Candidate shortage has been a struggle throughout 2022. We are hoping it does not persist in 2023 but we have the details on why the shortage will most likely continue throughout the year.
You are not alone if you’re worried about facing continuing staffing shortages in 2023. Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) says staffing remains the biggest challenge facing the healthcare sector in 2023, including FQHCs and other community healthcare organizations. A 2022 report says, “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing health system weaknesses and has placed incredible strain on healthcare workers.” Yet the economy is slowing down and more layoffs are making the news. Doesn’t this mean more job candidates will be on the market? What kind of job market can community healthcare organizations expect in 2023?
The Current State of Candidate Hiring in Community Health
Just a year ago, the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) published a report on the current state of our workforce in the FQHC community. The findings were based on member surveys related to employee retention and recruiting. Their key findings included:
- 68% of health centers say they lost up to 25% of their workforce in the first part of 2022.
- Another 15% say they lost 25% to 50%!
- The retention problem seems to center in the nursing category. Nurses represented the highest volume of attrition in community healthcare last year.
- 65% of those surveyed said their employees left to pursue better financial opportunities at competing healthcare organizations (typically outside the FQHC community).
Retention and recruitment are the yin and yang of any HR strategy. Retention directly impacts our hiring successes. To hear that community health centers struggle not only with finding talent but also with keeping that talent long-term is disheartening and concerning. Will these trends continue in 2023?
What Can FQHCs Do to Improving Hiring in 2023?
The reality is that the staffing shortages we experienced in 2022 will not improve this year. FQHCs must batten down the hatches with programs designed to first retain the workforce they have.
The NACHC report stated that 92% of health centers said they would have experienced even more turnover without the one-time infusion of cash from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) from Congress to help with COVID-19. Most community healthcare centers (97%) also said additional federal funding in 2023 could help their organizations create “salaries commensurate with those of competing employers.”
Throwing money at this problem is just one strategy. FQHCs must also forge new partnerships with third-party organizations to help them find their needed talent. UHC Solutions is proud to be the only recruitment firm that partners solely with FQHCs and other community health organizations recruiting both providers and administrative professionals. We offer services to help shore up your resource pool of qualified healthcare candidates to keep your organization moving forward. Contact us to help plan for a better 2023.
