Unfortunately, the holiday season offers no reduction in the strong demand for nurses and other healthcare professionals. The pervasive nursing shortage requires healthcare providers to adopt a proactive approach to staffing during this time. Providing high-quality patient care needs to be your ultimate goal no matter the time of the year.
With a goal of finding talented healthcare professionals, check out this advice on handling staffing challenges during the holidays. Use this advice to ensure your recruiting approach results in employing the talented nurses your organization needs. No matter the specific nursing niche, these insights help optimize your staffing process.
Never Understaff Your Medical Establishment During The Holidays
The need for quality healthcare still remains during the holiday season. In fact, it might even increase with the amount of travel and parties during this time of the year. As such, keeping your staffing levels at least normal throughout the holidays becomes critical.
Understaffing your hospital or medical office likely results in your current team suffering from burnout. This leads to poor morale, with some healthcare professionals possibly looking for other opportunities. This scenario creates a feedback loop that makes your staffing process even more difficult.
Handle Time Off Requests on a Fair Basis
Of course, expecting your nurses to ask for time off during the holidays is natural. Make it a point to ask for these requests as early as possible. This helps you create a schedule maintaining full shifts while letting your team still enjoy the holidays.
Implement an Employee Referral Program
An employee referral program serves as a great way to find talented healthcare professionals. This is especially the case with passive candidates not actively looking for work. However, having this program means you need to keep morale on your team as high as possible. Having the right culture makes it easier for nurses to convince their colleagues to join your organization.
Leverage a Partnership With a Top Healthcare Staffing Agency
Partnering with an experienced medical staffing agency simply makes your staffing process more efficient and effective. It also remains a great strategy for maintaining staffing levels during the holiday season. Consider onboarding a few nurses on a temporary basis to get through this time of the year. Additionally, you are also able to see how they interact with your team before potentially extending a permanent offer.
If your hospital is searching for a healthcare staffing agency partner, look no further than CHN Health Care Group. As one of the top medical employment agencies in Boston, we provide talented nurses able to provide exceptional patient care. Schedule a meeting with us to discuss your current hiring needs.