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6 Important Tips for Nurses Using Social Media

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

6 Important Tips for Nurses Using Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool. It lets you communicate, and share information and content with others instantaneously. Some people have even used it to build their professional networks and secure career advancement opportunities. If used incorrectly, however, the consequences can be dire. Nurses in particular are responsible for a great deal of sensitive patient information. Sharing this recklessly could spell trouble for your facility and future career prospects. With social media becoming an integral part of the lives of millions, it would be impractical to try to get all nurses to stop. Instead, they have to learn how to use these platforms responsibly, at all times.

With the following tips, HCPs can harness the power of social media without compromising their personal or professional lives.

1. Do not share patient information

Sharing workplace photos could be a gross violation of healthcare ethics if you are not careful. Per the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), nurses need to maintain patient privacy at all times. Whether you are posting on a public account or a private group chat, any posts that involve a patient should come with written consent. Without their permission, videos or photos of patients, patient gossip, or posts that leak sensitive patient information could qualify as a criminal offense. Your facilities will also be held liable since they are expected to ingrain this respect for patient privacy onto you.

2. Observe your facility’s social media policies

Facilities are growing privy to the dangers of social media misuse. This is why they will have their own policies on the matter. Unfortunately, these rules are commonly not as well-defined as the ones on HIPAA. For example, a lot of hospitals will have rules that discourage talking negatively about your work on social media. Whether or not a post falls under this definition, as well as the severity of the punishment will depend on the facility. When you can, it is best to err on the side of caution.

3. Think twice before you post

Everything that is posted on the internet stays on the internet. Even if you delete your Twitter or Insta story, anyone can save a screenshot or access an archive on sites like the Wayback Machine. That content also stays in company servers, which attorneys can access with a subpoena. If you post something that leaks sensitive patient information or is culturally insensitive, you could be harming your career prospects down the road, if not in the immediate future. As a nurse, you want to give some extra thought to each of your posts.

4. Set boundaries with your patients

If a patient adds you on social media and you accept, you must approach each interaction with professionalism. Even on social media, patient and employer confidentiality should be observed at all times. When you talk outside of work, avoid discussing anything related to their condition, health history, and case. This could be a violation of workplace policies and even patient privacy if you are not careful. Simply posting that you are their nurse may be a breach of confidentiality in and of itself. You can, however, discuss and answer health-related questions, provided they are not directly related to their case.

5. Avoid cyber bullying

Many hospitals also have policies in place to deter bullying. Making fun of or disparaging your co-workers online could constitute cyberbullying. This treatment often has an overall negative effect on morale and energy, and can negatively affect the cohesion of a healthcare unit. It is harder to stay motivated for your work when your entire team has turned against you. Bullying has long been a problem in healthcare, and social media provides an outlet for it if HCPs do not observe due diligence.

6. Join the conversation

Within reason, social media allows you to join productive and passionate discussions about healthcare practices. This lets you spread public health awareness while connecting with like-minded nurses who have their own valuable insights. In this article, we have gone over the potential pitfalls of social media. When used responsibly, these platforms can be just as effective in doing good.

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HCP Facilities

Nurse-to-Patient Staffing Ratio Laws and Regulations by State

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Nurse-to-Patient Staffing Ratio Laws and Regulations by State

Healthy nurse-to-patient staffing ratios are key for any successful hospital operation. Too many patients lead to overworked and stretched-thin nurses, while too many nurses result in redundancies and needless labor costs. This is why a number of states have their staffing ratio laws and regulations in place– to strike that balance and ensure improved patient outcomes, across the board. Today, we will go over a couple of these laws, the states that implement them, and how they achieve their goals in different ways.

How hospitals determine the workload

Hospitals have different standards for determining how many patients a nurse can take care of, at once. They judge their nurses’ skill sets, the patients’ locations in the facility, and their conditions, and assign the workload accordingly. Understaffed hospitals commonly exceed recommended ratios to compensate for a lack of manpower. This was a common sight during the pandemic when hospitals were underprepared to address the sudden spike in COVID-related hospitalizations. This approach is a short-term solution that can backfire quickly. Appropriate staffing ratios have a direct link to improved patient outcomes. Overworked nurses eventually become more prone to clinical errors, infections, and medical complications of their own. This is why a number of states have legislations in place to push hospitals toward observing recommended staffing ratios.

These laws can be broken down into three main categories: legally-mandated nurse-to-patient ratios, public reporting systems, and hospital-based staffing committees.

Legal staffing mandates

Currently, there are only two states with strictly-enforced staffing ratio policies. Staffing mandates are currently a contentious topic with no clear consensus. Of the two, California is the only state that has legally-mandated ratios for every single hospital unit. Just as an example, every pediatrics unit must observe a 1:4 RN to Patient ratio, while psychiatric departments observe a 1:6 ratio. Massachusetts only enforces a 1:1 ratio for the Intensive Care Unit.

