It’s safe to say that we all are under a lot of stress these days. Many of us have faced furloughs, a cut in wages, a job loss altogether, and career changes that have been hard to adapt to. Our kids have had to adapt to remote learning, as have the teachers. And vacations that we used to look forward to have been cancelled and are on-hold for another day. Humans thrive on routine, and when that routine is disrupted with no definite time frame for when it will be restored, many don’t do so well physically, mentally, and emotionally. This includes those on the front lines — our healthcare workers.
Abbella Medical Staffing is a top-rated healthcare staffing agency based in Baltimore. Our agency helps healthcare facilities nationwide fill their short-term staffing needs, including needs for COVID-19, with the best nurses and allied health professionals. Our employees are experienced professionals who are able to adapt and be nimble to your needs. They have experience working in many healthcare facilities and know how to hit the ground running. If you are looking to fill short-term healthcare staffing needs, contact us to begin. Below, we’ll offer up tips on how to take care of your medical staff during COVID-19. Learn more today.
Listen to Concerns
During COVID-19, the patients can take precedence, meaning their needs come first since they are ones who need care. This means that the healthcare workers’ needs may take a back seat, leaving them feeling a bit overwhelmed and more likely to experience burnout and missed days at work. Instead, when you listen to your healthcare staff’s concerns about work and even their personal concerns that impact them, you are showing that they themselves matter. This then allows you to take action based on these conversations in order to help in any way you can to help alleviate stress and anxiety.
Be Open To Change
Flexibility is key here in an environment that is always changing. Oftentimes, it’s the little things that can make a big difference. Relaxing some of your healthcare facility’s policies can help as well. For instance, your staff may need to give very little notice when they need a break or time off; whereas before, you may have required many days or even weeks’ notice. Another great example of flexibility means that you may have to allow for more frequent shift changes in order to accommodate your healthcare staff’s ever-changing needs. This is especially true for parents whose children are in remote and/or hybrid learning environments. In addition, allowing more frequent breaks, especially in stressful situations such as the death of a patient, is needed. This allows your employee to take the breather they need and to return ready to help the next patient.
Encourage Mental & Physical Health and Well-Being with Actions
Saying “take care of yourself” is easy. However, this has become almost as empty as responding, “I’m fine,” when asked how you are doing. However, we all know that you can’t take care of others if you yourself are not of sound body and mind. Thus, many healthcare centers are making it easier than ever to help their employees take actionable steps towards self-care. Many are adding in staff lounges with soft, comfortable chairs for staff to take a nap. You can consider the food and drink needs of your healthcare staff and consider providing “comfort boxes” packed with foods that have all of the macro ingredients present, as well as other miscellaneous items pertinent to your facility. Even messages of appreciation are thoughtful touches that can brighten your employees’ day.
As a medical staffing agency based in Baltimore, Abbella Medical Staffing puts a big priority in taking care of our employees. Our phones are open 24 hours a day for our staff so they can feel free to bring any concerns or problems they may have to us. We always look for solutions to help solve our employees’ problems, and we’re their advocate with your healthcare facility. We do everything we can to help them in their journey, helping arrange their lodging and transportation while they are at your healthcare facility. Our mission is to make their lives as easy as possible. Our open door policy ensures everyone’s concerns and needs are being met.
For healthcare facilities, we offer well-qualified applicants who have years of experience and have met our rigorous employment standards. We understand you only want the highest quality employees for your patients’ care, which is why we have a very thorough application and interview process. Our applicants are nimble, able to adapt to changing circumstances, such as COVID-19. We also offer COVID-19 staffing for your needs.
If you are interested in partnering with us for your short-term healthcare staffing needs, contact us today!
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