Workforce Solutions with a Staffing Platform in Lawton, OK

What do you do when your facility has staffing problems? Sometimes, shortages last only for a few days. But sometimes, they can last much longer.

Healthcare staffing solutions in Lawton, Oklahoma

Too many healthcare facilities with nursing shortages have to struggle to meet their patient needs. Lawton, Oklahoma, is no exception to this. 

What are the solutions you turn to in these cases?

Maintaining the quality of patient care depends on covering shifts in an efficient and sustainable manner.

In this article, learn about some creative healthcare staffing solutions in Lawton, Oklahoma. But first, let’s explore the unique challenges in Lawton.

What are the staffing challenges in Lawton?

Lawton, located in Oklahoma, is a major economic center for its region. It is also an area with important educational institutions, such as Cameron University and the Great Plains Technology Center. However, this city also has healthcare staffing problems, as Oklahoma ranks 49th nationally in healthcare outcomes.

Most of the state of Oklahoma is considered a shortage area for all types of healthcare professionals, with an emphasis on nurses. Overall, many factors exacerbate this situation.

Last-minute call outs

In healthcare facility settings—both short-term and long-term—unexpected staff absences occur, requiring a quick response from the facility to maintain adequate staffing levels. 

Therefore, per diem or PRN staffing is often the solution to these last-minute call outs, to prevent nurse turnover rates from rising.

Seasonal surges

There are times when there may be a surge in patient intake, such as seasonal surges during the holidays or flu season. Summertime surges can also occur because many travelers are concentrated in one place.

Unexpected patient census surges require the facility to have a greater number of clinicians to provide care. 

Burnout due to understaffing

Many facilities in Lawton suffer from chronic understaffing, due to the nursing shortage. This can lead to burnout among existing staff. In these cases, facilities must find extra staff to reduce the burden on their current clinicians.

Specifically in Oklahoma, there is a great need for licensed practical nurses (LPNs) to cover night shifts in hospitals.

Emergencies and natural disasters

Oklahoma's climate is prone to natural disasters in several regions. A natural disaster requires an increased need for medical services, triage, and emergency staffing. 

Therefore, additional staff must be on hand to meet the needs of facilities, especially hospital nursing staff.

Demographic and economic factors

Lawton's rural location makes it difficult for healthcare facilities to attract and retain nursing clinicians. Most healthcare roles have limited growth opportunities, making them unattractive to career-minded healthcare professionals.

As a result, Lawton is increasingly reliant on short-term staffing solutions.

Exploring solutions for healthcare facilities

The bottom line is that the consequences of the nursing shortage affect patients. Healthcare facilities have no choice but to look for quick and efficient solutions.

But what can be done?

Let's look at some common solutions.

Travel nurse contracts

Travel nursing has existed for several decades to cover shortages. For the contracted period, travel nurses move to another geographic area to fill a greater need.

• Benefits: Travel nursing contracts offer financial incentives, so many nurses are attracted to these positions. In addition, the facility has an extra nurse for the contract period to provide support as needed.
• Impact: Travel nursing helps maintain adequate staffing levels benefiting patient care and the facility.
• Drawback: Travel nursing contracts are often prohibitively expensive.

Career fairs

Events, such as career fairs, help connect new nursing clinicians with healthcare facilities. This way, clinicians make personalized contact with facility recruitment managers.

• Benefit: These events address staffing shortages by attracting new talent to Lawton. Because of this, they have become popular in different regions of Oklahoma.
• Impact: Career fairs provide facilities with access to the newer generations of nursing clinicians, therefore reducing overall staffing issues.
• Drawback: Travel to career fairs costs time and money, with no guarantee of successful nurse recruitment.

Telemedicine

Telemedicine makes it easier for patients to access care by providing video consultations and remote monitoring. 

• Benefit: As a rural Oklahoma town, Lawton may be able to offer remote telehealth positions for some of their services, allowing them to recruit from other cities.
• Impact: Telemedicine can provide timely interventions, improving healthcare access and thus improving patient satisfaction.
• Drawback: Not all nursing roles are suitable for remote or telehealth services.

Mobile clinics

Some healthcare facilities provide mobile clinic services. Mobile clinics are designed to reach underserved communities. 

• Benefit: This improves patient access to receive check-ups, screenings, vaccinations, and chronic disease management.
• Impact: Healthcare facilities can provide services to a larger portion of the community quickly. In addition, it decreases the need for ER visits.
• Drawback: Patient follow-up is limited. There will still be patients who require more intensive healthcare services than a mobile clinic can provide.

Per diem staffing

One of the most adaptive strategies for healthcare facilities is contracting nurses to work PRN shifts. In particular, using healthcare staffing apps enables facilities to source PRN clinicians faster than ever.

• Benefits: Per diem shifts provide flexible scheduling for facilities. In particular, they help facilities fill last-minute gaps and save money without long-term contracts or expensive agency fees.
• Impact: Through PRN shifts, staffing ratios are efficiently managed, improving the quality of care and the experience for all involved.
• Drawback: Not all healthcare staffing platforms offer affordable, transparent pricing.

How to choose the right staffing option for your facility

Healthcare facilities have a responsibility to act and adopt new staffing strategies. More nurses mean better working conditions, and better working conditions mean better nurse retention.

Ask yourself the following questions to help you decide on the staffing option best for your situation:

• Costs: What is the cost? Is it financially sustainable in the short and long term? How much will you spend on benefits and fees for clinicians?
• Time and effort: How much time will you spend on this solution? Do you know any nurse staffing companies that work in Lawton, OK, or will you have to research them?
• Administrative duties: Will the administrative burden grow for the proposed solution? If so, is this staffing option worth it?
• Hire-away costs: Will there be a hire-away cost if your facility wants to hire a clinician permanently? (For example, with some nurse staffing agencies in Lawton, OK, this cost is very high.)

Have you heard of Nursa? 

It is a PRN healthcare staffing platform that connects facilities to PRN nurses in Lawton, OK, at affordable prices without hidden fees or hire-away costs.

Find care professionals with Nursa in Lawton

Nursa offers multiple benefits to facilities. Full price transparency and no additional fees with Nursa means you’re in total control of how much you pay. The platform is easy to customize and use for your staffing situation to find on-demand staffing and real-time solutions.

In addition, enjoy reduced administrative costs, as Nursa takes care of background checks and credential verification for nurses before they can pick up a shift. 

With per diem clinicians at your fingertips, save time, money, and effort. 

Make Nursa your partner for per diem staffing solutions and find local healthcare professionals in Lawton, OK.

Sources:

• Southwest Ledger: Legislative interim study assesses Oklahoma’s healthcare challenges