Publicly-disclosed staffing ratios

Public reporting is a compromise for states who do not observe strict staffing ratio policies. Instead, hospitals must publicly disclose their staffing ratios so that patients can make educated decisions on where to receive their healthcare. At the time of writing, New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, Vermont, and New Jersey are the only states with public reporting laws in place. The frequency of these reports differs. Vermont hospitals only need to report their ratios once a quarter while Rhode Island facilities report themselves once a year. Illinois and New Jersey are made to report their ratios more frequently, at least once a month. Lastly, hospitals in New York must disclose their staffing situation at the state’s request.

Hospital-based staffing committees

Nurse-driven staffing communities are another avenue meant to hold hospitals accountable for their staffing situations. Hospital stakeholders convene to evaluate staffing issues and how they can be resolved. The idea is to connect the stakeholders with their staff while coming up with solutions specific to their facility’s needs and resources. There are a number of states with these kinds of staffing committees in place: Connecticut, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, Texas, and Washington. To get a worker’s perspective, every state mandates that these committees must be made of at least 50% clinical nurses.

A proper plan of attack

Currently, not every state has staffing ratio laws and regulations in place. Ultimately, however, this is an issue that every area eventually needs to address. The pandemic did not introduce the nursing shortage or turnover, but it accelerated a long-running trend to dramatic levels. If hospitals are to weather the storm, then legislation must be put in place to ensure a healthy staffing ratio situation that places them in the best possible position for success. There is no one true solution to the current nurse staffing problem. What works best for your area will depend on several variables and factors.

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Why Flexibility Matters for Healthcare Facilities

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Why Flexibility Matters for Healthcare Facilities

The landscape of healthcare is shifting under our noses. Between volatile case counts and rapid developments with healthcare technology, “sticking to what you know” just doesn’t cut it. Instead, healthcare facilities must adapt to the innovations and changes made in recent years. They have to build for and encourage a flexible approach and framework for the operations. Only then can they cut down on needless costs while simultaneously improving patient outcomes. What exactly does this entail, however? What does flexibility in healthcare look like? What does this mean for the workers and patients involved in the process? To find out all this and more, read on.

Defining flexibility

Flexibility can mean different things to different people. Before moving forward, it pays to define the term within its context. In the world of healthcare, a flexible operation can adapt or shift its functions to the current needs of both the patients and the employees. This could mean adapting new technologies to speed up operations, improve failure to rescue ratios while reducing the physical and mental burden on the HCP. Measures to promote work-life balance would also fall under this, as it is a pressing issue currently affecting a good number of the nursing population.

Ideally, a healthcare facility possess the following crucial attributes, to ensure flexible and smooth operations:

  • Versatility is the ability to utilize a space or tool for multiple purposes with zero adjustments.
  • Modifiability allows facilities to tweak spaces or objects with minimum input or assistance from facilities and contractors.
  • Convertibility is repurposing a space for completely new use and commonly requires some heavy renovation and assistance.
  • Scalability is the capacity for a space to change in its size or capacity, depending on the facility’s current demands.

Key Examples

What does a “flexible healthcare facility” look like? What are the measurable advantages to embracing current technologies and shifting the very framework of your operations? To answer this question, we will go over a number of flexible healthcare measures and how they boost the effectiveness of patient care.

Expanding telemedicine services

The pandemic turned healthcare facilities upside down, in a number of ways. At the height of COVID case counts, patients were unable to leave their own homes for the healthcare guidance that they needed. Though social distancing has eased up, more immunocompromised individuals are still rightfully hesitant to leave their own houses for any treatment that is not immediately life-threatening. No matter how far we distance ourselves from the COVID pandemic, there will still be a sense of uncertainty and anxiousness.

In response, an increasing number of hospitals have set up or expanded upon their telemedicine services. Patients can now consult their doctors through phone calls, emails or video chats without having to go in-person for each session. Between patients who cannot afford to go outside, and working individuals who cannot fit a check-up within their busy schedules, it is little wonder that telemedicine has gained such prominence over the past few years. In November 2021, the telehealth industry grew up to 38% compared to where it was pre-pandemic.Adopting these services lets facilities operate more flexibility and efficiently with this specific, but prominent group of patients.

Better data management technology

For as long as healthcare has been around, patients have entrusted their sensitive information to the healthcare facilities, in order to facilitate the most accurate diagnoses and best treatment possible. In return, it is up to these hospitals and offices to secure this data as best as they can, while letting it remain easily accessible to approved staff and personnel. Back then, these files were stored in large rooms filled with files and file cabinets. However, the onset of the digital revolution has changed operations forever. More and more facilities are adapting IT solutions to securely store data through cloud services.

