Like the rest of world, I read The Hunger Games trilogy and saw the movie.  For the 2% of you who don’t know the story, The Hunger Games is a movie based on the novel by Suzanne Collins.  It is about two representatives from each of the twelve districts in the country who are placed in a survival competition against each other while their entire country watches the games as a reality TV show.  Only one of the 24 competitors stands to be the winner, to survive, to never be hungry again.

The trilogy was a quick read which I read cover-to-cover in just 4 days.  Although I finished fairly quickly, it is one of those stories that resonates well after you have turned the final page.  While reading the book, I was engrossed in the story of Katniss Everdeen, the main character's life but after having a few weeks of stepping back from the story, there are some major themes that are still coming to life. Collins teaches her readers many important life lessons through Katniss' eyes.  In this article, we will tackle some of the lessons Healthcare Staffing Agencies can learn for the business of survival.

1.  Use Your Hunting and Gathering Skills

In the very beginning, Katniss is the main provider for her family.  She relies on her expert hunting and gathering skills to give sustenance to her family - without her,  they would starve.  In healthcare staffing, your employee's rely on their recruiters to do just the same.  They rely on expert hunting and gathering skills, to help them find quality placements to essentially put food on the caregiver's table. 

2.  Make Ethical Decisions

Katniss had many ethical dilemmas throughout the games.  Choosing what was right eventually led to her win.  Every day, Healthcare Staffing Agencies are faced with ethical questions like,  “This person isn’t 100% credentialed, should I place them?” or “This person may not enjoy the job but they will make me more money.”  Healthcare professionals placed in the right job ultimately affect patient care.  Whether or not recruiters and schedulers realize it, the everyday "Per Diem" placement is an ethical choice.  With Healthcare staffing, placing someone who is credentialed and ready for the job ultimately wins.  The agency who skimps on the basics, will not survive the games.

3.  Find Allies for Survival

Katniss was reluctant to build relationships with her opponents.  She felt they might hurt her during the games, but she eventually gave in and these relationships ultimately saved her life.  Even though Rue was small, Katniss looked past this defect and learned from her.  In the healthcare staffing industry, we cross paths with many rivals.  Find the right person and build a great relationship. Competitions always exists, but learn to work together - two heads are in many cases, better than one!

4.  Shifting Identity

Katniss was told at the very beginning by her mentor, Haymitch, to listen to whatever the stylists (PR people) wanted.  This was the beginning of her personal evolution and without this she would have never survived the hunger games.  Many companies get stuck doing the same thing over and over again.  With the changing economy, you have to be flexible and change your thoughts to stay in business.  If that means doing something different to keep your company afloat, take the risk and try it.

Conclusion

We can learn so much in Healthcare Staffing after reading Suzanne Collins well-crafted novel.  Should I spoil the ending by telling you who the winner is?  No, I won't say but for those who read the book, you already know the answer.  The winner played the game well.  Used skills wisely and made smart choices.  Along the way, new relationships were forged that were beneficial to all parties.  If you play the game well in Healthcare Staffing, you will also come out on top.  Survival of the fittest is really the name of the game.

What do you think are some other themes that The Hunger Games presents that we can apply toward healthcare staffing?  What are some tactics for survival that you have learned along the way?