Staff members within health care facilities have a lot on their shoulders these days. From patient care to administrative and other tasks, these workers have much to keep in mind on a daily basis. And when there aren't enough employees present, or when other scheduling issues creep up, it can affect the ways in which nurses, physicians and other practitioners provide patient care.
According to the latest statistics available from AMN Healthcare company Avantas, nearly 70 percent of nursing managers worry about the impact that scheduling and staffing challenges have on the patient experience. What's more, 94 percent agree that these issues negatively affect staff morale, and that when these problems persist, it breeds feelings of underappreciation among employees.
Thankfully, there are things that health care and nursing administrators can do to sidestep some of the most pressing staff scheduling problems.
Inadequate staff-to-patient ratios
Ensuring safe staffing ratios has been an uphill battle in the health care industry for quite some time. Currently, California does have a state-mandated ratio to help ensure quality care and safe working conditions for facility employees. However, as Nurse.org contributor Amy Blitchok noted, other states did not follow suit, as the industry had hoped.
It's imperative that health care staff members have adequate time to provide each patient with the care he or she requires.When there are not enough nurses and staff members available, patient care can suffer considerably. Nurses and practitioners don't have enough time to spend with each patient, which can result in a negative experience for the individual receiving care, and can contribute to other issues as well.
One of the best ways to avoid this issue is to utilize a software system that can provide the granular visibility administrators need to schedule these workers according to safe employee-patient ratios. According to the Avantas survey, 23 percent of organizations don't have any type of scheduling tool in place at all, contributing to the issue of inadequate staffing.
Understaffing
"90 percent of hospital executives are concerned about the impending talent shortage."
An inability to ensure safe patient-to-caregiver ratios can stem from multiple different issues, but understaffing is one of the most common sources. Studies show that there is a critical lack of talent in the health care sector, making it difficult for facilities to fill open positions. The Society for Human Resources Management reported that 90 percent of hospital executives are concerned about the impending talent shortage, and that by 2030, there will be as many as 104,000 unfilled physician positions.
This is another area in which advanced software can provide much needed assistance and benefits. A robust workforce management platform can offer the types of innovative hiring and recruitment tools teams need to find the best candidates for their open positions.
Support staff scheduling
Understaffing and an inability to ensure safe patient-staff ratios are two common scheduling issues felt throughout the health care sector. These and other pressing problems can be effectively alleviated with an innovative workforce management platform, like that provided by BlueSky Medical Staffing Software.
Created with the specific needs of health care providers in mind, this advanced platform provides industry-leading tools and features to support streamlined recruitment and hiring, as well as granular scheduling and management.
To find out more, connect with us for a demo today.
