In 2022, hospital and health system human resources leaders have shared insights on workforce challenges, including retaining and recruiting employees.
Seven leaders shared the following insights with Becker's since May.
Rachel Barb. Regional Director of Talent Acquisition at Mount Carmel Health System (Columbus, Ohio): We did elect to have specific criteria that students coming to us are actively enrolled in a nursing program or a prenursing program throughout their high school [career], so that we are really looking to support and foster their interest in long-term career growth and positioning them well to continue to work for us after they graduate from high school and ultimately matriculate into a nursing program or another allied health program.
Sarah Colley. Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (Memphis, Tenn.): [Workers like] to be communicated with in a different way. And then ensuring that we do have that flexibility that people are looking for, for whatever stage of life, whether they have a new baby at home, or whether they're close to retirement or starting working, whatever that is, we want to help meet them where they are so that they can have a successful career, regardless of what generation they're in, or what stage of life they are in.
Jim Dunn, PhD. Enterprise Executive Vice President and Chief People and Culture Officer at Atrium Health (Charlotte, N.C.): We create a space where all belong, and that is so important for me as a [human resources leader] because that is meeting whoever you are, wherever you are, bringing your whole self to work. We don't want you not being yourself at work. We also created a new commitment of working as one team to make great things happen, which is particularly important with both our in-person and remote work recruitment and retention efforts.
Aaron Gillingham. Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at UnityPoint Health (West Des Moines, Iowa): Where we have 18- and 19-year-olds in the roles, they may start to get the training under their belt to really get into more patient-facing roles," he said. "… Then our hope is that they get some experience in there and they're able to take advantage of our education reimbursement programs. We've got some new programs that we are currently under consideration and developing … in terms of how we get people into very specific career sets and provide them training and investment to be able to keep them within the healthcare environment."
Corey Heller. Chief Human Resource and People Officer at The Christ Hospital Health Network (Cincinnati): For us to continue to be a preeminent employer of choice, we're going to have to provide a truly extraordinary work experience that would be meaningful to multiple generations in the workforce.
Rosemary Sheehan. Chief Human Resources Officer of Mass General Brigham (Boston): At Mass General Brigham, everything we do is with the patient at the center. Our priority is to ensure that we are staffed appropriately for our patient care roles and, given the widespread workforce challenges, we have implemented the direct hire model, which allows our recruiters to interview and hire staff directly. This allows more time for managers to spend onboarding new employees instead of spending that time on interviewing, and ultimately reduces the time to fill the role. This is being done successfully, without negative impact on hiring or turnover. Because of our priority and focus on our clinical workforce, this may lead to the stopping or slowing down of specific programs that do not otherwise impact our ability to support patient care.
Margie Vargas. Chief Human Resources Officer of Memorial Healthcare System (Hollywood, Fla.): The employee value proposition must be reevaluated and redefined to reflect the changing priorities of the healthcare workforce. If a hospital is to retain its key employees and attract new talent it must not only focus on the individual but on that person’s extended family, however that unit may be structured.