It has been five years since COVID-19 significantly impacted the US healthcare system. In dire situations, hospitals took on more critical cases of emergency care, often transforming sections for non-vital care into emergency wards. The risk of disease transmission made it challenging to maintain staffing levels. Ever-changing rules trying to mitigate the risks made the workers’ jobs even more difficult. 

The lessons learned have shaped post-COVID healthcare hiring — trends still seen today. 

The Lasting Lessons from the Pandemic

Most people have their own firsthand experience with how COVID-19 impacted their daily lives. Most healthcare facilities learned numerous lessons during those trying years. Some examples include the following. 

Vulnerability of the Workforce

Staffing shortages in hospitals were one of the most stressful lessons. By February 2022, 929,000 diagnosed cases of the virus occurred in healthcare workers in the US, resulting in 3,600 deaths. This led to burnout among employees working far longer hours than usual. System strain in many acute care settings was at peak levels.

Infrastructure Gaps

Hospitals simply could not handle the number of patients entering the emergency room daily. Some studies indicate that hospital admissions gradually increased. At their peak, some locations saw 465 total hospitalized patients on any given day.

Additionally, supply chain disruption for even simple items like PPE skyrocketed. Keeping workers safe to control the spread was challenged each day.

Communication and personal interactions also changed. Technology has changed how providers meet with patients. Technology adaptions can help patients and providers receive better care in critical situations. 

Importance of Flexibility

Flexible care has become essential in several ways. Post-COVID healthcare workforce trends require care that’s flexible. Mobile care models, for example,  brought workers to vulnerable locations. Telehealth has become one of the champion solutions for providing care at a distance. It also supports remote work to keep providers healthy at home.

New Hiring Priorities in Healthcare

Post-COVID healthcare hiring also changed dramatically. Several key factors became priorities, many of which remain the same today.

• Resilience and adaptability remain critical considerations. Candidates capable of adapting to fast-changing environments are more in demand than ever.
• Cross-functional healthcare professionals are more valuable. These individuals can perform more than one specific task and can fill in as needed. That includes nurses who can work in various acute care situations when needed, transitioning away from other departments. 
• Changes in infection control and compliance. Crisis readiness is a new term in healthcare workforce trends. It has become essential to have a robust way to handle unknown infections quickly to meet compliance requirements.

Sector-By-Sector Hiring Insights

Much of the focus on post-COVID healthcare hiring is hospital-based. Yet, every part of the healthcare industry saw substantial changes in various ways.

• Hospitals: One example is the need for specialized nurses for infection control. Another is the need for highly trained respiratory therapists onsite— sometimes in large numbers. It was also necessary to train and hire digital healthcare experts.
• Nursing facilities and assisted living: Nursing homes faced monumental staffing challenges. Difficulty in hiring and filling those roles was a critical recovery need. They needed empathetic caregivers. They also needed leaders with crisis management experience. Assisted living recruitment challenges limited access to skilled care for people in desperate need.
• Rehab facilities: Rehabilitation centers’ hiring demands have changed as well. During the pandemic, the demand for physical therapists with respiratory-specific skills was necessary. Today, there’s an increased demand for mental health expertise. Integrating care experiences to help heal the whole person is also a demand in this field.

Building the Workforce of the Future

From a healthcare practice standpoint, COVID-19 forced change into an already taxed industry. How do we build the workforce of the future? No one wants to believe such an event could happen again. Having a skilled workforce in place could play a role in reducing that risk. Here’s how.

• Upskill employees. Ensure they are flexible to provide for internal mobility.
• Build employer brand. Employer branding in a culture-focused, supportive environment is critical to drawing in new talent. Building paths and motivation to maintain positions is also important. Long-term career paths reduce strain within the industry.
• Staffing partners have become outstanding resources. They provide a way for filling the gaps when needed. That’s done without any loss of precision but with speed.

By consistently working to build a tech-focused, resilient healthcare industry, the risks in a future pandemic may be better met. 

Turning Crisis into Strategy

COVID-19 exposed critical weaknesses. The lessons learned during this time have altered the way we manage and maintain healthcare industry workforces, and some of those changes are certainly for the better.

Post-COVID healthcare hiring is different. It certainly requires more careful thought into when and how to hire. More so, COVID-19 accelerated innovation in the industry and surrounding it. That’s created a better opportunity to provide better service for patients. It also lessens the demand on staff. Today’s hiring reflects a more proactive, prepared healthcare industry. With that comes the opportunity to save lives and reduce stress in the healthcare industry. MRINetwork is helping clients identify the resilient, future-ready talent they need. Contact us now to learn more.