Healthcare systems today face a variety of challenges, from budgetary constraints to staffing shortages. However, a shift is occurring as leaders turn to on-demand labor for sustainable solutions. On-demand labor is a flexible staffing approach where workers are available to fulfill immediate needs as they arise through a digital platform. Here are five ways in which on-demand labor is transforming the healthcare workforce with adaptability, technology, and increased nurse satisfaction.
- Immediate Fulfillment of Open Shifts: Leading on-demand labor platform ShiftMed enables health systems to quickly fill open shifts, allowing for expanded services such as opening extra floors and beds. This immediate access to qualified staff helps maintain operational continuity and meet fluctuating patient demands.
- AI-Driven Scheduling Ease: Leveraging artificial intelligence, health systems can efficiently manage staffing needs with ShiftMed’s adaptive platform. By initially pulling from full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) and then utilizing on-demand services as necessary, scheduling becomes more adaptive and responsive to patient volumes and acuity levels without any guesswork or manual scheduling.
- Enhanced Nurse Job Satisfaction: On-demand staffing offers health systems the advantage of adaptive scheduling tailored to patient demand. This approach provides nurses with enhanced flexibility in their schedules, contributing to heightened job satisfaction. By offering opportunities for nurses to work when it suits them best, health systems can retain talent and improve overall staff morale.
- Flexibility to Adjust for Patient Volumes: Traditional staffing models often struggle to adapt to fluctuations in patient volumes. ShiftMed's on-demand labor platform provides flexibility, allowing health systems to scale their workforce up or down based on demand, ensuring optimal staffing levels without overburdening internal staff.
- Cost-Effective Staffing Compared to Travel: On-demand labor reduces reliance on travel nurses, providing a more cost-effective alternative. By accessing a local pool of credentialed nurses, health systems can minimize expenses while maintaining high-quality patient care.
ShiftMed Flex provides health systems with a customer-branded app allowing providers to see only the shifts available at a specific health system. It seamlessly integrates with existing scheduling, payroll, and HRIS systems. Additional features include:
- Intelligent Routing: Assigns shifts, reducing overtime and premium pay.
- Shifts Mode: Displays open shifts by unit, setting, and location. Leverage your workforce to fill open shifts before sending them to external agencies.
- Credential Cloud: Workers can upload their credentials from anywhere. Additionally, health systems can customize required credentials by worker type and location, resulting in a typical 40% reduction in onboarding time.
Additional services include an Uber Health integration for transportation, real-time pay for instant deposits, and a training and upskilling platform for career development and improved worker satisfaction.
Technology is transforming how health systems manage labor, enabling real-time staffing optimization. Those utilizing on-demand labor benefit from an adaptable, efficient, and cost-effective workforce, while those not risk lagging in today's rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, where technology-driven solutions are critical for meeting fluctuating demands.
Visit Shiftmed.com to learn more about on-demand healthcare.
Connect with Todd Walrath on LinkedIn.