More traditional-minded individuals may be intimidated, but the benefits are numerous. With just a phone or a laptop, critical patient data can be shared, or accessed instantaneously, as opposed to hastily sorting through an avalanche of folders. None of this convenience comes at the cost of security, since files can be safely protected with password-encryption among other security measures. Storing digital data makes operations far more scalable as well, since it is easier to store numerous digital files than it is to make space for increasingly more paperwork. Finally, in the event of a data breach or an outage, most cloud systems come with extensive backup solutions that lets you recover critical documents with minimum hassle. More widespread adoption of these secure digital information technologies leads to more flexibility in the long run.

Flexible staffing solutions

The pandemic pushed facilities to their breaking points. Hospitals were overworked, understaffed and ill-equipped to handle the sudden surge of COVID patients. Simply hiring more full time nurses was not an option, as the facilities will become overstaffed once the case counts start to plummet. Facilities would then have to contend with excessive labor costs for a minimum return. It was clear that something needed to be done, in order to find the perfect middle ground. In response, hospitals turned to hiring more per diem nurses. Over the past two years, facilities across the country have spent billions of dollars on nurse staffing agencies alone.

Instead of recklessly onboarding a number of full time hires, facilities now have the scalability to bring in extra help as needed, for a defined period of time. HCPs also benefited from this arrangement, as per diem nurses were paid more favorably compared to their full time counterparts. Nurse staffing agencies benefitted the most early on, but innovative platforms like Vitawerks brought nurse staffing to new heights. With advanced AI technology, facilities can now be matched with the best qualified nurses in just a matter of hours. Whether it is a sudden vacancy or a full time nurse using their vacation time, facilities now have the flexibility to account for sudden manpower shortages at a moment’s notice.

A Wise Investment

Making such adjustments to a healthcare facility’s operations will not come cheap. Facilities must invest a number of resources to make the changes necessary to achieve flexibility. Though daunting at first, this move pays dividends in the future. It lets companies seamlessly adjust to changing patient and healthcare technology trends. Flexible facilities can change their operations as needed, improve both their efficiency and the quality of patient outcomes across the board. Establishing a flexible framework will be essential for the healthcare industry to continue thriving in the future.

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HCP of the Month September 2022 – Akela M

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

HCP of the Month September 2022 – Akela M

Every day, VitaWerks collaborates with countless excellent HCPs. Their skill and intelligence in the field are only matched by their compassion and strength of character. In tribute to these special healthcare professionals, we take time each month to tell the story of one of these standout HCPs.

This time, we are beyond thrilled to name Akela M as our HCP of the Month! In early February, Akela joined our marketplace to take up temporary HCP shifts. Even as a dedicated working student, she still manages to find time in her busy schedule to take certain gigs with some of our partnered facilities. This devotion extends to her nursing work, which is immediately apparent to everyone that has the chance to work with her.

A supervisor from one of our partnered facilities labeled her as one of the most dedicated nursing assistants they have ever worked with. “She has not called off a shift even once, ever since she started working for us. No matter what I ask of her, I know she will get things done! I only wish she was available more often.” they elaborated. Akela’s drive is only matched by her compassion. Co-workers and patients alike have praised her as one of the kindest and most amicable individuals they have ever met.

This is all part of Akela’s approach to providing care services to her patients. “My mindset coming into each shift is to improve each patient’s day and quality of life… In my honest opinion, healthcare goes beyond their physical needs,” she explained. Outside of work, you can find her voraciously reading through all kinds of books. In particular, she finds herself partial to memoirs and medical history texts. Outside of that, you may also find her playing a couple of rounds of ultimate frisbee with a group of friends. Above all else, Akela is a decidedly family-oriented person. In her mind, any activity is time well spent provided it is with her parents and siblings.

It is exciting to think that Akela has just started her HCP journey. In her short time with VitaWerks, she has already touched and improved the lives of every patient that she has worked. With a work ethic like hers, we know that she will only continue to study, grow, and improve in her craft. CNAs like her will shape the future of healthcare as we know it. Whether she works towards other nursing roles or continues her excellent CNA labor, we are glad to support her every step of the way.

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Facilities HCP

Why There Are More Per Diem Employees In Healthcare: Perks and Advantages

  • Vitawerks • February 8, 2023

Why There Are More Per Diem Employees In Healthcare: Perks and Advantages

What is Per diem?

Per diem nursing has skyrocketed into prominence in recent years. For the uninitiated, “per diem” entails on-boarding employees for single assignments or a limited time, as opposed to a long-term full time contract. The practice rose in prominence thanks to COVID-19 and fluctuating staffing needs for big healthcare facilities. Accounting for as much as 30% of all total nursing hours in the United states, it is safe to say that per diem nurses form the foundation for the current state of the healthcare industry. As of 2020, the industry is valued at 7.6 billion USD. Between 2021 and 2028, there is projected to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 4.9 percent. This will skyrocket the market size to a staggering 11.1 billion USD.

