An all-too-real scenario: your facility has a core group of incredible, tenured healthcare professionals who have been the rock of your hospital for the last 20-30 years. Now you are faced with this reliable, clinically sound group of professionals who have decided to retire.
COVID-19 has brought many challenges to healthcare organizations in the last 11-12 months, many of which were impossible to expect. One significant challenge impacting hospitals across the United States is the retirement and, in some cases, early retirement of vital healthcare staff. This is happening universally across healthcare organizations.
Hospitals Nationwide Feeling the Staffing Pinch from Retirement
In the recent months, we have spoken with healthcare organizations who are experiencing the rush of early retirement. Hospitals from New Hampshire, down to Texas and over to California have all experienced the sudden retirement of some of the most knowledgeable and dependable employees their organization has employed. A facility in Texas had three Medical-Surgical RNs recently retire, leaving a void. A large health system in Los Angeles requested 40 ICU RNs because of a wave of retirements in the last 10 months. These retirements have especially impacted leadership. Many of the retirees were preceptors, charge nurses, house supervisors, nurse managers, and directors. Some of the retirements were anticipated, but many were unexpected. Several articles speculate the early retirements could be attributed to the unknown associated with COVID-19.
Healthcare Workers and Organizations are Reeling
A recent article by the Joint Commission highlights the gravity of the situation many healthcare workers and organizations currently find themselves in. Many healthcare clinicians have been working countless hours each week with little or no personal time off due to staffing constraints. High census and staffing shortages have placed many clinicians in a state of fatigue and closely approaching unhealthy levels of exhaustion. Help is needed, urgently.
Contingent Labor Staffing Agencies Can Help
Human resource professionals had many challenges in 2020 that continue into 2021. No longer were nursing schools hosting in-person job fairs or events at their schools. Finding replacements for retiring staff has proven to be challenging in the pandemic. The best advice for a facility seeking additional permanent recruitment resources is to leverage your current contingent labor staffing agencies. Staffing agencies have a much wider reach and are able to attract talent from all across the United States. Working with the right staffing agency can turn your human resources team into a 400+ person recruitment team.
This year will hopefully be remembered as the beginning to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will continue to present challenges, both expected and unexpected. To best prepare for these challenges, make sure you align your organization with the best staffing partner possible. The right partnership can help you overcome many challenges.
Shawn Roeber
Shawn has almost 20 years of experience with contingent labor staffing. He has a robust background from working with two of the largest temporary workforce solutions organizations. These organizations have afforded him the opportunity to both grow and share his expertise on a consistent basis in recruitment, client-facing relations, managed-service relations, and leadership opportunities. Shawn has a passion for building relationships within his organization and healthcare facility partners through a consultative approach, which leads to high levels of trust and a commitment to quality in the services provided by Medical Solutions. His commitment to quality has been solidified with his past experience as the leader of an internal quality review board committee. Shawn obtained his bachelor’s degree in Business from Bellevue University. He is continuing his personal and professional growth, as he works toward his Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration.