The healthcare workforce shortage was one of the most frequently discussed topics last week at Becker’s Healthcare’s 15th Annual Meeting. While there was cautious optimism about the potential of AI and other technologies to mitigate some of the effects of the problem, the numbers are what they are, and they’re discouraging.
Hospital leaders are constantly seeking solutions to the shortage, but the reality is that there’s no silver bullet. What hospitals can do, however, is control what they can control. And their focus should be on bringing joy back to their workers’ lives.
That was the message coming out of an Executive Roundtable titled “Work, Reimagined” led by ECG’s John Budd, Jessica Wells, and Mimi Taylor at the Becker’s conference. The work itself needs to change. As one attendee wryly noted, we don’t so much have a shortage of providers as we do a shortage of providers actually practicing medicine. Time spent on cumbersome administrative tasks is time not spent with patients—and caring for people is what called providers to this work in the first place.
Likewise, hospital leaders need to care for their providers. What matters most to healthcare workers—even more than compensation—is a sense of belonging. They want to share their ideas and concerns, and be heard. They want to feel like their work matters and that they’re growing.
Hospital leaders have little control over the factors driving the workforce shortage, but finding ways to make their employees’ jobs easier and more fulfilling is a goal they may be able to achieve.
Here are a few ideas shared during the roundtable:
Listen to your frontline workers. If you’re looking for ideas to boost your employees’ satisfaction, start by asking the people who walk the hospital halls every day. They know what’s works, what doesn’t, and why. What are their concerns? What’s the best part of their day—and the worst? Remember that small wins matter. Addressing complaints like “the air conditioning is always blowing too hard in this room” shows that you’re listening and you care about your team.
Get the most from your technology investments. The promise of AI was another common theme throughout the week and in the roundtable, and multiple attendees spoke about how happy their physicians are with ambient listening technology. But not every solution needs to be cutting-edge.
- One attendee said their organization has seen improved retention rates with the implementation of virtual nursing. It’s enabling them to better care for patients rural areas, thereby keeping patients closer to home. It’s also a been embraced by early-career nurses, who can be guided by an experienced nurse on performing complicated processes and educating patients.
- Another participant’s organization is experimenting with centralized admission and discharge, lessening the burden on bedside nurses.
But the most innovative approach to improving the efficiency of technology may be to tackle a problem that has little to do with technology itself—breaking down silos. IT leaders, clinicians, and administrators all have different perceptions of and experiences with technology. Bringing these teams to the table can promote better communication, greater integration of IT throughout the organization, and optimal use of innovative technology. There’s nothing to be gained from investing in a technology that clinicians don’t like and won’t use.
Reimagine the clinical workforce. It’s not a revolutionary idea, but enabling providers to work to the top of their license can improve job satisfaction for nurses, APPs, and physicians. One attendee noted that allowing RNs to perform pap smears at their organization was invigorating for the nurses and embraced by physicians. Others are looking to move chronic care management into the nursing space. Changing the scope of practice does have obstacles—licenses vary from state to state, and hospital bylaws may vary by facility and market, even within larger health systems—but more than one attendee noted that doing so can improve retention by giving providers an opportunity to grow and contribute in new ways.
To be sure, efforts to improve retention require investment. But retaining an employee is less expensive than recruiting a new one. And a satisfied workforce might be the best recruiting tool of all.
Published May 9, 2025
