Hospitals and health systems are focused on addressing staffing challenges and implementing workforce stabilization strategies. While on-demand staffing is not universally adopted, it has gained traction in recent years to address staffing challenges and stabilize the workforce. St. Louis-based SSM Health is among the health systems that have turned to on-demand staffing platforms to fill staffing gaps.
In July 2023, SSM Health launched a partnership with ShiftMed, a national platform based in McLean, Va., that connects healthcare professionals with jobs at healthcare facilities. Since then, ShiftMed's technology has been integrated in phases across SSM Health's facilities, which include care delivery sites in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
Jennifer Garnica, BSN, RN, associate vice president and chief nursing officer of SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital, told Becker's she is encouraged by the results thus far.
"Having that on-demand partner gives us a lot of really flexible options, and it offers us a lot of things," she said. "It offers us the opportunity, one, to not just provide staffing at our ministries and our hospitals — and that's obviously really important when we have shifts that need to be covered — but it also has lent the opportunity to build this community workforce and pipeline for nurses."
ShiftMed nurses in surrounding communities take shifts at SSM Health facilities, allowing them to experience the organization and decide if they want to transition into full-time roles. Through this partnership, SSM Health has added close to 200 nurses to its workforce. Additionally, the health system's operational vacancy rate remains at about 10% or less, which Ms. Garnica said helps ensure safe staffing levels.
However, she acknowledged that on-demand staffing comes with challenges, such as integrating with current staffing and scheduling processes. Despite these challenges, Ms. Garnica views the partnership as a positive step for SSM Health, particularly in reducing reliance on third-party agency staffing.
"It truly is on demand," said. "We use them when we need them, and if we don't need them, then they're not here. So it's really kind of the best of both worlds."
Financial impact is another factor Ms. Garnica highlighted, noting that onboarding costs are reduced when on-demand nurses transition to full-time roles.
"If I have an on-demand nurse that's maybe worked with us for even a couple of months and they decide to convert to a full-time employee, that onboarding and orientation time is usually very short because they've already been working with us," she said.
From a quality perspective, she said the consistent presence of on-demand nurses benefits patient care.
"A lot of these folks work very consistently in our hospitals, and so you build that relationship and consistency with that staff, which helps you continue to keep quality metrics where they need to be," she said.
The long-term effectiveness of on-demand staffing at SSM Health remains to be seen. However, Ms. Garnica said that in 2025, the health system expects increased programs and flexible options for staffing to help meet the needs of current employees and the operational needs of ministries and patients.