Bridging the Healthcare Generational Gap with Locum Tenens Staffing
We know that you know this all too well: the healthcare industry is facing a huge challenge as experienced doctors, nurses, aides and other medical staff quit or retire.
This has the potential to create a huge knowledge gap, one that could have a large, negative impact on patient care.
One solution is the use of locum tenens professionals.
Mentorships to help bridge the knowledge gap
Locum pros often are seasoned healthcare practitioners. They may have left permanent employment due to burnout or retirement (or even just for the chance to enjoy new experiences).
Regardless of their reasons for working as locums, these pros undoubtedly bring years of experience to their assignments, knowledge that a savvy facility will put to good use by creating opportunities for the experienced pros to mentor or possibly even train, less-experienced colleagues.
Doing so means a transfer of knowledge, both tacit and obvious and potentially crucial to ensuring good patient outcomes.
Smoother transitions during retirements
The departure of long-term and/or key team members could mean disruptions in organizational process and even patient care outcomes.
Locums staffing can be a solution. By sending temporary, experienced professionals to take up the slack during a retirement transition, locums can “overlap,” helping to make sure patients enjoy quality care while also ensuring a high level of operational performance.
The chance to identify potential permanent staff
Not every locum wants to remain a locum. Many are open to offers of a permanent position. Bringing locums on board during retirement transitions can help a medical facility asses the locum’s professional skills and how well they “fit” in the facility’s culture.
Locums brought on during retirement transitions can lead to successful permanent hires, helping reduce turnover and associated costs.
Alleviating skills gaps
When long-time healthcare pros retire, so also “retires” their considerable skills and knowledge.
Bringing in seasoned pros via locum tenens staffing means you can build opportunities for multi-generational collaboration.
This melding of experience and perspective often leads to innovative problem-solving, which then could result in improved patient outcomes.
Younger staff will learn from the seasoned pros, but older professionals also can gain skills in new technologies from younger team members.
Building intergenerational cohesion
It’s human nature; we tend to surround ourselves with people of our age, education, socioeconomic status, etc.
Locum tenens pros can mean greater intergenerational interaction and collaboration. Such a melding of perspectives and experiences could lead to out-of-the-box solutions, with improved patient care outcomes.
Locum tenens staffing can provide a multi-faceted solution to the challenges healthcare facilities face when seasoned pros leave. A looming generational gap can be lessened while your facility navigates significant workplace changes.
Learn more about how SUMO Staffing can help your healthcare facility with its healthcare staffing challenges.