Nursing burnout has reached an all-time high, and an emerging type of workforce technology could be the answer. With a global shortage of nurses and a significant aging population in the United States, it’s more important than ever to address the issues causing burnout and create solutions that benefit both nurses and patients.
Burnout among nurses an increasingly significant problem
Burnout is rampant in healthcare. A new survey from AMN Healthcare shows that one-third of nurses plan to leave the profession, citing post-pandemic burnout as the biggest factor. Combine that with the aging population (there are currently more people over the age of 65 in the United States than there has ever been before) and you’ve got a worrying trend.
Healthcare staffing experts from Staffing Industry Analysts have implied that it’s not so much a shortage of nurses as it is a shortage of nurses wanting to work under current employment conditions. So how do you solve this problem? Flexibility is an important thing to consider. Nurses want more flexibility in their schedules, with a majority of respondents in a recent survey by Gale Healthcare Solutions saying they only want to work temporary shifts.
The role of technology in solving this problem
Technology can play a significant role in providing more flexibility and solving the problem of burnout. One particularly promising development is the rise in the adoption of staffing platform technology, which makes it easier for nurses to find the flexible work arrangements they are looking for.
Staffing platforms, simplistically defined, are a type of mobile-optimized technology that connect talent with jobs. They can provide a variety of benefits to healthcare workers such as:
- Mobile apps for more convenient job searching
- Real-time shift availability for more flexibility
- Self-serve scheduling for more control
- Customizable preferences for better fit
- Algorithmic job matching to save time
There are several different ways that staffing platform technology is being utilized today. Some platforms, referred to as direct sourcing platforms, connect the practitioner directly with facilities. Others are operated by staffing agencies who provide the same type of experience applied to their existing marketplace of active and vetted candidates.
In either case, the benefits are clear, and these platforms are changing the landscape of healthcare staffing and how providers want to find their next opportunity. And because it’s making it easier for nurses to find flexible shifts, it’s making it easier than ever to operate on a per diem staffing model.
The predicted rise of per diem staffing
In the past, per diem (“per day”) staffing wasn’t easy to administer because of the scheduling headaches it created, and so it wasn’t as prevalent. But technology has changed that. Now nurses can pick up single shifts in real time from the palm of their hand. As a result of this convenience, many industry leaders are predicting a per diem renaissance.
Bob Livonius, a staffing industry expert known as the godfather of travel nursing, cited this technological convenience as a key element of the future of per diem staffing, and how healthcare facilities stand to benefit from this flexibility. In essence, we are looking at an ‘uberization” of healthcare staffing. There is now a gig economy for nursing that didn’t exist before and this holds a ton of potential for both nurses and facilities.
This trend is transforming the expectations of the healthcare workforce and has the potential to reshape the healthcare staffing landscape. It’s now time for healthcare facilities to decide on what their strategy will be to incorporate it. Luckily, they have a few options. Acquire, build, or license this type of technology themselves, or look to a staffing agency partner for help.
Evolving the relationship between staffing agencies and healthcare facilities
It’s no secret that staffing agencies have had some difficulties in healthcare staffing in recent years. Spikes in demand driving up bill rates for travel nursing, and other factors driven by COVID, have soured some relationships. But staffing agencies can play a critical role in helping healthcare providers apply improved technology and processes.
It takes a lot of work to implement a new system. It also takes a lot of time to build up the talent in these staffing platform marketplaces. So, what if facilities could outsource the implementation of these tools to a staffing agency partner? They could rely on the agency to deliver the next-level candidate experience that is now expected with this technology, and this could help ease the challenges that come with “uberizing” the workforce internally.
Technology and per diem staffing models offer solutions that could benefit all parties, and by strengthening their relationships with staffing agencies, hospitals and healthcare facilities can more easily maintain a healthy and thriving workforce.
Rohan Jacob
Rohan Jacob is the Founder and CEO of S-PaaS company ActivateStaff. One of the industry’s most prominent voices on the rise of staffing platform technology, Rohan is a familiar face on the conference speaking circuit and currently sits on the ASA Technology Taskforce. When not evangelizing digital transformation, he can be found biking, listening to podcasts, or flooding Activate's #pets channel.
