With summer around the corner, it’s essential to consider how your healthcare facility will accommodate summer schedules. As the weather warms up and schools let out for the summer, you can expect to see more vacation requests from your team members. Amid a nursing shortage and nursing crisis in the country, this may cause concern. While some workplaces offer reduced work hours in the summer, such as allowing employees to take Friday afternoons off, healthcare facilities have unique needs that may not accommodate these summer staffing perks.
However, you can still ensure that staff members enjoy themselves as much as possible during the summer while working towards delivering the best possible patient care. It’s also possible to find and recruit local nursing professionals during the summer—such as through per diem nursing shifts—which has advantages for both nurses and facilities. In this blog post, we’ll explore solutions to summer staffing issues, cover strategies to manage your workforce in the summer, and share tips on maintaining productivity during the summer months.
Summer Staffing Solutions
Need help to fill staffing gaps during the summer? Here are four solutions to implement at your healthcare facility.
1. Per Diem Recruitment
Using digital platforms such as Nursa allows you to reach many job seekers looking for work this summer. Our platform is used by thousands of nurses across the country who are looking to pick up local shifts. This staffing solution can help prevent summer staffing gaps as your core team members take holidays and as a nursing crisis and nursing shortage continue to impact healthcare facilities and patient care countrywide.
2. Summer Internship Programs
Consider establishing a summer internship program to gain access to new ideas, enthusiasm, fresh perspectives, and the latest knowledge from nursing students and young graduates. An internship program can be established by partnering with local universities and colleges and can act as a way to develop relationships and partnerships which will help meet long-term staffing needs.
3. Cross-Train Current Staff
During the summer, a facility’s permanent workforce can be cross-trained to handle different or additional responsibilities. This provides individuals with increased opportunities for teamwork and collaboration, distributes their workload, and provides insight into other teams within the facility. It’s a win-win situation for facilities and team members.
4. Remote Work
Flexible and remote schedules provide employees with better health, less stress, and increased job satisfaction. According to one survey, 77 percent of people working remotely showed increased productivity. While some aspects of healthcare delivery and support must be provided in person, your facility can explore what roles or tasks could be done remotely and how this could benefit all involved.
Managing the Summer Workforce
If any staff is hired for the summer season, thorough training and onboarding must be conducted to acquaint new team members with company processes, procedures, and policies. Training and orientation contribute to a more productive and effective workforce, promote good communication, and improve employee retention.
It’s equally essential to define expectations clearly, as this improves employee engagement and increases productivity, which is crucial. Research indicates that only 21 percent of employees globally are engaged at work. In the US, employees who are engaged at work reduced from 36 percent in 2020 to 34 percent in 2021, indicating a potential downward trend unless facilities make an effort to engage team members actively.
Maintaining Productivity in the Summer
While summertime means your team members are likely to take a vacation and spend more time attending events and get-togethers, it doesn’t mean your team will be any less productive.
To keep everyone on track, create a summer schedule that can improve team productivity, encourage work-life balance, and offer employees the flexibility they seek during the summer months. Develop and implement a summer schedule that considers anticipated holidays and vacations and encourage early communication by team members of vacation plans to ensure effective planning on the part of management.
Here are additional tips to ensure your facility operates smoothly during the summer:
- Set clear expectations and goals - Clearly communicate your team's goals and objectives for the summer period. Ensure that everyone understands their targets and how their work contributes to the overall organizational objectives.
- Foster a positive work environment - Create a positive and motivating work environment to improve morale during the summer. Acknowledge and appreciate team members' achievements and efforts, from verbally affirming them to rewarding them for their commitment.
- Encourage transparent and open communication - Conduct regular check-ins with individual team members and hold team meetings to address challenges, discuss progress, and provide updates. Transparency in the workplace encourages better relationships and more engagement. According to an employee engagement survey by Harvard Business Review, 70 percent of those surveyed said they felt more engaged when their supervisor communicated continually.
Are you looking to hire per diem nursing professionals to support your facility this summer? Join the hundreds of other facilities across the country that use Nursa to fill nursing shifts.
