It’s well documented that the healthcare workforce has been hit hard by the pandemic. Burnout and stress have caused unprecedented rates of departure. At the same time, COVID-19 precipitated a time in which workers have greater opportunities to change jobs for more money, better benefits and more favorable work conditions.
Healthcare employers have to fill many vacancies and simultaneously retain current staff. In “Hiring staff during the great resignation,” Aine Cryts presents hiring strategies for front desk and medical assistant staff, administrative staff and clinical staff. One strategy is to post openings locally (such as through a relevant Facebook group). Other options include hiring people part-time and offering staff a flexible work schedule; both offer employers a chance to save money on health insurance and other benefits. The article also emphasizes the need to have pay rates for one’s specific market. Flexibility for all kinds of hires seems to be key.
This blog post is based on “A Team Approach to Patient Care,” an article published in Radiation Oncology News for Administrators, Vol 31, No 2. The publication is an SROA member benefit.
In September 2020, Jana Grienke, clinical administrator in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Iowa Hospitals, was recognized as a “Healthcare Hero,” and her team approach to health care was featured in an article.
“In radiation oncology, we’re always uber focused on the safety of patients and staff, but when the pandemic started, it really did force us to have a different perspective and approach with things in the clinic,” she said. “Due to the urgency, we needed to make decisions quickly and sometimes in real time.”
March is Women’s History Month, a time to recognize the vital role of women in American history.
SROA’s Connect community offers members a platform to ask each other questions, share ideas, or, as the website says, “connect and collaborate.” We asked our Community members what women inspire them in honor of Women’s History Month. Here is a sampling of some of the responses we received.
As administrators, we cannot underestimate the value and impact of a comprehensive onboarding program. Onboarding is the first opportunity for new hires to get a true sense of our organization’s culture.
On Tuesday, October 27, Cassandra Worley, radiation therapy supervisor at The Radiation Therapy Center of Morris Hospital, gave a workshop on the potential hazards of burnout amongst radiation therapists.
SROA President Brenda Marie Palo welcomed participants to the society’s 37th annual and first Virtual Annual Meeting on Monday, October 26. She introduced John Cashion, this year’s keynote speaker.
“I find that showing people how to behave is better than telling them how”–– John Paul DeJoria
Lee Silber joined SROA to discuss generations during his “Generation We” webinar. Silber, an award-winning author of 26 books, including two best sellers, spoke about the multigenerational workforce, what makes each generation special and commonalities with each generation.
“People misconstrue diversity. Diversity encompasses many groups depending upon what is underrepresented in the field,” said Dr. Maria L. Soto-Greene, who is nationally known for her work in diversity, inclusion, health equity and social justice. “Sometimes people equate diversity with underrepresented minorities, which leaves out the many identities that we have. Think about a person who is LGBTQ and also an underrepresented minority. When we fail to consider the assets of a diverse provider, we deprive our communities of the benefit that can be realized in their care.”
If you look at the top 20 specialties, radiation oncology ranks at the bottom with respect to women and minorities, so we need to figure out what we are not doing a good enough job at, recruiting these folks that are going into other specialties,” said Dr. Curtiland Deville, clinical director of Radiation Oncology at Sibley Memorial Hospital and associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
SROA recently hosted a COVID-19 Q&A webinar session with four Board members. The members discussed what their facilities are doing to manage the CDC guidelines and the changing dynamic of the COVID-19 pandemic. All questions asked during the webinar were from SROA members.