For veterans in the healthcare industry who are used to systems and routine, entering the per diem work space may initially be an intimidating prospect. The advantages for employers are obvious, but more and more nurses are gravitating towards this model for different reasons. Per-diem nursing comes with a host of benefits and advantages that traditional employment can only hope to match. It is an exciting new frontier that has made healthcare more accessible and flexible than ever before. Some will see it as a useful supplement to their full time responsibilities, while others may prefer it outright. If you are still on the fence about per diem nursing, consider the following outrageous benefits:

Per diem employees in healthcare work when they want

Work life balance is an important part of professional living that can be easy to take for granted. Career mobility is fine and all, but time for yourself is important to rest, recuperate, and continue growing as a person. Despite the benefits of stability, achieving this work life balance with a full time schedule can be a challenge. It is not impossible, but you certainly have limited time to spend with either family and loved ones or pursue personal hobbies and side-hustles of your own. Per diem nursing returns control over your time to the employees, as nurses can set their own hours on their own terms. You can take up shifts while allowing free time between certain gaps. You no longer have to opt for unpaid overtime, for fear of losing your job. In fact, you can turn down shifts at your discretion, if you feel that it is best for you.

It lets you keep your license active

To maintain your nursing license, nurses have to log a minimum amount of clinical hours within a given year. For full time nurses who are between jobs, it can be difficult to stay active while you are hunting for new opportunities. Per diem employees in healthcare luckily have no such problem. You can take hours as needed, in order to fulfill the nursing licensure renewal requirements for your local State Board of Nursing. Even if you are a full time nurse who is not on schedule to meet the hour quota, for whatever reason, picking up a few per diem shifts with VitaWerks will help immensely in this regard.

Per diem nursing pays better

You may think that per diem employees in healthcare must sacrifice their bottom line for the flexibility provided. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. It has been found that per diem nurses earn as much as 30% more than their full time counterparts. The reasoning behind this is quite obvious: demand is simultaneously sky high and immediate. Hospitals are looking for high quality nursing professionals who will help fill critical vacancies as soon as possible, and they will pay a premium in order to accomplish this. States are paying millions of dollars to travel nurse agencies, in order to keep their healthcare facilities alive and running. To find the highest paying facilities in your area and get paid what you are worth, consider signing up with VitaWerks. Our technology-based staffing solutions will find you the highest rates with the best facilities in your area at the fraction of the time and cost.

Choose where you work

No two nursing facilities are alike. Between the systems in place, the specializations, and the workplace culture, your working environment will differ drastically depending on where you land. What works for someone else may not work for you, and that is completely natural. Full time employees who prize stability may eventually find dissatisfaction with their work, because they do not know how else to operate. Per diem nurses have the freedom to choose the facilities that they work with, on a per-shift basis. Per diem employees in healthcare can experience different work environments and facilities. In doing so, they eventually get a better understanding of what they are looking for in a workplace and the conditions that they work best in. Whether it is a huge facility in a busy urban city or a humbler facility in more rural states, any HCP will benefit from such a diverse range of looks.

Enjoy more career flexibility

This is related to the freedom to choose where you work. Many nurses want to advance their careers for higher earning opportunities and higher positions with greater responsibilities. The only problem is that they do not know exactly what speciality they want to focus and hone their skills on. As a result, they either end up stagnating career-wise or they find themselves working in a line-of–work they feel no passion towards. Per diem shifts will allow you to take on various positions from various facilities with wildly different specialties. One day you are working at a cardiac hospital, the next you are taking shifts with pediatricians. Working per diem allows you to gain a lot of experience with a diverse range of fields and expertises. You no longer have to commit to a career path, without knowing the alternatives or whether or not you will gel with the field in the long term. Not only can per diem employees in healthcare get an idea of what each speciality has to offer, they are also gaining important work experience that will reflect well on your portfolio.

Go out there!

The healthcare industry is currently in a state of flux. Though the pandemic has settled and the vaccine has mitigated things somewhat, cases can always spike up at any given time. Now more than ever, hospitals need to be flexible as they adapt to ever changing conditions. There will always be a place for fully employed nurses, but per diem nursing has risen as a powerful and tantalizing alternative for both facilities and HCPs alike. They provide nurses with more flexibility with regards to their time and career. Despite what you might initially think, they provide nurses more spending power than ever before, thanks to higher pay across the board. As the industry continues to grow and the benefits stack up, it is hard not to see why more and more nurses are moving towards temporary staffing solutions. While the initial spike will eventually die down, it is safe to say that per diem nursing has established itself as an industry staple, both in the short term and the bigger picture. No doubt becoming a per diem employee in healthcare can seem initially intimidating, for the uninitiated. Those who open their minds, however, will find professional opportunities and a liberating freedom that most full time staff could only dream of.

