How do you know when staffing shortages have reached their all-time worst? When, in the middle of pandemic, overwhelmed and understaffed healthcare employers are compelled to require workers to return to work while still COVID-Positive.
“This latest development is a sign of the times, unfortunately… Desperate times call for desperate measures. We empathize with employers who are facing so many tough decisions under such dire circumstances,” said David Fontenot, president of Adaptive Medical Partners.
Healthcare workers who are COVID-Positive are being asked, even required, to return to work. COVID patients are now treating COVID patients, which is obviously not an ideal situation for anyone involved. “The move is a reaction to the severe hospital staffing shortages and crushing caseloads that the omicron variant is causing,” reports the Associated Press. The trend is happening around the country, from California, to Rhode Island, and Maine, to name a few states.
“Employers are trapped in the ultimate Catch-22 of staffing. Increased illness among the workforce is exacerbating severe staff shortages, yet requiring employees to come back to work while sick could also potentially push some workers to their limit, resulting in more resignations, and thus, more shortages,” Fontenot added.
Another Unexpected Turn of Events for the Healthcare Workforce
Over the course of the pandemic, healthcare workers were initially revered as “heroes,” even while burnout exhausted many clinicians to their breaking point. Later, a small but critical percentage of healthcare workers across the country were fired or left due to vaccine mandates, such as the 700 who were terminated by Mayo Clinic recently.
Today, some healthcare workers are being asked (or required) to work while still testing positive with COVID. This latest development seems to have been further facilitated by the CDC’s December change in guidelines, which included relaxing isolation requirements for healthcare workers, and reducing the isolation time down to seven days.
It’s been widely reported that many healthcare workers have left clinical medicine due to burnout throughout the pandemic, in addition to staff losses over vaccine mandates. This, combined with the more infectious Omicron variant, has resulted in healthcare workforce shortages that are so severe that some COVID-Positive workers are being told to report to work. This doesn’t seem safe for patients, nor for the healthcare workers, nor for their colleagues. But, what are the alternative solutions? Some would argue that the alternative, a significantly understaffed hospital, is just as unsafe because it reduces the number of “staffed” beds available for patients. So far, it seems many healthcare administrators have been unable to find any other feasible solutions.
“I wish we had simple answers for employers – it’s an impossible situation for any administrator, and unfortunately there are no quick fixes under the conditions facing the healthcare industry today,” Fontenot said. “As recruiting consultants, we can certainly help lend our expertise to healthcare leaders to help strategize ways to keep, attract, and hire clinicians. Our team at AMP continues to assess the ever-changing, rapidly evolving market to anticipate upcoming challenges for our clients nationwide who are doing everything they can to stay afloat.”
Related Reading:
Do Physicians Support Vaccine Mandates? (National Physician Survey Provides Insight)
Staffing Industry Leaders Discuss Physician Compensation Models & Trends Post-Pandemic
To discuss staffing challenges and review potential solutions with a recruiting consultant, call 888-885-5009 or email inquire@adaptivemedicalpartners.com
