By Larry Adams, RN, MSN, MBA, ShiftMed
California draws in nurses from other states via an attractive combination of workplace protections and competitive salaries, creating an influx of nurses that outpaces the number leaving the state. But despite this advantage, the state still projects a shortfall of 44,500 registered nurses by 2030.
Behind this looming shortage is a complex interplay of factors, including nurse burnout, a growing aging population, and nursing school faculty shortages. These factors, among others, are creating a domino effect that’s shaking the foundation of California’s healthcare system.
According to the California Healthcare Workforce Policy Commission, 11% of the state’s population lives in a high Registered Nurse Shortage Area (RNSA). These areas include Yreka/Montague, Burney/Alturas, Susanville/Westwood, Colusa/Williams, Clearlake/Hidden Valley Lake, Merced/Atwater, Los Banos/Gustine, and Salinas/Pruendale to name a few.
Virtual Nursing Programs on the Rise
Hospitals and health systems nationwide are extending the reach and quality of their healthcare services by using virtual nurses to complement bedside nurses.
- Advocate Health has expanded virtual nursing to 12 hospitals to measure quality outcomes, length of stay, retention, vacancy rate, and patient experience to test current care models.
- Houston Methodist completed more than 300,000 ambulatory virtual visits in 2020 and achieved a 50% reduction in readmissions by utilizing virtual programs.
- Luminis Health in Annapolis, Maryland, is rolling out a virtual nursing program in its acute care hospitals using cameras for patient checks and enabling support staff to participate in care conversations.
- UCHealth in Aurora, Colorado, has a Virtual Health Center that includes a virtual urgent care system, a safety view virtual sitter program, and centralized telemetry monitoring services.
An Extra Tool in the Virtual Nursing Toolkit
While virtual nursing is a game-changer, facilities still need enough nurses to provide care at the bedside. That’s where a local on-demand healthcare workforce marketplace comes into play.
ShiftMed, for example, has an on-demand healthcare workforce marketplace of over 350,000 healthcare professionals that hospitals and health systems nationwide use to fill scheduling gaps as needed.
Integrating virtual nursing alongside local on-demand nursing presents an unparalleled opportunity for success. The dynamic blend of innovation and expertise elevates care standards and ensures staffing viability during seasonal fluctuations and unexpected admission surges.
More specifically, here’s how virtual and on-demand can work together to enhance healthcare delivery:
- Constant Care: Experienced internal nursing staff can virtually monitor a patient’s vital signs, medication adherence, and overall health status, while an on-demand healthcare professional provides emotional support, facilitates prescribed routines, and assists with mobility and comfort.
- Admissions: Virtual nurses can monitor bed availability in real-time and coordinate admissions accordingly. They can work closely with on-demand nurses to prioritize admissions based on bed availability, patient acuity, and other factors, optimizing resource utilization and reducing wait times for incoming patients.
- Discharges: Virtual nurses can engage with patients before discharge to provide education about post-discharge care instructions, medication management, and follow-up appointments. They can ensure that patients understand their care plans and are ready for discharge, which can reduce the time needed for on-demand nurses to explain these details upon discharge.
- Initial Assessment: Virtual nurses can assess a patient’s conditions, determine the urgency of their needs, and provide medical advice or instructions. If a patient requires immediate attention, the virtual nurse can coordinate with an on-demand nurse to provide in-person care.
- Bedside Support: On-demand nurses can fill scheduling gaps caused by absences or unexpected patient influxes. Virtual nurses can provide support by offering guidance, consultations, and access to medical records, ensuring that on-demand nurses have the information and support they need to deliver high-quality care.
Given the challenges associated with virtual nursing, from licensure barriers and practice regulations to broadband connectivity and insurance reimbursement, ShiftMed is working closely with leaders within the telenursing space to develop seamless integration options for hospitals and health systems interested in this up-and-coming workforce model.
Conclusion
In a world where change is the only constant, virtual and on-demand nurses are indispensable for navigating the complexities of modern healthcare. By bridging the gap between supply and demand and ensuring seamless continuity of care, these platforms can help reshape the future of healthcare staffing in California and across the country.
ShiftMed is the complete healthcare workforce solution, combining innovative technology tools with an on-demand workforce marketplace, to help drive costs down and improve labor stability across the continuum of care.