Home health is an essential part of the healthcare industry.
From post-op care to chronic illness assistance, excellent home health care is vital to the most fragile members of our lives.
Therefore, the nurses offering the care must be highly skilled and dedicated to their craft. However, the home health industry is facing numerous challenges in staffing, which can lead to inadequate care for patients, burnout for nurses, and stress for home health agencies.
Let’s dive into some of the nurse staffing challenges that home health agencies are facing and what actions can be taken to remedy these obstacles.
Key Takeaways
- The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on home healthcare staffing, leading to staffing shortages in many areas.
- Recruitment, retention, and nurse burnout are major challenges faced by home health agencies and their nurses.
- Tips to overcome nurse staffing challenges for home health agencies include better communication, more meaningful connections, offering professional development, and opting for a reliable nurse staffing agency.
1. The Impact of COVID-19 on Home Healthcare
IN THIS ARTICLE
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have left a long-lasting impact on home health care.
Many nurses have left the industry due to the increased risk of exposure to the virus, while at the same time, more patients are transferred to home health. Even more so than skilled nursing facilities.
This has caused a clear staffing shortage, which has unfortunately shone a light on many other challenges facing home health agencies when it comes to nurse staffing.
2. Recruitment of Home Health Nurses
The need to recruit high-end nursing talent is only heightened by the current nursing shortage.
It is crucial that the nurses who are hired are competent and reliable, as they are responsible for the care of vulnerable patients in their own homes.
With an aging population and an increase in chronic diseases, the demand for home healthcare services is growing rapidly. However, many home health care coordinators feel like there are not enough qualified healthcare professionals to meet this demand.
In a study conducted by AXXESS, nearly 62% of home health agencies claim that their top challenge is recruiting and fulfillment for open positions.
This shortage of qualified healthcare professionals makes it challenging for home healthcare agencies to consistently and successfully recruit nurses.
3. Poor Retention Strategies
Beyond recruitment, let’s discuss the nurses who are currently employed.
The next challenge many home health agencies face is retaining these experienced nurses.
There are two main obstacles to home health nurse retention:
- Changes in industry structure and regulation, which can increase stress and lead to burnout.
- Discontent and disengagement, particularly when it is ignored by employers.
When these challenges exist, home health agencies may find it harder to keep their staff.
4. Scheduling and Coordination
Scheduling and coordination are critical components and the backbone of successful home healthcare services.
Consistency and reliability benefit not only the patients, but the nurse staff, too.
Patients need to know when they can expect their nurse and the nurses should be fully aware and prepared for their daily duties.
Proper coordination is by no means an easy task, but the stress of disorganization can lead to nurses searching for new opportunities.
Having a good process for communicating changes to schedules or staffing, and solid alternate planning options in place before an emergency can be the difference between retaining and losing your best nurses.
5. An Inadequate Staff
One of the biggest challenges facing home health agencies is inadequate staffing. This is a problem that has plagued the industry for years, and it continues to be a major concern.
According to a 2022 report from Home Health Care News, staffing remains the most pressing challenge for home-based care providers.
Of course, every industry is going to have employees that range on a spectrum of quality.
However, when it comes to industries such as home health, having disinterested nurses or nurses with a poor work ethic can be a glaring issue.
A recent study detailed that only 40% of the 9,000 nurses surveyed reported that they were happy as a nurse.
While the reasons for discontent may vary, the fact still remains that that is an alarming number, and that negative mindset can certainly seep into their day-to-day care services.
6. Nurse Engagement
Going off of our last challenge, not only do you need a nurse – you need an engaged nurse.
This comes down to a combination of agency culture and just the specific type of care that home health is. For instance, nurses in home health do not get the camaraderie they may experience at a healthcare facility.
This can lead to feelings of isolation and disengagement, which can ultimately lead to high turnover rates.
To combat this, some home health agencies have invested in talent management functions that deploy a variety of employee engagement tactics. By doing so, they can increase their retention rates and keep their nurses engaged and motivated.
7. High Levels of Nurse Burnout
Burnout is a significant issue in healthcare, and it has become even more prevalent in recent years.
The American Nurses Association did a survey and discovered that two-thirds of all nurses have experienced burnout.
Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized burnout as an occupation phenomenon rather than a medical condition.
This can be attributed to various workplace factors such as environment, culture, scheduling, and access to peer support, as well as individual factors like poor work-life balance and a lack of self-care.
Nursing, in particular, can be mentally and emotionally taxing.
Nurses often work long hours, deal with high-pressure situations, and have difficult interactions with patients and their families. Additionally, they must strike a balance between providing compassionate care and not becoming too emotionally invested in their patients.
Being a Home health nurse comes with unique expectations and requirements that may not be typical of other care settings.
You can learn more about nurse burnout here.
8. High Turnover Rate
Employee turnover is a common issue in the healthcare industry, and home healthcare is no exception.
Turnover can occur for various reasons, such as:
- Retirement
- Sickness
- Finding a better working opportunity
However, turnover rates have increased in some home healthcare positions, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic.
UCSF reports that home health agencies report an exceptionally high turnover rate of 21% on average.
High turnover rates can make it difficult to tend to all patients effectively and swiftly due to working with a higher number of open positions. This can negatively impact patient care and satisfaction.
For the agencies themselves, it can lead to financial consequences. Replacing a nurse can sometimes cost up to two times that position’s annual salary, not to mention the resources that go into recruitment campaigns.
This can dramatically impact an organization’s bottom line if it happens regularly.
How Home Health Agencies Can Overcome Nurse Staffing Challenges
We’ve detailed an extensive list of the top reasons why home health agencies are struggling with nurse staffing. Now, let’s take a look at a few strategies you can implement to overcome your agency’s staffing obstacles.
Create Meaningful Connections
One of the biggest challenges in home health staffing is the lack of peer relationships and mentorship connections for many home health nurses.
This can lead to feelings of isolation and underappreciation. Therefore, it is crucial to take steps to create a sense of community within the workplace.
Managers can play a key role in fostering a sense of community by making more meaningful connections with their nurses.
This can be achieved through regular team meetings and one-on-one sessions. During these meetings, managers can encourage open communication and provide opportunities for nurses to share their thoughts and concerns.
Always use concise language and ensure the nurse is fully aware of their schedule and obligations.
In addition to team meetings and one-on-one sessions, managers can also create opportunities for nurses to connect with each other. This can be achieved through social events, team-building exercises, and other activities that promote collaboration and teamwork.
By creating a sense of community and fostering meaningful connections, managers can help home health nurses feel more valued and engaged in their work. This, in turn, can lead to improved job satisfaction, increased productivity, and better patient outcomes.
Offer Professional Development
Providing professional development opportunities is a crucial step toward addressing staffing challenges in home healthcare.
According to a survey conducted by Glassdoor, 79% of employees prefer additional benefits over a pay raise. As you can see, It’s not just about income.
By offering training and development opportunities, home health agencies can empower their nurses to improve their skills and address challenges with confidence. This can improve job satisfaction and increase retention rates.
Agencies can also offer leadership education, offer competitive pay and benefits, and develop succession-planning strategies.
Don’t overlook leadership education, especially. Home health nurses must have leadership qualities as they have to make decisions for their patient’s best interest at the moment while also being the face of their agency.
By strengthening the talent pipeline, agencies can attract and retain skilled nurses who are committed to providing high-quality care to patients.
Hire a Nurse Staffing Agency
Finally, one way that home health agencies can solve their nurse staffing challenges is by simply partnering with a trusted nurse staffing agency.
Nurse staffing agencies offer peace of mind in multiple ways:
- Your agency will receive a high-end nurse who is educated, licensed, and experienced
- You never have to worry about retention rates or turnover, which benefits your agency’s resources and finances
- You can work directly with the nurse staffing agency’s coordination team to ensure the nurses you receive can sufficiently complete the tasks you require
If your home health agency serves California or Southern Florida, NurseRegistry can help.
We work with only the highest quality nurses, RNs and LVNs/LPNs, to ensure your clients receive the best care possible.
Additionally, our home health nurse staffing agency can help extend your home health service area and allow you to take on more patients.
Click below to learn more about NurseRegistry and discover how we can help you overcome your nurse staffing challenges today.
