Overhauling Workforce Development: How to Solve the Healthcare Staffing Shortage Crisis

Imagine a bustling hospital where nurses, physicians and support staff are outnumbered by patients needing care. This scenario is a harsh reality and not uncommon in today's healthcare environment, where staffing shortages pose significant challenges to organizations and communities nationwide.

In our recent whitepaper, we’ve examined the current state of this crisis, how we got here, where our current workforce strategies are falling short. We’ve also proposed strategic solutions to stop the circle of stagnation and adopt innovative approaches to drive real change, fostering resilience and adaptability in the future healthcare workforce.

3 Major Factors Impacting Today’s Workforce Crisis

• Burnout is Leading to Unprecedented Turnover
  The demanding nature of healthcare professions, characterized by heavy workloads, long working hours, administrative burdens and the emotional toll of caring for others, has contributed to a workforce at risk of exhaustion.
• Recruitment Strategies Are Failing
  Recruiting new talent in the healthcare industry faces deep challenges as low wages, long hours, rising inflation and a lack of flexibility and respect often drives jobseekers to join other industries.
• The Demand For Healthcare Far Outweighs The Supply
  The American Association of Medical Colleges projects a national physician shortfall of at least 37,000 — and possibly well over 100,000 — over the next decade, while a recent McKinsey report predicted a nationwide shortage of as many as 450,000 nurses by 2025. All the while, the aging U.S. population has led to shifting healthcare needs with higher rates of chronic illnesses and acuity.

Learn more about these factors in our latest whitepaper “The Vital Role of Workforce Development in Solving the Healthcare Workforce Shortage Crisis”.

“The impact of this historic nursing shortage is being felt across the country and the world, with patient care and provider wellbeing hanging in the balance. Health leaders have only one way forward – they need to radically overhaul their approach to staff retention and workforce development.” - Syl Trepanier, Chief Nursing Officer, Providence Health.

Where Current Strategies Are Falling Short

The industry’s current workforce development strategies are falling short. We examine exactly which elements need improvement in our whitepaper, but here is a sneak peek:

• Meeting Compliance Requirements - The Bare Minimum
  While continued education persists in healthcare organizations, meeting industry-required compliance is all too often where the training starts and ends. 
• Viewing Education As A Benefit, Not A Strategy
  Many healthcare organizations view education and training as a benefit of the job and do not see it as a strategy. Given how low the participation statistics are, it is not surprising these “benefits” don’t move the needle when it comes to workforce development. 
• Relying on Local Colleges to Train Talent
  In partnerships with local colleges, learners often face many barriers to entry including being expected to pay tuition and fees out of pocket, needing to quit their jobs or limit the number of hours they can work (which may lead to a loss of benefits) and finding means of transportation to physically travel to class.
• Building Solutions Internally With Learning and Organizational Development (L&OD) Departments
  Learning and development teams in many organizations often face limited capacity and lack the ability to scale internally developed programs. This results in fractional knowledge gains as only a portion of the workforce may benefit from these programs and disjointed outcomes. 

In the dynamic landscape of healthcare, continuous learning and development are paramount to ensuring high-quality patient care and staff satisfaction. As the industry evolves, it's crucial for training and workforce development to evolve, but as it currently stands, we aren’t keeping up.

“Amid a critical healthcare worker shortage, our care providers are navigating challenging conditions to maintain the exceptional standards of care they aim to provide. Despite limited resources, their commitment to meeting patient needs showcases resilience in action, reflecting their dedication to our community's well-being. This said, issues remain across the healthcare industry which lead to burnout and high turnover. These harm our healthcare system as a whole and lead to a greater need for partnerships that provide innovative, workforce development solutions which have been tailored to our staff.” - Kathy Sanford, Chief Nursing Officer, CommonSpirit Health.

Strategies for Effective Workplace Training in Healthcare

To propel the industry forward, a shift away from short-term fixes toward addressing the root challenges of the staffing crisis and evolving healthcare landscape is imperative. Health system leaders must invest in targeted solutions tailored to their organization's specific pain points while acknowledging the pressing need to attract new talent. 

By implementing these critical components, healthcare organizations can optimize workforce integration, retention and ultimately enhance the delivery of care:

1. Supporting Transition-To-Practice
2. Apprenticeship-Style Programs
3. Continued Professional Development 

Our whitepaper details three strategies to bring workforce development into this new age of the healthcare industry. Download the whitepaper to explore these strategies in depth.