Two of the most dreaded words in senior care, especially skilled nursing, are “short-staffed”. The American Health Care Association (AHCA) found in a recent survey that 94% of facilities reported staffing shortages and out of those, 75% indicated that this trend has become worse since 20201. While the pandemic is responsible for dramatic declines in health care personnel, many other factors continue to make staffing a challenge. This is why effective leadership is so critical in senior care, especially during times of low staffing.
Work on Root Causes of Staff Shortage
In order to improve staffing, smart leaders will do their best to identify areas of weakness in their building, region or throughout the entire company. Because shortages will be greatest among nursing assistants, it would be wise to examine pay, benefits, advancement opportunities, workloads and other variables that are associated with turnover. Asking simple questions such as “Why do our staff stay?” or “Why do they leave?” is a good start. Money matters, but respect and a positive work environment go a long way as well to keep employees. Leadership is involved in a sensitive balancing act between causes of turnover and damage control.
Leading to Prevent Dangers of Inadequate Staffing
A large part of leading through staffing shortages is to prevent as many negative outcomes as possible, including:
- Accidental or unintentional injuries or deaths
- Increased medication errors
- Increased falls, especially with injuries or fractures
- Increased hospitalizations or rehospitalizations
- Uptick in emergency room visits
- Increased number of residents with bedsores or pressure injuries
This type of leadership might be viewed as a form of damage control, because any negative outcome can harm the company’s reputation and financial success. Leaders should take note of any risks throughout the facility to either minimize potentially negative outcomes or try their best to eliminate them altogether.
Measuring Leadership Success
It’s been said that what cannot be measured cannot be changed. This is particularly true concerning staffing shortages, causes of turnover and preventing negative outcomes. Some measures will be quantitative and others will be anecdotal and qualitative. Either way, gaining ground on staff shortage will require measuring leadership’s success. Success can be measured in the following ways:
- Staff have the best possible and competitive living wage and benefits in their market
- Quality of care has remained steadily high and has not suffered due to staff shortage
- The culture of the care center is positive and healthy
- Resident, family and employee satisfaction is high and steady despite turnover
- Although staffing is a problem, employees feel respected and valued
- Stress and burnout are acknowledged by management and are addressed in healthy ways
Final Thoughts on Leading Through Staffing Shortages
Good Leadership, even through staffing shortages, can shore up continued quality while preventing negative outcomes. Some important elements involve identifying weak spots throughout the care center and putting prevention methods in place. Creating a damage control mindset may help the entire staff navigate through times of low staffing.
Reference
1. AHCA, “Survey: 94 Percent of Nursing Homes Face Staffing Shortages”. Press Release, June 23, 2021.