The Health Care Tsunami
by Lynn Fossen, VP of Strategic Solutions
It is hard to believe, but it has been 3 years since the world went on full tilt due to Covid. During this time health care workers have become ‘health care warriors.’
The Covid pandemic will go down in history as a time that health care workers truly experienced post-traumatic stress. The average health care worker went through experiences that one cannot easily describe without a profound sense of loss and even some anger. The lack of supplies and ability to cope with the disaster left many feeling shocked that this could transpire now and, in the U.S.
Covid has forever altered our work landscape. The most serious hit from Covid however is the lack of applicants who want to work in health care. Long Term Care was experiencing a staffing crisis prior to Covid. We knew that a storm was coming due to the baby boomers aging while the healthcare workforce was dwindling. The tsunami-effect that Covid has created fast-tracked the staffing crisis to levels that nobody could have anticipated. The young workforce today wants work life balance. The older workers are retiring early. Working in health care, especially Long-Term Care, has become less attractive to the new nurses entering the workforce. The result has been a 1-2 punch to the gut in the staffing arena. Health care providers are forced to pay bonuses for hiring, filling shifts and higher wages. Many facilities are counting on staffing agencies to fill the bulk of their open positions. The applications simply are not there.
Today the government intends to mandate staffing levels in nursing homes. All of this points to a belief that by regulating staffing requirements we will suddenly resolve the staffing crisis. This belief is a blind spot in America today. Facilities are reducing beds, and some are being forced to close their doors. The result will be less availability of care especially for the higher acuity needs that nursing homes provide.
What do we do now? It has never been more important that we as a group of health care providers use our voice at the government level. It is also critical that we look at what we do have control over such as support for the care givers which ultimately impacts morale. Creating a team by building a preceptor/mentor program that is guiding staff at each level of care on a shift by shift basis is key to reducing frustration and burnout. Empowering the preceptor/mentor to solve problems at their level such as resolving issues around supplies, training, and onboarding. Establishing that each morning stand up meeting will be initiated with positivity by giving examples of the facility core values in action will ground the facility with a feel-good moment when it is desperately needed. Examination of workflow will be key. Assuring that no money is being left on the table is a given. The role of the MDS nurse in a nursing home has never been more important than now as this nurse is responsible for capturing the dollars and managing the data. Assuring that the MDS nurse has the authority to hold staff accountable and the ability to make system changes is often overlooked. The MDS nurse role is one that should be elevated and yes, celebrated.
We are in a health care tsunami, but we will come out of this better and stronger than ever before. The solutions that we are creating are in fact already improving staff morale even in the face of the staffing crisis. We are in this business because of our passion and mission to do the right thing for the elders in our communities. I would say, never underestimate the abilities of todays LTC Health Care Warriors!