The year 2020 was supposed to be dubbed “The Year of the Nurse and Midwife.” Unfortunately, because of the onslaught of COVID-19, scheduled activities did not push through. However, the World Health Organization decided to extend The Year of the Nurse and Midwife to 2021 also to venerate the selfless sacrifices of healthcare professionals everywhere in the ongoing pandemic. As the virus is seemingly bidding adieu, we have healthcare workers to thank.
One of the most significant issues healthcare institutions are facing is employee retention. Though the virus took the lives of many doctors, nurses, and other workers within the healthcare industry, others also gave up and decided to leave the profession altogether. While COVID cases are no longer as staggering as before, hospitals and other medical organizations are struggling to maintain employee retention in healthcare, particularly in the post-pandemic landscape.
The feat seems gargantuan but not impossible. With some significant changes in various aspects of employment and in putting in more resources to invest in employee welfare, medical professionals within your facility will soon brighten up and return to a state where they are passionate about saving lives. The post-pandemic environment may seem scary and uncertain, but the worst may be over for hospitals and healthcare institutions like your company.
With the World Health Organization declaring 2021 as a year to highlight nurses and midwives, company may take this as a sign that healthcare workers need more than just celebrating their contributions. In fact, the dwindling number of nurses coupled with massive demand during the pandemic were reasons enough to raise their salaries. Registered nurses were paid an additional two percent more in 2021, while nursing assistants and practical nurses received a wage increase of 10 percent.
Salary increases are not the only means to entice healthcare workers to stay and attract new hires. More time off work, increased schedule flexibility, and opening the career ladder to nurses and other workers as part of professional development opportunities were also introduced. Potential hires were even allowed to negotiate their salary based on background.
Is your medical facility looking into increasing the pay of your medical professionals? Recall that companies like yours are doing their best to give competitive salaries and benefits to improve employee retention in healthcare. Once your nurses and other healthcare workers catch wind of the so-called greener grass in the next hospital, they might exit yours. Look into giving them better pay.
The International Council of Nurses has recently pointed out that 90 percent of National Nurses Associations worldwide have identified how much workload, stress, and burnout drive nurses out of the profession. For nurses and other healthcare professionals, feeling exhausted—accompanied by the death toll surrounding them—play not only with their physical but also their mental and emotional welfare.
Emotional resignation—or the loss of valuing and interest in the company where one works— is a major culprit and silent killer to why companies are experiencing high attrition rates, not only in hospitals. For medical institutions, utmost care for both physical and mental will save their team members from feelings of worthlessness and fatigue.
Can the hospital hire more nurses, even in part-time or contractual capacities, to increase the workforce so fewer or even fewer nurses will have to go on overtime or double shifts? How about opening the company’s mental health services as part of employee engagement and care efforts? Can hospital workers have more leeway to take a vacation and sick leave?
Identifying effective retention strategies for frontline nurses and other healthcare workers include taking care of their mind, body, and soul. You have seen what the pandemic can do to fatigued nurses. Don’t let this happen again, as any profession in the healthcare industry will always be demanding, pandemic or not.
Because of patients fearing going out to reach hospitals, digital health services were there to accompany their needs:
Research shows that 90 percent of individuals own a mobile device they can use to reach out to doctors to do online consultations. Because of the pandemic, customers have included telemedicine as one of their needs. Tebra, a company offering cloud-based clinical management services, says that 50 percent of patients prefer telehealth consultations, while 50 percent will leave their provider if they don’t offer online consultations.
Hospitals that have adopted telemedicine have enjoyed a bevy of benefits. There is a decrease in no-shows in appointments because patients do not need to endure the hassle of commuting to the hospital. Studies predict that telemedicine will be a staple in any healthcare facility and can reduce healthcare spending by up to 20 percent.
Think of your nurses and doctors having a less stressful time attending to patients because they can do it while sitting in front of a computer. They can even do consultations in a work-from-home capacity, away from the usual hustle and bustle of hospital life. The pandemic showed how much telemedicine is a breeze for healthcare professionals and patients, so why not adapt?
While technology and medicine have always been a remarkable combination in saving lives and improving human health, recent innovations are paving the way for better healthcare services, improved patient care, and lessening healthcare workers’ burdens.
Some of these innovations include electronic medical records that provide accurate data gathering and documentation, AI health monitoring tools that pinpoint patient conditions quickly without manual checking and even wearable devices that monitor vital signs.
Generally speaking, these innovations help make the medical working environment more efficient and impactful. These devices also reduce human error, which also takes a toll on one’s confidence in the job they do. Finally, mastery of the use of these medical advancements gives healthcare employees a better grasp and ownership of their work, which is an uplifting feeling. It’s this feeling that will support healthcare workers and increase nurse retention.
Hiring nurses and other healthcare professionals outside of the US does well for your company. Diversity and inclusivity are celebrated, the commitment to long-term employment reduces high turnover costs, and patient satisfaction is achieved, as the patient population in the US is also diverse.
If you aim to build a premiere nursing workforce brimming with international influence and professionalism, PRS Global is your staffing partner. Our commitment to you is that we will guide your new nurses all the way, even if they have been introduced to the operations floor. From financial support to travel and a new life in the US to efforts to take care of their mental health and keep homesickness at bay, PRS Global is dedicated to bringing out the best in the best nurses in the world.
The post-pandemic period poses a new challenge to hospitals and medical institutions across the country. Your company can benefit by hiring only the best nurses out there. If you need a trustworthy helping hand, contact PRS Global now.