Many hospitals and health systems saw a large number of nurse exits during the pandemic, either to join travel agencies, retire or leave the healthcare industry altogether.
The high cost of hiring travel nurses to fill those gaps put a strain on health systems and forced them to reimagine their nursing workforce and leverage technology for optimized patient care. Have their efforts worked?
"As we closed out 2023, we have seen many RNs come back to the healthcare market," said Deanna Sievert, DNP, RN, chief nursing officer of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. "Our most exciting challenge this year will be working closely with them to identify ways to help them grow professionally, meeting their development needs and ensuring that we are their choice employer for the long haul."
Dr. Sievert envisions supporting the nursing team to incorporate more efficiencies so they can work at the top of their licensure this year and leveraging artificial intelligence for a stronger patient sitter program and virtual nursing options. She also has a personal goal of overhauling the system's shared governance model to improve engagement and practice involvement.
And she isn't the only one. Health system leaders across the country see a significant opportunity in redesigning healthcare delivery.
"There is just no way our country can address the demand for care, now and in the future, in the same way we historically have," Elizabeth Wako, MD, president and CEO of Swedish Health Services, told Becker's. "To address the challenges of the workforce shortage, we are taking a deeper look at the way we work."
Dr. Wako said Providence Swedish is working on a virtual nursing program to explore innovative ways of leveraging technology to support the nursing workforce. The new model lets nurses connect with the beside team and promotes bi-directional audio and virtual platforms.
Diane Hansen, president and CEO of Escondido, Calif.-based Palomar Health, also sees the need to revitalize workforce engagement. Last year, Palomar offered a $100,000 sign-on and retention bonus for nurses to invest in a committed team at the health system. This year, she is focused on implementing a comprehensive coaching program to enhance the health and well-being of the team.
The program addresses physical and mental health, sleep quality, dietary habits and more.
"By prioritizing the holistic well-being of our staff, we are confident that we create an environment where our team can thrive, ultimately translate into an extraordinary patient experience and optimal outcomes," Ms. Hansen told Becker's.
Christopher McLarty, DNP, associate vice president and chief nursing officer of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas asked his team to think about "work" in a new way.
"While many of us will continue to focus on the 'workforce,' I am encouraging our teams to think a little differently, about the 'work' more broadly and inclusive of the workforce," he told Becker's. "What I mean by this is that we cannot focus only on workforce, pipeline development, and recruitment/retention, though these priorities surely remain. We must simultaneously be looking at opportunities for efficiency, innovative care models, reimagine clinical skill mix, space utilization, complimentary services and cohorting thereof, technology-related solutions such as the impact of AI, and so on."
Patient need for healthcare will continue to grow, especially with a growing aging population, and the clinical workforce shortages remain.
"We must start to think more unconstrained about how and where we are to deliver the care of the future, as much as who's going to deliver it," Dr. McLarty said.