HWL Insights

Mental health is a vital component to any workforce, but especially in high-stress environments such as ones found in the healthcare industry. Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and so much emphasis is placed on retaining key talent, we put together some data on the state of stress in healthcare, the toll it can take on a workforce, and what organizations can do to better support their employees' wellbeing.

The advent of the gig economy has revolutionized the way organizations think about work, offering flexibility and autonomy that traditional employment often lacks. This shift has permeated various industries, with healthcare being no exception. The unique demands and stresses inherent in healthcare make the sector ripe for the benefits the gig economy can offer. Adapting gig economy principles to healthcare staffing strategies presents a forward-thinking approach to addressing some of the most persistent challenges in healthcare delivery and workforce management.

In the healthcare sector, retaining skilled nurses is as crucial as attracting them. While competitive pay and benefits are essential, they are no longer the sole factors keeping nurses loyal. In the contemporary healthcare environment, strong company branding has emerged as a pivotal retention tool that transcends traditional incentives. This blog delves into how effective company branding can lead to higher nurse retention rates, fostering a sense of pride, belonging, and alignment with the organization's values and mission.

Introducing Paula Holbrook, Senior Vice President of Financial Operations and Accounting at HWL. With over 15 years of leadership experience, Paula is a transformational leader renowned for her expertise in driving continuous improvement and optimizing critical business processes.

Sourcing talent in the healthcare industry has proven to be a tricky endeavor for facilities big and small. Between talent shortages, an aging baby boomer generation increasing demand for health services, and a large portion of the workforce reaching retirement age, recruiters have had their work cut out for them for quite some time. In fact, an estimated 900,000 registered nurses intend to leave their positions by 2027 due to burnout, stress, and retirement.

In the competitive healthcare landscape, attracting and retaining top talent goes beyond offering competitive salaries and benefits. The strength and appeal of your company's brand play a crucial role in drawing in the right candidates and fostering long-term loyalty among existing staff. This blog explores how effective company branding can be a powerful tool for employee retention and attraction, turning your brand into a magnet for talent and a catalyst for loyalty. 

Over the last several months, much has been discussed about the state of staffing, how certain segments are contracting significantly, and the overall shifting landscape. The one major area of expansion though is the physician and provider space. From the latest by SIA, we are seeing continued locum tenens growth with 27% in 2022, 12% in 2023, and a projected incremental growth in 2024 of an additional 7%.

In today's fast-paced healthcare environment, agility is not just a buzzword—it's a critical strategy for success. The ability of healthcare organizations to quickly adapt to changes, whether in patient care demands, technological advancements, or unexpected crises, hinges practical the agility of their workforce. An agile workforce is characterized by flexibility, resilience, and a proactive approach to change. This blog explores effective strategies for creating an agile workforce in healthcare, ensuring organizations can meet the evolving needs of their patients and the industry at large.

In an era where the healthcare industry faces unprecedented challenges in staffing and retention, the power of a strong brand has emerged as a transformative tool in attracting and retaining top nursing talent. Healthcare Workforce Logistics (HWL) is leading this charge with its innovative approach to healthcare staffing: a private-label internal agency that leverages company branding to create a more agile and responsive workforce. This blog explores how private label internal agency is revolutionizing healthcare staffing, turning brand power into a strategic asset in the battle for nurse recruitment and retention.

Healthcare as a whole has seen staffing challenges for decades now, with nursing staff taking the brunt of it. This has proven to be majorly concerning, since nursing turnover rates directly impact patient outcomes. Turnover contagion and burnout among staff results in thinly spread resources across the facility, decreasing quality of care and increasing the likelihood of mistakes.

In the competitive and fast-paced world of healthcare, retaining skilled nursing staff goes beyond competitive salaries and benefits. One of the most effective strategies to foster a loyal and engaged nursing team is through the empowerment of education and professional development. As healthcare organizations strive to minimize turnover and enhance patient care, they increasingly recognize professional development as not just a perk but a necessity. This blog explores how professional development opportunities are becoming a game-changer in nurse retention strategies.

In the ever-demanding world of healthcare, the battle against nurse turnover is continuous. While numerous factors contribute to nurse retention, one often overlooked aspect is the power of strategic shift scheduling. It's more than just organizing work hours; it's about creating an environment where nurses feel valued, understood, and balanced. This blog explores how innovative shift scheduling strategies can significantly reduce nurse turnover, fostering a more stable, satisfied, and efficient workforce.

HWL executives, Jeff Niles, Executive Vice President, and Tommy Binner, Vice President, hosted the Becker’s Healthcare Webinar, How Hospitals Can Get an Upper Hand on Contract Staffing, that discusses the distinctions between vendor-neutral Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and master agency MSPs, highlighting the advantages of partnering with a non-agency staffing provider. The HWL leaders were joined by Maxine Briggs, CFO, Samaritan Health, and Meghan Fay-McCaffrey, Network Director Physician Services, UVMHN Medical Group, as they explained how the vendor-neutral MSP model has impacted their organizations for the better.

In the complex world of healthcare, where patient care is paramount, the retention of skilled nurses is a critical challenge that institutions constantly face. Amidst rising operational costs and the evolving demands of healthcare delivery, labor management emerges as a pivotal strategy not only for cost control but also as a fundamental lever for enhancing nurse retention and, ultimately, patient care quality. This blog delves into the transformative power of effective labor management strategies in the healthcare sector, offering insights into how organizations can navigate these challenges to foster a more sustainable, efficient, and caring environment.

Let’s be real - travel nursing is awesome, BUT it requires a LOT of coordination to achieve the maximum benefits of top pay and flexibility. What if you could achieve most of the benefits of travel nursing with the job security of a staff nursing position? Have you considered joining an Internal Resource Pool (IRP) aka Local Insourced Flex Teams (LIFT)?

Contingent workers have become a mainstay in the healthcare space, particularly travel nurses. With inflation affecting supply chains in nearly every sector, skill gaps ever widening, and a seemingly-endless talent shortage, it's no wonder facilities are increasingly reliant on travel staff. However, travel nurses come at a premium cost, so overreliance on them can hemorrhage dollars. They also change the way talent management strategies are implemented.

Healthcare companies have been finding creative ways to minimize skill gaps through qualified talent for decades now. Staffing shortages were exacerbated throughout the pandemic, with some recovery happening in recent years. Most organizations became dependent on contingent labor in some form or another, for good reason — since 2020, nearly one in five healthcare workers left their jobs and recent surveys suggest that 47% of U.S. healthcare workers plan on leaving their positions by 2025.

One of the most significant challenges that hospitals have faced for years is the shortage of skilled workers. This, in turn, has made recruiting extremely competitive — if hospitals are all vying for the same candidates in the same labor pool, whoever offers the most will win. So, it's no wonder the industry average time to fill positions is 49 days.

Tracy Kettler is a highly accomplished professional with extensive experience in healthcare workforce solutions, operations and strategic business relationships. As the Vice President, Account Management at Nomad Health, she successfully led the expansion of the account management team, developed training programs, and improved supplier rankings. Tracy's career highlights include leadership roles at AMN Healthcare and RightSourcing Inc., where she managed large client portfolios and implemented successful programs. With a degree and progressive experience, Tracy has been recognized by leadership, peers, and clients for her deep understanding of workforce solutions in healthcare. Her expertise spans all facets of implementation, client services and delivery for many industry-leading healthcare systems.