The Future of Healthcare Staffing: 4 Reasons for Optimism Moving Forward

Healthcare staffing has been problematic for many years, and the current pandemic only exacerbated it. In fact, a recent study shows that nearly one-third of hospital leaders report that they can’t find enough candidates to fill open healthcare positions. 

But recent healthcare staffing trends show that things may be looking up. Here are four key reasons you can feel optimistic about the future of healthcare staffing.

4 Reasons for Optimism Around Healthcare Staffing

Healthcare staffing efforts have been hit hard by the Great Resignation. However, government support increased student enrollment in the industry, and facilities are testing new recruitment strategies. Here’s a closer look and a few other reasons to feel hopeful about the future of healthcare staffing:

1. New York Offering $10 Billion to the Industry

Governor Kathy Hochul of New York recently announced a new bill to add $10 billion to the healthcare industry over the next several years. The bill includes $4 billion to support wages and increase bonuses for employees, all to increase healthcare staffing in New York by 20% within the next five years.

These financial incentives don’t just allow hospitals to offer staff more competitive wages. They also show that the government is prioritizing these high-risk careers and may set the stage for additional supportive bills in the future.

2. Increased Student Enrollment in Healthcare Fields

One of the most challenging barriers in the healthcare industry is a lack of qualified workers. But this may soon be a thing of the past. There has been a surge in healthcare applications at universities in recent years. While this field has seen a consistent 2.5% applicant increase year after year, applicants rose approximately 18% in 2021.

This unprecedented uptick in interested students may be due to the global pandemic highlighting the need for trained employees in the field. The result could be numerous well-trained healthcare employees looking for new jobs within five to 10 years.

This data is even more promising when considering that a four-year degree is no longer required to work in the healthcare industry. Partnering with a leading healthcare certification organization can allow you to bring new, qualified candidates to your facility in a flash.

3. Data-Driven Recruitment Strategies

The current nursing shortage has had one benefit: more data around healthcare recruitment is now available. This can help healthcare facilities implement data-driven recruitment strategies.

One successful strategy is hiring travel nurses. Unlike many healthcare facilities, agencies in charge of placing traveling nurses have actually done better during the pandemic than before, proving the viability of this recruitment strategy.

Another viable option is to work with a facility like MedCerts to recruit and train healthcare professionals from within your organization. This can include offering apprenticeship programs through your facility or providing fast-track exam preparation for people looking to receive certifications.

Reliable vetting offers a third unique data-driven recruitment strategy for healthcare facilities. MedCerts can pre-vet graduates and provide you priority access, so you can be confident they’re trained to meet your organization’s needs.

4. Virtual Health Tools and Automation Technologies

Healthcare automation tools can save facilities money, which they can then put toward staffing recruitment and retention.

For example, innovative technologies in programs like MedCerts, including 3D-animated demonstrations with step-by-step breakdowns, immersive environments, real-time scenarios, and interactive activities—allow healthcare to be taught entirely online. These state-of-the-art online training programs enable healthcare facilities to recruit and promote workers internally, knowing that they can complete training at their own pace outside of work hours. This can prevent gaps in the workplace while you’re promoting employees.

The Future of Healthcare Staffing Looks Bright

Although the future is looking bright for healthcare staffing, we’re not out of the woods yet. An aging population and an increase in chronic illnesses mean staffing will continue to struggle for a while. Still, managers can feel optimistic about the future. To help with that optimism, healthcare facilities need to find creative recruitment strategies and offer competitive wages to bolster current efforts.