How to Amp Up Reliability in Nurse Staffing
With more shifts and fewer nurses to fill them, healthcare facilities face significant staffing problems. And facilities that require nurses to work longer and harder shouldn't be surprised when they experience an increase in absenteeism and a decrease in dependability—not to mention poorer patient outcomes. Here's a playlist on how your healthcare facility can improve the reliability of its nursing staff.
Embrace a Flexible Workforce Mentality
As the healthcare industry evolves, so does the labor market that supports it. Traditional human resource policies and staffing protocols that apply to all nurses don't cut it anymore. After all, nurses nearing retirement have different needs than a nurse starting a family.
But what's consistent across the board is that nurses want flexibility and choice as job burnout continues to wreak havoc on the profession. And if they don't get it from their employer, they'll seek more flexible job opportunities or leave the profession altogether.
Check out our 2022 State of the Nursing Report to see how the nursing shortage impacts nurses. Let's just say that 93% of the nurses we surveyed want control over their schedules.
Employee turnover in healthcare is 30% higher than in other industries, according to HealthManagement.org. In terms of nurse staffing, involuntary terminations, excessive workloads, and co-worker relationships are among the most cited causes of turnover.
Most nurses go into the profession because they have a sincere drive to help others. But, sadly, that drive is coming to a screeching halt due to being overworked and underappreciated. While they love being there for patients, their lives and well-being have taken a backseat for far too long. They want (and deserve) a better work-life balance. So, how can you give it to them?
Access an External Labor Float Pool
One way to retain your dedicated nursing staff is to stop burdening them with mandatory overtime, weekends, and holidays. After all, nurses need a break. And when not provided, they'll either call out more frequently or be too tired to deliver the best patient care possible.
Not to mention, when facilities push nurses to their limits, they're less likely to collaborate with team members, which can result in poor patient outcomes. For example, when healthcare professionals don't communicate with one another, it can lead to missed symptoms and medication errors.
To support your nursing staff, tap into an external healthcare float pool, such as ShiftMed, to cost-effectively fill open shifts with credentialed healthcare professionals on demand. Think of it this way; whether you're a scheduler at a small skilled nursing facility or a large hospital, our nurses serve as an extension of your healthcare team.
ShiftMed has a robust nationwide network of licensed CNAs, GNAs, STNAs, LVNs, LPNs, and RNs who are ready to work on a per diem, short-term, or long-term basis. By partnering with ShiftMed, you can quickly and efficiently reduce your staff's workload and improve patient outcomes using nurses in your area. From last-minute call-offs to vacation fill-ins, your staffing needs are covered.
And it's worth knowing that 90% of our healthcare facility partners see returning ShiftMed nurses, and 82% of all ShiftMed shifts worked involve returning nurses. As a result, you can build close working relationships with our nurses and establish a dependable external labor float pool comprising familiar faces.
ShiftMed hires credentialed nurses who meet the state and facility patient care requirements. We also employ nurses we trust, classifying them as W-2 workers and taking on all the employment risks so your facility doesn't have to.
Go Platinum With Your Shift Fulfillment
We understand nurse reliability is a concern for healthcare facilities using external labor pools. After all, showing up for shifts on time is mission-critical in nursing. That's why ShiftMed takes a unique approach to keeping nurses happy, motivated, and showing up on time.
We offer various perks, such as affordable health benefits, free Instant Pay, and easy access to Uber Health rides, that give our nurses the wherewithal to flourish personally and professionally. We also have reliability measures to hold them accountable for their show rates.
Our strict but fair attendance policy reminds our nurses we mean business, while our loyalty program rewards them for showing up for shifts like clockwork. And the better their show rate, the better their rewards.
The loyalty program takes a tiered approach, with the Platinum level symbolizing our nurses with the best track records. To achieve Platinum Shifter status, nurses must maintain a high show rate. And, by doing so, they get first dibs on holiday pay rates, entries into our monthly $5,000 sweepstakes, opportunities to score $25 gift cards, and more.
Our Platinum Shifters are becoming a hit with our healthcare facility partners because they show up for shifts on repeat—working 80% of the shifts we fill. We're so confident they'll show up for your shifts that we'll pay you if they don't.*
Ultimately, we're taking a human-centered approach to healthcare staffing and building a community of reliable nurses who can continue doing what they love without sacrificing their personal lives—all the while helping our healthcare facility partners stay fully staffed. Talk about some good vibrations!
Ready to achieve better show rates with reliable, top-notch nursing talent? Go Platinum with your healthcare staffing today!
*Platinum Rebate Program Disclaimer: By opting into our Platinum Rebate Program, we'll credit your facility for half (1/2) of the claimed shift at the applicable hourly rate if the Platinum Shifter fails to show up for a claimed shift. Rebate program available in select markets for select facilities.