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HCP Facilities

Why On Demand Nurses Have Changed the Healthcare Industry

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Why On Demand Nurses Have Changed the Healthcare Industry

In recent years, on-demand staffing has risen to great promises with healthcare in particular. Even before the gig-economy boom, hospitals and other facilities leaned on per-diem nursing agencies to account for labor shortages and vacancies that must be filled at short notice. Whenever full time employees were on paid leave, sick leave or maternity leave, these agencies have been relied on to cover for their absences. In some regards, healthcare has been notably ahead of the curve with its staffing solutions, compared to other industries.

Though always prominent, the pandemic has pushed per diem nursing into the forefront. Workplace stress and conditions at the height of COVID-19 has pushed nurses, physicians and other HCPs to their absolute limits. As a result, said nurses have begun to leave the industry at a record-shattering rate. Per diem nursing agencies are now being heavily relied upon to handle short-term gaps while travel nurses are on-boarded to carry out long term needs. Despite this, agencies can be a slow, cumbersome and costly way to fill in vacant positions. On-boarding alone can take weeks to accomplish, at the best of times. This is why technology-based staffing solutions have become a powerful and preferred alternative as of late. With platforms like VitaWerks, healthcare organizations can account for higher demand and sudden patient spike counts, without sacrificing quality or timeliness. These staffing solutions are not only here to stay, but they are revolutionizing healthcare as we know it.

On demand nurse staffing adjust to changing market trends

Demand and supply for an industry like healthcare can be incredibly volatile. It is true that hospitals were woefully understaffed for the COVID-19 pandemic, but demand changes all the time in healthcare. To a lesser extent, events like flu season, massive accidents or natural disasters will flood hospitals with more than their expected daily patient case volumes. Accidents in particular tend to stress-test trauma centers. Taking account the severity of these cases, facilities must fill each vacancy with highly-qualified HCPs who have the training and experience to handle difficult and time sensitive operations.

Simply on-boarding more full time employees seems like a good solution. However, this would not be a sustainable business model, once the case numbers drop and the healthcare market returns to normal. Facilities will become overstaffed and they will be forced to shoulder unnecessary labor costs for very little return. Eventually, hospitals will have no choice but to make difficult and costly staff cuts in order to save their bottom line. This is not free of cost, either— hospitals often have to provide severance pay for any employees that they separate themselves from, in this manner. Leaving a facility understaffed is not a viable option, either. It is widely known that skewed patient-to-nurse ratios inevitably produce measurably worse patient outcomes. At the same time, they often lack the resources to hire more full time staff at all.

Fortunately, this is where technology-based on demand nurse appsstaffing comecomes in. Instead of choosing between two equally-bad extremes, facilities can flexibly adjust their staffing based on their current situation and context. Whenever cases rise or more specialized HCPs are required, hospitals can simply hire per diem nursestalent to handle the sudden increased workload, until that particular wave subsides and patient case volumes return to normal. For anyone hesitant to hire per diemthese kinds of HCPs with mobile services, platforms like VitaWerks go through thorough background checks and evaluation processes to ensure that their nurses are qualified to handle such complex cases. More and more facilities are starting to operate at a 60 percent staffing capacity, while hiring on demand HCP staff as needed. Healthcare facilities no longer have to contend with brutal labor shortages nor do they have to shoulder unnecessary labor costs. Instead, they can maintain the right amount of manpower for their situation, without compromising on quality whatsoever.

Striking the perfect balance

Maintaining that perfect nurse-to-patient ratio is more difficult now than it has ever been. Much of this can be attributed to the dramatic exodus of nurses the healthcare industry has seen in recent years. With the increased stress of acute care facilities, nurses are now turning to less-stressful healthcare environments or are leaving the industry altogether. In 2020, the average turnover rate for registered nurses in American hospitals rose to a staggering 18.7%. Retaining full-time talent with sound internal strategies while filling shortages with on demand nurse staffing as needed will ultimately be the key to avoiding understaffing. VitaWerks in particular will let you cover for vacant positions as soon as possible, with the most qualified per diem healthcare professionals on the market. More and more facilities are choosing to partner with this effective and innovative platform, as VitaWerks continues to expand its operations nationwide.

These offerings compare highly favorably to travel agency contracts that lock facilities to nurses for months on end. Not only that, but their on-boarding process can take at least a week, which is not good for facilities in an urgent situation. VitaWerks lets you truly hire spontaneously, on the spot and as-needed, at a fraction of the time and cost. With advanced AI-matching technology and an intuitive one-click platform, hospitals can find highly qualified and thoroughly-vetted nurses in just a matter of hours. If ever you run into any trouble at all, throughout the process, the app also provides you with high quality, 24/7 customer support. Connect to one of our expert nurse champions whenever you need any clarifications or assistance. For comparison, some agencies do not even offer weekend or night assistance at all. Finding professionals with VitaWerks is not only effective, it is a completely painless on demand nurse staffing process from start to finish.

