Since the beginning of 2022, 60% of nursing homes in the United States have been experiencing worsening staffing situations, with 87% of nursing homes dealing with moderate or high staffing shortages, according to a survey of 759 nursing home providers done by the American Health Care Association (AHCA).
Tim Cooper, executive director of Beaumont Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, said nursing homes are in the same boat as most health care branches right now when it comes to employee numbers.
Beaumont’s staffing tends to ebb and flow, and Cooper said there can be any number of key openings on a given day. They have been able to maintain staff to meet the needs of their residents, and the company has been committed to recruitment and retention to combat shortages.
“We have a full-time human resources director in the building, and we have a full-time recruiter for the company. So we’re sourcing candidates seven days a week, 365 days a year,” Cooper said. “But if there’s ever a need to supplement our staff, we’ve got some key relationships with some of the staffing agencies if there’s ever a need to supplement our staff as we go.”
In an attempt to recruit more staff, some homes have been collaborating with nursing programs at different schools and universities. Penny Stevens, business development coordinator for Essential Senior Health and Living, said her company has collaborated with Alexandria School Corporation, Ivy Tech Community College and Leffler Academy by having students perform clinical hours at their nursing homes. Staff members have also visited those schools to take nursing courses as part of a continuation of their education.
“After 1,000 hours of CNA (certified nursing assistant), they can go for their QMA (qualified medication aide) class, and we will put them through that class,” Stevens said. “We absorb that cost. And we will also put CNAs through an LPN (licensed practical nurse) class. And again, we will absorb that educational cost.
“We’re really working on a lot of fronts to help people to hire, to educate, to train, to promote.”
For Beaumont, there has been a consistent flow of people to interview for jobs, and Cooper said they have been raising wages in coordination with the current market as they recruit and retain their staff. The company is also trying to cooperate with local nursing programs as well to source new employees, rather than only hiring people who have worked in the field for a while. But in addition to this, Cooper believes the industry needs to partner with the government to combat these issues.
“I think the government has to take a look at what they’re doing. I know they want to mandate staffing, or staffing ratios,” Cooper said. “I think they have to look at, are there grants or programs that any company can utilize to help offset wages? I think they need to go back to the drawing board and find out what they can do to help health care companies.”
Despite staffing shortages, both Beaumont and Essential Senior Health and Living have not been limiting the amount of new patients that come into their nursing homes. Cooper said they have not had to limit admissions, and Stevens believes their focus needs to be on residents and resident care while still recruiting quality staff. But Stevens does not think issues with staffing will persist.
“It’s already getting better,” Stevens said. “I think people are kind of taking a deep breath. Getting back to work, I think that was a piece of it. So I think we see people coming back to the workforce, period. I think with the partnerships that we continue to develop, I think we’re definitely seeing that it’s better. It’s not where we want it to be, but it is definitely better.”
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