Ways to Avoid Hospital Staffing Shortages During Cold & Flu Season
Hospitals and healthcare facilities are extremely busy during cold and flu season, and those organizations who fail to pre-plan for sick staff members often end up lacking workers to assist patients. As a result, not only are patients inconvenienced due to the shortages in care, but the organization’s reputation and revenue are also put at risk.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), employees in the United States miss nearly 17 million workdays from having the flu. With an estimated $7 billion being lost as a result of sick days and lost productivity, medical practices are pressured now more than ever to provide quick and efficient treatment.
While cold and flu season gives healthcare facilities extra patients to care for, it also causes staff deficiencies when workers become sick. Organizations can help lighten cold and flu seasonal shortages by cross-training staff to carry out different jobs when needed. Although this helps in certain situations, you need to have a plan set in place to help quickly cover their absence for times when employees become sick unexpectedly.
Teaming up with a medical staffing firm like HealthCare Support (HSS) will ensure that your organization will have access to continuous care when regular staff is unavailable. And, while we have lots of workers who can fill in on short notice, we encourage you to consider creating an existing partnership with us early in the season to establish which candidates can fill specific roles in case an emergency should arise. Also, by incorporating HSS candidates into more of a long-term staffing solution, you can help keep your employees from becoming too overwhelmed, and at the same time prevent staff burnout.
At HSS, we focus solely on healthcare, providing administrative to executive level professionals in both the clinical and non-clinical fields. For more information on how we can help your business avoid staff shortages, call us today at 407-478-0332.