Important in any industry, flexible staffing is becoming increasingly critical as healthcare evolves and patient needs change at the same rapid-fire pace.
The traditional staffing model – with employees working set shifts – is falling by the wayside due to its cumbersome and costly limitations. When census levels drop, facilities find themselves overstaffed resulting in wasted resources. And when patient volumes spike, they’re forced to scramble for the staffing they need, often resulting in costly overtime.
Employees are likewise stressed, as they are either stretched too thin or underutilized. And no one wins when these dilemmas lead to burnout, job dissatisfaction, turnover, or even worse, medical errors.
The Solution
Flexible staffing can significantly benefit a healthcare organization as it allows for quick adaptability to fluctuating patient demands. It supports value-based care by moving away from the traditional model to embrace such steps as offering shorter shifts and job sharing to investing in float pools. Another smart strategy is partnering with a staffing firm to help fill workforce gaps even on the shortest of notice, without a permanent financial commitment.
The Benefits of Flexible Staffing
The key benefits of flexible healthcare staffing include:
• Meeting changing demand: You can quickly adjust staffing levels to meet whatever fluctuations in patient volume you may be facing, without compromising care standards. This prevents both overstaffing and the problem of provider shortages during peak periods.
• Filling gaps and right staffing: With flexible staffing, including partnering with a staffing agency as needed, you can quickly fill gaps left by illness, vacation, leaves, or other shortages. Use of temporary or contract staff allows for the optimal use of both financial and human resources.
• Keeping costs in control: In addition to right-sizing staff, flexible workforce models can enhance operational efficiency by reducing administrative expenses and streamlining your scheduling processes. Tools like scheduling software and predictive analytics are always improving.
• Accessing specialized clinical skills: Certain specialties, cases or procedures may demand specialized expertise that is not required on a regular, permanent basis. You can leverage flexible staffing to access this talent on an as-needed basis and tap into a broader talent pool with diverse skills and experience.
• Improving quality of care: Flexibility helps ensure that your organization maintains appropriate staffing levels so you can uphold your high-quality care standards, even during unexpected worker shortages. For instance, flexible staffing can help eliminate long wait times, compromised attention to patient needs, and ultimately, potentially devastating medical errors.
• Reducing staff burnout: The secret to alleviating staff burnout, which runs rampant in healthcare, is work/life balance. By offering temporary assignments and other flexible work arrangements, you can accommodate the diverse needs of your workforce your employees successfully align their personal and career commitments.
It’s your ability to have the right professionals in the right roles, at the right time, that helps ensure the best possible patient care – and staff success – across your organization. To learn more about flexible staffing options and for a trusted source in accessing the best nursing, allied health, and related personnel in California and nationwide – contact AlliedUP Co-Operative, Inc., today.