorship," highlights LCMC Health as a model for effective mentorship programming. Their structured approach offers nurses clear career paths, fosters a sense of value, and contributes to a 90% retention rate.
Equally important is prioritizing nurse well-being. By promoting mental health, stress management, and work-life balance, hospitals can significantly enhance staff wellness and foster a more sustainable and engaged workforce.
Our Pulse Check Webinar, “How HR Leaders Optimize Staffing Strategies,” highlights Carson Tahoe Health approach to stress management, which includes free subscriptions to the Calm app and telehealth mental health services.
Real-World Example of Workforce Resilience
Amidst the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, St. Louis-based SSM Health faced a pressing need for an efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable workforce solution.
The health system relied heavily on costly contingent labor, including travel nurses and 1099 contractors, which strained finances and presented significant legal hurdles, impeding their recovery efforts.
SSM Health formed a strategic partnership with ShiftMed to address these critical issues, leveraging our on-demand healthcare workforce to fill scheduling gaps with local W-2 nurses as needed.
Check out our interactive SSM Health Case Study.
Conclusion
In conclusion, future-proofing healthcare staffing is not just a strategic imperative but a necessity in an ever-evolving healthcare landscape. Hospitals can build a more robust and adaptable nursing workforce by addressing workforce resiliency challenges—such as an aging workforce, skills gaps, and the need for effective mentorship.
Need help with your healthcare staffing? Schedule a free workforce consultation with ShiftMed today!