Embracing the digital age

The world is changing at a shocking pace. Digitization has flipped several industries upside down and healthcare is no exception. The pandemic completely changed our perception of staffing and accounting for sudden unexpected changes in supply and demand. Travel agencies have always been there, as a way for hospitals to acquire much needed manpower whenever market trends started to shift right under them. More than anything, the pandemic showed the populace that that alone is sometimes not enough. Facilities require faster, more efficient staffing solutions without skimping on quality. That extra time spent waiting can mean the difference between a successful operation and a sinking ship that is simply delaying the inevitable.

On-demand staffing platforms like VitaWerks provide everything that the new age facility is looking for. The company is not content with sitting on its laurels either. With every passing day, its team of engineers and forward-thinkers are looking for new ways to improve on the AI and customer experience. Over time, these technology-based solutions are sure to eclipse traditional nurse staffing agencies in terms of prominence. Hospitals who made the transition to these advanced staffing solutions have already found immediate dividends. Filling vacancies has never been less-hassle free and more convenient than it is right now. As on-demand nurse staffing continues to improve, one can only imagine what lies ahead in this exciting new technological frontier. No matter what happens, you can count on VitaWerks to remain right at the forefront of innovative staffing solutions.

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Part-Time vs Per Diem Nurses: What should I hire?

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Part-Time vs Per Diem Nurses: What should I hire?

The rise of COVID-19 has complicated matters for every business under the sun, but healthcare facilities have arguably been affected the most. Even in normal times, it was very difficult to gauge whether or not hiring “per diem” travel nurses or employees would be the most effective way to tackle increased cases and workload. The rise of the pandemic and the subsequent spike in hospitalizations has forced facilities to face this quandary head on. Hospitals are now scrambling to find the best staffing solutions for their current workforce dilemma. Per diem nurses are an effective healthcare solution that has gained prominence in recent memory. Studies have shown that the per diem nurse staffing industry will be worth 11.1 billion USD in 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9% between 2021 to 2028. That being said, any stable operation still needs permanent or part-time employees. Some companies end up having job openings that have been vacant since the beginning of the year. Look no further than the Ascension non profit organization based on Michigan. This company had 170 vacancies since March, with no end in sight in this regard.

Things are not as simple as staffing nothing but full-time or part-time contracts, however. On the other hand, hospitals must contend with their financial restrictions. Operation expenses continue to rise (especially labor related) while profits plummet. Since 2019, revenue has fallen as far as 4.8 while costs for discharges rose to 13.5. Companies have to account for their unique circumstances to find the perfect middle ground between profitability and effectiveness. In the end, what works best for you may not work perfectly for others and that is perfectly normal. How, then, can you select the best possible option for your situation? To answer this, you must consider these critical factors

Account for staffing budget when choosing part time vs per diem

Healthcare is a balancing act between managing cost and upholding a standard of quality. Cutting too many corners will inevitably harm care quality. At the same time, however, sparing no expenses whatsoever is an extremely unsustainable business model for any hospital looking to stay afloat. You need to work within the restraints of your budget limitations, while attempting to achieve the best quality possible with what you have. Consider the following financial-related concerns, moving forward: Can your fixed costs cover a certain amount of salaried healthcare professionals? Does this account for competitive salaries, benefits and training costs? If you cannot cover this, spend on per-diem healthcare professionals instead. You can bring them in when you need them, for as long as you need them.

Look into your facility’s current needs

A hospital or facility’s needs are fluid and ever changing, just like any other market. Hospitals often hire salaried employees to account for a steady demand, over a period of time. In the wake of the pandemic, it has become nearly impossible to predict a volatile healthcare market. Dramatic case spikes can completely throw a wrench in your plans. You may need all hands on deck one week, and much less nurses the very next one. Your staffing needs will change dramatically from week to week. With regards to the part time vs per diem conversation, the latter provides you the flexibility to hire qualified professionals as-needed and account for these sudden changes, as opposed to regular employees. As mentioned above, part-time work does have the benefit of consistency.

Evaluate the size of per-diem pool

Most facilities rely heavily on their regular salaried employees, as well as an internal pool of per-diem, part-time and full time employees. If your facility does not have a pool, it is highly recommended that you consider it as it is an extremely potent way to save on money. Some findings suggest that using this float pool will save you up to 5% on labor costs, if used wisely. Investing in this pool is a potent way to tackle labor issues. If your pool is lacking and you need help filling shortages, partner with Vitawerks to access a deep network of highly-qualified, thoroughly-vetted healthcare professionals.

Consider whether or not you have an immediate need

When a facility is looking for more manpower, chances are they need immediate staffing help. The ultimate knock on part time vs per diem is that very few rookie nurses are immediate contributors, when they enter a team. To realize their full potential, they need to be put through a thorough training program and need a couple weeks or months to adjust to the difficulty of their tasks, the systems in place and the everyday workflow. Recruiting and training employees takes too much time, in this regard. If you need to bolster your staffing in the long term, posting job openings and recruiting employees from your preferred channels is still a valid option. If you have to fill a vacancy as soon as possible, or you need to account for rapidly-changing demand, use internal and external resources to find per diem nurses as soon as possible. They will be prepared to take on jobs immediately and will integrate with the flow of work in no time at all.

