Choosing the Right Nurse Staffing Models: 5 Tips for Facilities
Nurses are indispensable in the delivery of safe and quality patient care. Nurse staffing models are frameworks that facility leaders use for determining appropriate nurse staffing levels in relation to patient needs, budget, organizational goals, and available resources. Appropriate nurse staffing is vital to the success of your healthcare organization, due to the link with key facility benchmarks such as improved patient experience scores, reduced readmission rates, and reduced mortality rates.
There are many models available and you may be familiar with some, like the volume-based approach and acuity-based staffing. The distinction between models isn’t absolute, and your facility may need to use a combination in order to achieve the right balance of nurses to patient needs. Let’s discuss the most common staffing models in healthcare and five essential factors to consider as you chose the method that’s best for you.
Common Models of Nurse Staffing
Nurse staffing is a complex issue that has been studied since the early years of the profession. It has become increasingly relevant due to the nationwide nursing shortage and the evolving challenges in healthcare delivery. Different types of healthcare settings and patient populations require different approaches (or combinations of approaches). Here’s a look at some widely-used models of nurse staffing and the settings that utilize them.
Volume-Based Approaches
These are traditional nurse staffing models, where the volume of patients determines the number of nurses needed. Using nurse-to-patient ratios, such as one nurse to four patients, is an example of how this approach might be applied. It’s typically used in hospitals — especially in intensive care, med-surg, and rehab units — in conjunction with other models that account for more factors driving nurse workload, such as acuity levels.
Acuity-Based Approaches
Acuity-driven staffing models typically use a standardized system for determining workload per patient. Settings that serve patients with complex conditions, such as oncology units and labor and delivery, can benefit from this type of model. Many staffing approaches account for acuity in some capacity, even if it isn’t the driving factor.
Functional Staffing Models
Nursing tasks drive this model, with individual nurses assigned to fulfilling specific tasks for the whole unit or facility. As an example, we often see this model used in long-term care, where one RN may be in charge of admissions, while an LPN is assigned to the delivery of medications. This model is closely related to team nursing staffing models, which also divvy up duties according to task.
Flexible Staffing Models
This approach is designed to respond quickly to changing patient needs and staff resources, perhaps even within the span of one shift. Software may be used to track real-time changes in patient needs and help management adjust staffing levels based on those needs. As part of this model, facilities may choose to enter into a partnership with a staffing agency to access a pool of nurses with the flexibility to fill shifts as needs arise.
This model works well in many healthcare settings, especially where there are fluctuations in demand. An example is an ambulatory surgery center (ACS) that specializes in orthopedic surgeries with predictable surges in procedures. Travel nurses can be used to maintain safe ACS staffing ratios during a busy surgery season. Another example often occurs on inpatient units, when per diem nurses are called in to fill shift vacancies caused by nurse sick days.
How to Choose the Right Staffing Model: 5 Tips
With many different nurse staffing models to choose from, it can be challenging to figure out the best fit for your facility. It may be helpful to remember that different types of staffing models can be used in tandem, and your facility or unit’s specific staffing model will be unique. Here are five insights to help you navigate this important decision.
1. Get Clear on Your Goals
Work with your leadership team to identify the key performance areas you will use to gauge staffing success. These might include specific patient outcomes based on your patient population and your services, or compliance with specific regulations. For example, a stroke rehab facility may set a goal of preventing secondary complications, and utilize a nursing staffing model that combines a volume-based approach and flexibility to meet that goal.
2. Identify Relevant and Meaningful Metrics
Staffing affects many different areas of your facility’s operations, including HR and finance. Collaborate across departments to identify key metrics, such as nurse turnover rates, and use this data to inform your staffing model decision. While a volume-based staffing model might give you a foundation for providing safe patient care, adding in aspects of flexible staffing could improve nurse job satisfaction and lower turnover rates.
3. Utilize Technology
Predictive staffing models use AI to analyze historical data and make projections about future staffing needs. These types of data-driven, innovative nurse staffing models help managers leverage information to schedule the appropriate number of nurses. Because predictive staffing models analyze past trends in admission rates and acuity-levels, among other data sets, they incorporate elements of volume-based and acuity-based staffing models.
4. Involve Nurses
When considering staffing models, nursing input is crucial. Talk to nurses who will be impacted by the schedule and patient assignments, and gather feedback. Nurse staffing decisions that ignore relevant factors, such as nurse experience level, unit cohesiveness, and changing patient conditions, could lead to adverse events such as medication errors, miscommunication among staff, and poor patient outcomes.
5. Promote a Healthy and Positive Workplace
Consider the ways that the staffing model you decide on will impact your facility’s culture. Appropriate staffing involves a balancing act between providing quality patient care and maintaining a sustainable facility budget. While walking that line, it’s crucial to think about the day-to-day quality of life of the nurses you employ.
Meet Your Staffing Goals Today
Want to incorporate flexibility into your organization’s nurse staffing models, but you’re not sure how? We partner with healthcare facilities and offer a variety of options to reach win-win staffing solutions. Find out how we can help you enhance your nursing staff today.