Healthcare staffing is a complex, multifaceted process involving doctors, nurses, and support staff. Recruitment is equally strategic, considering provider specialization, patient count, location, and more.
With adequate staffing, patients get the care they need, and providers avoid burnout. Certain trends are shaping the future of healthcare staffing, and we’ll discuss them below.
Flexible Staffing Models
These days, physicians and other providers want greater control over their schedules—and they’re gaining it by moving into non-traditional staffing arrangements, including locums solutions from CHG.
While many still work 9-5 jobs, others work on a temporary or contract basis. Locum tenens and other staffing models allow organizations to onboard providers without a long-term investment while meeting patients’ needs.
A Smarter Hiring Process
A top healthcare staffing trend for 2024 is the use of AI (artificial intelligence) to shorten long lists of candidates.
Additionally, AI streamlines staff screening by booking interviews, generating detailed candidate reports, and saving resumes for the facility’s future needs. When hospitals use these tools, it’s easier and faster to determine whether candidates are appropriate or eligible for roles.
Moving Toward Diversity
Staffing trends, including a renewed focus on diversity, are integral to an inclusive, strong healthcare workforce. According to an Apollo Technical survey, 57% of healthcare employees want to work with companies promoting diversity.
Although diversity means hiring people of every gender, race, education level, ethnicity, and identity, it also requires facilities to focus on equality by ensuring that everyone has a chance to participate. The focus on diversity brings many benefits, including new perspectives and increased provider engagement.
A Demand for Supporting Roles: It Goes Beyond Surgeons, Doctors, and Nurses
Non-clinical workers make up most of the workforce in today’s healthcare organizations, fulfilling roles in administration, IT, HR, quality control, reception, data analytics, marketing, housekeeping, and more.
The increased demand for support staff represents these professionals’ valuable contributions. As healthcare becomes more complex, organizations will keep up by hiring new workers and training existing employees to meet industry standards.
The Increased Popularity of Telehealth Services
The pandemic changed the way patients access healthcare, and those changes aren’t going away. The trend toward telehealth has improved the quality of care without exposing patients to additional risks or increasing provider workloads.
With telehealth services, people can get the care they need from the comfort and safety of home, without the geographic and transportation barriers they’d normally face.
Greater Emphasis on Providers’ Mental and Physical Health
Healthcare workers often face significant stress because of long hours, demanding patients, and heavy caseloads. According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control over 45% of workers face burnout, and the stress causes problems like insomnia, exhaustion, physical illness, and a decline in mental health.
When healthcare workers are burned out, they make more mistakes—some dangerous—and the quality of care decreases. In the last trend on our list, institutions are recognizing the potential for burnout and acting to prioritize workers’ mental and physical health.
Locum Tenens: A Trend for 2024 and Beyond
These are 2024’s top healthcare staffing trends. When organizations hire providers and support staff, locum tenens arrangements allow them to allocate monetary and human resources effectively. Visit CHG online to learn how they can help hospitals, doctor’s offices, and clinics build stronger workforces.