State of the labor market

Nursing in both America and the world at large is experiencing a massive case of brain drain that the pandemic has only accelerated exponentially. Thanks to the increased stress and workload, nursing turnover has reached unprecedented heights as of late. HCPs are leaving acute healthcare facilities in droves and are either retiring very early or moving towards less stressful healthcare environments like home healthcare and ASCs, or shifting towards highly profitable per diem or travel nursing opportunities. Retaining part-time, vs per diem talent, is the hardest it has ever been. This is especially true for rural areas– workers in general are leaving those locations as hospitals find themselves perpetually under-equipped to handle the case load that has been thrust upon them.Even urban public hospitals are currently wrestling with rising COVID numbers and limited resources. When you hemorrhaging talent in this regard, technology-based staffing solutions like VitaWerks will help you adjust to these sudden vacancies. Find the best possible per-diem talent in your area to keep your facility running in these challenging times.

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Embracing a new age

In reality, most facilities will be integrating some mix of per diem nurses and part-time or full time employees. Which you devote more resources to ultimately depends on what you are looking for, what you prioritize and what your current situation demands. Per diem professionals empower facilities with the flexibility to adjust for immediate demand. They do not hold you to 3-month contracts like part-time nurses and they provide both employer and employee the flexibility to work as needed. Attracting per-diem workers is also easier in some regards, since per diem work pays significantly more than part-time labor on average. The part time vs per diem debate ultimately depends on your situation. Once the pandemic subsides and hospitals see more stable patient volumes, they can commit to more full time employees. For all the advantages that per diem staffing boasts (and there are a lot of them), part time and full time employees let you better plan for the long term future of your facility. For the time being, however, there seems to be no immediate end in sight for this current state of affairs. While facilities contend with the ongoing COVID-19 dillmea, investing in per diem nursing will let you access the best possible healthcare professionals at the fraction of the time.

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Facilities HCP

Techniques for Nurses to De-escalate Situations at Work

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Techniques for Nurses to De-escalate Situations at Work

Establish communications

When the tensions are high, communication is easily muddled. It is more than possible that your patient does not want to talk with anyone. Before you proceed at all, it is important to make it so that they are willing to speak. You want to ask them if they are willing to talk with you. Be persistent with your request, while being as kind as possible at the same time. No matter how difficult or upset it is for them to recall the inciting incident, they must be open to the prospect before anyone can move forward. Finally, you have to recognize the potential communication barriers ahead of you. This could be cultural barriers such as language or religion, or it could just be emotions at the heat of the moment like anger or embarrassment. Be open to the prospect that you have to tailor your message and approach to these factors.

Take the time to listen

Even in high pressure scenarios, you need to make sure that you are listening to your patients. Not only does listening gives you a better understanding of the situation at hand, it helps patients open up to you and feel valued. Put yourself in their shoes: You are probably in the hospital for ailments or bodily issues that are outside of your control. All you can do is wait for the medical staff to deliver a verdict or present you with a difficult choice. That overwhelming sense of helplessness and dread is often the spark for many emotional blowups. Lending an ear while making it clear that you are invested and engaged in what they have to say returns a sense of agency and control, while establishing a relationship between you and the patient.

Ask smart questions

Being an active listener goes a long way in de-escalating situations both before and during their boiling point. You can even take it a step further by actively asking questions, regarding the patients. You can ask “how they are doing” or “how are things going” to show that you are invested in their problems. If a patient is already upset, ask them what happened before the situation escalated or whether or not they need any assistance. It is also important to ask if they hurt themselves. Patients can wind up inadvertently hurting themselves further in the middle of an episode, and this is often masked by the adrenaline in the moment. When they answer, be sure to also give ample time for patients to respond. Talking over them too much will make them feel drowned out. Give them the space to let out whatever they have on their mind.

Empathize with your patients

Hospitalization can be a mentally draining experience. The uncertainty regarding your health situation, disruption of your daily routine and prolonged isolation from your friends and loved ones are just a few of the problems that patients have to deal with. The frustration only grows when it feels like no one truly understands what they are going through. Listening is important but it is only half the battle– you need to show that you truly care about a patient’s situation. Just recognizing the weight of their situation, and the strength it takes to continue on can mean a surprising amount. By reassuring them that their experiences are valid, you make their hospital visit feel far less isolating.

Work closely with other staff

As with any hospital problem, remember that you are working within a team. Working together with your fellow HCPs can make the most terrifying meltdowns feel manageable. For example: if you feel like you are not getting through to a patient, you can reach out to a co-worker who has already built a connection with them. They can assist you with de-escalating the situation and you can learn from their experiences and approach towards connecting with others. This arrangement goes both ways of course— you have to be willing to lend a helping hand, whenever someone else is struggling with a difficult situation. If a patient is tiring a staff member, offer your services and take over for them for a short period of time. This can even be a team-wide apporach, if the rest of the staff is amenable to this arrangement.

