The topic of staffing shortages, increased resignations, and burnout are overwhelmingly common. With many in the health profession that have seemingly worked for 18 months straight, it’s no wonder why we are starting to an increase in workplace fatigue.

This week I focus on content related to the ever challenging topic of work, life, and wellness. I review articles from large tech companies, consulting firms, and startups who are pro-actively trying to implement new strategies to reimagine staffing models.

As a reminder, I’ll use this weekly format to share my opinions related to health care, innovation, and venture capital. I will use this format to share my opinions (good, bad, or indifferent) regarding content. Hope you enjoy.

WEEKLY FORMAT

1 - Podcast

1 - Health Care Article 

1 - Venture Capital Article

1 - Tweet

Podcast

The Journal: Google’s CEO on the Future of Work

This is a great listen to understand the complexities of how Google maintains its unique and innovative culture in the workplace. They currently employ 144,000 people throughout the world, and everyone seemingly wants to mimic the Google workplace culture.

Although Google has largely moved to a hybrid model of both in-person and remote work, Sundar Pichai emphasizes the importance of being in a physical environment with your team. No one would disagree with that statement, but what I find admirable is that they delegate a lot of the working structure to their employees. As a team they can decide what the best schedule is for them in order to be the most successful. Obviously that is significantly easier within the tech industry, but it is something for each organization to consider.

Turning the conversation specifically to health care, it caused me to think of different ways that hospitals and clinics can better adapt to modern staffing models. Specific to patient care, we all know that a doctor, surgeon, nurse, etc. need to physically treat the patient. However, there is still an underlying stigma around working remote, using telemedicine platforms, that I hope will change in the future.

Health Care Article

Mckinsey & Company: Nursing in 2021: Retaining Our Nurses When We Need It Most

Throughout the week, I saw numerous articles associated to health care staffing shortages. A popular phrase was “The Great Resignation” that many health systems are experiencing throughout the country.

This particular article was published in May 2021 by McKinsey & Company, and has some high-level action items that I thought were insightful. The proposed strategies derived from over 400+ nurse surveys that were focused on work/life balance throughout the pandemic. Although there wasn’t a “silver bullet” to help retain all nurses, these 4 strategies are worth considering:

1. Make workforce health and well-being part of the fabric. Nurses are looking for more support from the organizations that employ them. Recognition (appreciation and economic rewards commensurate with their value), communication, and breaks to recharge are paramount. Also important are increased availability and accessibility of resources (for example, mental health resources).
2. Increase workforce flexibility. COVID-19 accelerated the introduction of scheduling and staffing approaches to create additional flexibility in workforce deployment, and nurses were largely enthusiastic.
3. Reimagine delivery models. Organizations may consider how to leverage digital tools and adapt care models based on patient and employee preferences. For example, some employers may continue (or expand) clinician use of telemedicine platforms, allowing nurses to work remotely more often.
4. Strengthen talent pipelines and build skills for the future. Demand for talent is increasing, and skill sets and capabilities required are shifting. Organizations will need to reskill in some areas, as well as bolster their recruiting pipeline for clinical roles—in some cases leaning on new partners or professional development pathways.

I’m personally optimistic about how hospitals and clinics will reimagine delivery models in the future. The health care industry is slow to adopt changes, but as we continue to focus on workplace health, both physical and mental, I am confident that we’ll see changes in the future.

Venture Capital Article

CareRev Receives Series A Funding to Scale Healthcare Staffing Platform

The previous articles were largely related to how you retain staff members by re-designing staff models, while this startup is solving the recruitment problem. If you have ever worked close to the Nursing Administration Office in a hospital or clinic, you know that one of the biggest complexities is the ever-changing schedule and nurse coverage. The pandemic has amplified this challenge.

CareRev, a Los Angeles based startup, is building a digital marketplace to connect hospitals with local health care professionals. Their platform offers hospitals the ability to post shifts when they need clinical support, and local, vetted healthcare professionals claim the shifts through their mobile app – eliminating the need for a traditional agency. They currently have more than 11,000 registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, medical assistants, and surgical technicians. It will be exciting to see what growth they have in the future.

Now this may not be the right solution for every hospital or clinic, but I find it fascinating that the complexities of COVID-19 have enhanced the design, speed, and deployment of this type of solution.

Tweet

Bryce Roberts Tweet

I often times scroll through Twitter late at night to relax from the day. Over the weekend I opened my phone while at the park with my kiddos. The first tweet I saw was from Bryce Roberts, who posted:

The most gutting feedback I ever received came from my wife years ago:

“Work gets the best version of you”

That phrase cut deep at the time but completely rocked my world for the better. I think about it every day.

It’s not a bad thing that we all try and perform and give our best selves to work. However, if the pandemic taught us one thing in the context of work/life balance, it’s that we need to remember to conserve energy, time, and bandwidth for your family and friends. This week try and give your best version to your family, because chances are, they need it.

See you next week.