Healthcare staffing’s vital and critical features | Viewpoint

With the resurgence of powerful labor unions, 2024 saw two significant strikes: the Amazon workers' and the dockworkers' strikes. Both worried retailers that supply chains could experience delays, and prices could rise in 2025.

Staffing agencies can help health systems at critical times, says Trevor Fandale, the president of Huffmaster.

For retailers, this meant stocking up on the latest electronics so the shelves wouldn't be depleted during the vital holiday shopping season. That's preparation in the same way that if your restaurant specialized in Kobe beef, you would have a backup generator for refrigeration when the power went out. Or if you and your family were taking a long car trip, you'd want to ensure your AAA membership is still valid.

Organizations know supply chains can’t run without IT security software protecting mission-critical data. Hence, a priority is ensuring that procedures to mitigate risks are in place to protect critical operations and resources from attacks that could cause significant interruptions and the loss of vital information. That's also preparation.

Now, apply all this preparation thinking to the healthcare system. The words "critical" and "vital" truly live up to their meaning during a strike, when healthcare operations are strained and patient care is impacted.

All this wise preparedness—retailers stocking up on goods, restaurant generators, car service for road breakdowns, security software—is the same foresighted wisdom that healthcare providers must apply to their strategic thinking for a work stoppage.

Staffing agencies to the rescue

The staffing agency becomes the operational safety net if a healthcare organization faces imminent threats to its function due to strikes or increased demand. In these cases, the staffing agency is not just a backup but more of a critical player whose purpose is to maintain operational readiness.

For an agency to properly service healthcare needs, it must be adaptable, quick to respond, and excel at problem-solving. Having a reliable staffing agency on the team helps healthcare organizations realize that operations can continue without interruption—with expertise and professionalism. To provide this peace of mind, healthcare staffing agencies must ensure that:

• Temporary workers are appropriately certified.
• They can meet the need for specialized services.
• All applicable licenses are current.
• Professional security is at the ready.

In addition to the list above, a staffing agency must conduct constant collaboration and communication as standard operational procedures.

Compliance

In healthcare, compliance means that staff must comply with certifications outlined by accredited organizations such as the Joint Commission for Healthcare Staffing Services. An agency that provides staffing for healthcare organizations must ensure that all personnel meet clinical standards, are qualified, and behave professionally. It must also ensure its personnel files are current, including licensing, health documents, background checks, and drug screenings.

Inventiveness

Inventiveness in healthcare means the staffing agency is ready to meet specific needs and excels at problem-solving. For example, in the healthcare sector, inventiveness could mean that the staffing agency is prepared to provide additional nursing personnel (RN, LPN, CNA, etc.) during a flu outbreak or provide security (strike line and video documentation, property protection, secured transportation of personnel, etc.) to ensure the safety of healthcare employees and the temporary staff during a strike.

Licensing

In healthcare, respiratory therapists, surgical technicians, lab technicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, radiology technicians, speech-language pathologists, phlebotomists, clinical supervisors, social workers, and registered dieticians require licensing to comply with standards. Therefore, a good staffing agency will only use licensed professionals.

Security

If a strike occurs in the healthcare world, security becomes an issue. A good staffing agency will be ready to protect striking workers and temporary staff using video documentation, de-escalation techniques, and the latest robotic surveillance. The purpose is to ensure healthcare services continue and both sides have a calm environment for thoughtful negotiation.

Collaboration

A good staffing agency will not just be on call; it will be a vital member of the team. Collaboration means the agency will be involved with pre- and post-event planning and tabletop exercises. Mock drills to test the effectiveness of emergency response are crucial, and staffing strategies become necessary during peak demand for healthcare needs. Both kinds of preparedness require the agency to be on board for the lead-up and the follow-up.

Conclusion

Providing temporary staffing is not just about filling vacancies. Agencies are respected and vital for keeping healthcare services available to the communities they serve. When critical healthcare services are stressed, such as when disasters arise or epidemics break out, healthcare providers know that services can withstand the stress without compromising patient care.

Effective staffing agencies offer qualified personnel, provide strategic insights, and deliver best practices. A key to their effectiveness is their ability to help an organization identify problems before they happen with contingency planning. This proactive, unified stance ensures that healthcare problems will be identified before they escalate, making society feel secure, safe, and ready to handle any dangers to its functioning.

Trevor Fandale is the president of Huffmaster