Establish boundaries

While it is your responsibility to do what you can, everyone has their limits. Patients could very well make irrational and aggressive demands that you cannot reasonably meet, in the current circumstances. Provide non-committal answers to avoid further conflict or escalations. “I will check with my supervisors but I cannot guarantee anything” is an example of such a response. Instead of outright telling them no or making a promise you cannot keep, you are striking an ambiguous middle-ground that cannot be held against you.

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HCP Facilities

Tips for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals to Stay Organized

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

Tips for Nurses and Healthcare Professionals to Stay Organized

By its nature, nursing can be a chaotic affair. Emotional patient outbursts, emergency cases, and other factors beyond your control can suddenly disrupt your workflow. You cannot account for everything, but nurses must control what they can. One way to do this is to get organized. You become less stressed and distracted, and more productive when you know where everything is. As long as you follow these tips for nurses and commit to excellence, anyone can become a properly organized nurse!

Have a plan ahead of time

Some advice for new nurses: Some direction may be what you need to bring order to your day. Instead of completing tasks as they go, planning ahead will reduce stress long term. Make a to-do list by going over your tasks and arranging them by priority. This can be accomplished with a planner or a digital application. You can even plan things the day before if you review patient information. One last CNA tip: do not make your plans so rigid, since anything can change at a moment’s notice.

Set big picture goals

A common tip for new nurses is setting big picture goals. Whether it is gaining work experience at a specific department or logging in a certain amount of extra hours, this will give your work more purpose and forward momentum. These goals could be accomplished in 1 month, 2 months or even free months. When you give yourself something to work towards, you become more motivated and driven. Ask your supervisor for help with crafting these goals and creating a plan of attack. With their experience, they can provide valuable tips for nurses and much needed perspective. From there, you can plan your work weeks and work days with clear benchmarks, action items and progress trackers in mind.

Make use of technology

This is the digital age. Things are faster, more streamlined and easily accessible than they have ever been. Adopting technology into your work routine is great advice for new nurses who want to get organized. As we mentioned earlier, planner apps can help with scheduling appointments, in order to reduce confusion and lost time. Depending on your facility, you may be able to use apps which let patients submit crucial health data in real-time or communicate with their doctors in a HIPAA-compliant manner. This is just a couple of CNA tips for incorporating technology into your workflow.

Know your limits

This is not only a good tip for new nurses, but some veterans as well. When someone asks you to help with tasks that do not require a physician, you do not always have to say yes. Help when you can, but it may be better to delegate if you are already dealing with numerous patients. Ask medical assistants, interns, volunteers or administrative staff if they can handle those tasks for you. Another tip for nurses: As respectfully as possible, explain that your time is limited yet these tasks must be completed.

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Uncategorized

HCP of the Month August 2022 – Naomi T

  • Hello • February 8, 2023

HCP of the Month August 2022 – Naomi T

VitaWerks hosts thousands of HCPs. We are blessed to provide our partnered facilities with a database filled with the best, most principled healthcare professionals in the entire country. Words alone cannot express how grateful we are to the HCPs who have joined our app and made VitaWerks what it is today. That is why, every month, we shine a spotlight on the extraordinary stories of some of the HCPs that have worked with us. This is a celebration of not only the individual but every single HCP we have been blessed to work with.

This time, we are thrilled to name Naomi as our HCP of the Month! Without a doubt, she embodies the idea of “going above and beyond.” She dedicates no less than 100% percent of her efforts to both her patients and the facility she is staffed at. Regardless of how long the hours are or how demanding the labor gets, this passion remains a constant. With totally perfect attendance across her previous facilities, you know she will be on time when you schedule her.

Talk to any patients, co-workers, or supervisors, and you will only hear the most glowing praise for Naomi. In particular, a supervisor from one of our partnered facilities labeled her as an “empathetic caregiver with a cheerful disposition.” Regardless of who she was assigned to o where she went out of her way to ensure that a patient’s needs were met. This kindness even extended to patients that were not even assigned to her. Naomi knows that healthcare as a profession extends beyond textbook knowledge or following orders, by the letter.

It is also a job that requires much patience and empathy, to connect with patients and aid them in their healing process. To that end, she engages with patients and patient families on a deeper level. She talks with them, listens to their inquiries, and follows up on their requests.

Naomi started working with us last June and she has not looked back since. We have been happy to provide her with the best service available. Given what she has contributed up to this point, it only seems fair. “(VitaWerks) has always been so kind, reliable, and helpful in any situation,“ she praised. Providing nurses like her with these professional opportunities is why we founded our business in the first place. Nurses like Naomi truly make the healthcare industry a better, more caring place.

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