A float pool, or a group of full- and part-time employees who work in differing healthcare positions, is vital to a healthcare facility’s staffing. When a float pool is properly managed, it can help hospitals deal with unexpected ebbs and flows. Float pools can also bridge any gaps in staffing, helping your facility deliver quality care, no matter what comes your way.
But if you’re part of a healthcare facility, you know that float pool staff are just a small part of the healthcare staffing picture. One of the biggest challenges hospitals and clinics face is learning how to balance the different categories of staff that they employ— specifically core and contingent staff. When unexpected situations arise, hospitals need to have contingent workers on call to cover shifts normally filled by core staff. But they also need to know how to manage each category of employees together.
What staffing challenges are hospitals facing?
These days, healthcare facilities deal with a lot of unexpected events and responsibilities. Ten thousand baby boomers retire every day, and as this generation ages, the demand for healthcare goes up. This means that healthcare facilities across the country are facing the need to provide more quality healthcare staff.
Along with an increased demand for healthcare services is a shortage of talent. While there is a current healthcare staffing shortage, the problem is only expected to increase in the future. Hospitals need to be prepared for this possibility by having quality contingent workers just a phone call away. The perfect solution to this is employing float pool workers, as well as working with dependable staffing agency talent.
More and more, healthcare facilities big and small are using float pool employees and staffing agency talent when core staff are maxed out. Both of these categories of employees are managed differently by human resources professionals, and that can sometimes be confusing, leading to time-consuming paperwork and wasted hours.
Manage all categories of employees with a VMS
Almost all employees in healthcare facilities have different roles, but with a vendor management system (VMS), that doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is using a comprehensive VMS with the ability to manage all types of employees. A VMS needs to organize all of their complex, personal information in just one platform and as simply as possible.
When employee information is organized this way — for float pool employees, staffing agency talent, and full-time employees alike — HR professionals waste less time and get more done. This means your healthcare facility has the tools it needs to provide patients with a consistent level of care, reinforcing your facility’s trustworthiness.
ShiftWise’s VMS technology does not discriminate against any category of employee. Full-time, part-time, temporary, freelance, and float pool staff can all be managed in the same way, and in the same system. ShiftWise’s vendor management systems are compatible with healthcare facilities of any size and any level. Every type of employee in your facility can be managed together, and you and your employees can spend less time worrying if things are running smoothly.
Sources:
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/03/health-care-dilemma-10000-boomers-retiring-each-day.html