Healthcare Crisis pt. 1
Nursing homes, hospitals and almost every medical setting has struggled for years to fill staffing, now the situation has gone from bad to a truly dire situation.
The reasons run deep and there is no shortage of finger pointing. The easiest way for many is to point blame at “this lazy young generation” I strongly feel this is a weak and misguided shallow answer. The issues are complex and tangled but let me take a few moments to try my best to point out what I have noted to be some of the strongest downward pressures on the recruiting and retaining of healthcare workers.
Pay:
The pay is not enough for the physical and emotional toll – let’s face it Target and many fast-food places pay the same if not more than many C.N.A jobs. I am aware of the hideously low Medicaid reimbursement and the high cost of running a nursing home, however, a good nursing home must have ample good staffing. If high-cost agency is to be avoided, considerably better pay will have to be provided. Oh, and it is not just pay, it is the whole picture, hours that work into the lives of the staff and treating them like real humans, not disposable Bic lighters, which is challenging when employers are consistently burnt.
Immigration:
Not near enough legal immigrants. Yes, immigrants take the C.N.A classes and for years provided great care for our residents, of course now many have moved up the career ladder and we just do not have even close the amount to take their places.
Training:
Certifications and the cost and time involved. To be almost anything in healthcare takes training and certification. While most schools try to keep the costs down, state mandates and requirements and just quality education does have costs. These can be prohibitive in both time and money, while there are avenues for sponsorships examples are, DCF, Work Force, City Grant, and LTC and hospitals. Many would be students are not aware and are intimidated or afraid of not passing, many are not aware that a GED or HS diploma is not needed for several entry level classes including C.N.A. Then there is the matter of finding day care and the funds to take off their current job to go to school for another.
COVID:
COVID alone is responsible for a huge shift. Long hours, constant COVID testing, residents getting sick and dying, exposing yourself and family to COVID, getting vaccinated, kid’s schools going to remote learning…. we could go on… it has been stressful for staff. Many decided to step out of healthcare due to these pressures.
Options:
Everyone is hiring – there is a job glut. People can afford to be a little pickier with what and where they choose to work. The tables are turning. It had been that employers would hire and fire at will now it seems if an applicant finds a better position, they walk without so much as showing up for the first day of work or a courtesy call.
Boomers retire
Last year more Boomers retired than since the first Boomers reached retirement age, including yours truly. There’s nothing like a pandemic to open eyes to life is short and retirement enticing.
Like trying to fill a bathtub without a plug
State reported thousands take C.N.A every year, but only a fraction stays in the job. Many upwardly mobile students take C.N.A as a steppingstone, then there are those that take the course but quickly find out it is not what they envisioned, and find other ways to make a living.
I know I am not saying anything that most of you are not already aware of and living through. I do think it is important to list and call out the issues. Stay tuned, in the next several months I will attempt to take each of the issues listed above and look deeper and look at what others are doing to address these and other thoughts on what might be worth considering. Please, if you have thoughts or experiences, feedback, I would love to hear from you.
Until next time:
Dianne
