How Medical Staffing Agencies Are Responding to Rising Demand for Specialized Hospice Care

Staffing is one of the biggest problems faced by the healthcare industry, and the hospice care industry is no exception.

Major changes to the availability of trained workers, combined with a population that is both aging rapidly and subject to a myriad of chronic diseases and complications, has created a low supply combined with a very high demand.

In addition, many patients are realizing that they would prefer in-home versus inpatient care, which is often far more comfortable and has better outcomes–but which is can create even more staffing challenges as it can be difficult to make efficient use of available staff when their efforts are scattered all across a wide coverage area.

Add in the need for specialized training to deal with specific conditions and situations, and many medical staffing agencies are facing grave challenges that seem almost insurmountable. Is it even possible to meet patient demand, given all the necessary criteria qualifying the hospice staff, in the current environment?

Flexibility and Shared Staffing

The era of the nine to five is over. Trained, professional staff want flexible hours, allowing them to reliably hold multiple jobs or pursue their chosen lifestyle.

Fortunately, in-home hospice care lends itself to creative scheduling solutions. Patients may even prefer early morning or late evening visits, which allows them to themselves have more flexibility during the day.

In addition, if a particular hospice care professional has specialties that are in demand in the area, they may partner with two or more hospice agencies. A smart staffing agency will accommodate this, assisting with scheduling to make sure that the specialist is available to all agencies and patients who require their services.

The days when every agency could expect to meet every need of every patient with no outside help are quickly fading into the past. To ensure the highest standard of care for every patient, wise hospice agencies work closely with staffing professionals to ensure complete coverage of all patient needs.

Academic Partnerships And Home Grown Staff

As hospice care agencies work to meet demand for specialized medical training, they sometimes find that trained staff simply do not exist in enough numbers.

Local colleges and training facilities are often an excellent solution. Guidance counselors are always looking for good information about what training is needed to provide the best outcomes for new graduates.

In addition, it is often wise for a hospice agency to facilitate more advanced education and training. A certified nursing assistant, for example, can receive more training and certifications and meet important demand in a matter of months, which is often easier than bringing in outside help from unfamiliar sources.

Retention is the Name of the Game

Besides finding new staff to meet demand, and training current staff to fill more needs, many hospice agencies are focusing on a workplace culture that meets employee needs and makes them more likely to remain in their current position rather than seeking employment elsewhere.

Whether this means creative incentives, increased salary, or other aspects of work environment, hospice agencies and medical staffing agencies in general are fighting to ensure that their employees have an excellent experience with their job.

High turnover is a very expensive problem, especially in high demand fields where recruiters can charge a premium for finding new staff, so when an agency finds a great fit they are wise to have their employees’ needs as a top priority.

The Future of Hospice Staffing

Current trends indicate that the demand for in-home hospice care will continue to grow.

As the population ages and societal trends turn against inpatient care, the need for mobile hospice staff will increase–and more and more specialized training will become necessary.

Combining the above strategies with creative solutions and realistic views of the needs of healthcare employees will allow the industry to continue to grow, meeting increasing demand and bringing new hope for families whose loved ones are approaching the end of life.