4 Reasons for Hospitals’ Increasing Turnover and Attrition Rate

A high turnover rate at any company is alarming since no one likes when employees constantly leave. The hiring process can also be very long and costly, and as new employees are hired the training can take a lot of time and resources.

Is this the same process for the hospitals?

Several studies have attempted to answer if hospitals constantly find themselves short staffed and in search of new employees. Here is what the research carried out found:

• Continuity

Researchers found that while hospitals may have employees, they might not have been at the hospital for a long time. About half of the respondents 43% stated that they had been at their hospital for less than 2 years while the rest had only been there for five years or less. The pattern of hospital personnel leaving their jobs so soon and being new at it is actually very concerning. Not to mention the fact that a big portion of the respondents stated they plan on leaving the organization in less than 5 years time!

• Environment

Working at a hospital is a tough due to the long hours. Nurses and doctors often experience mental and physical health exhaustion which prompts them to leave their jobs because continuing would mean putting their own current health in danger. Hence a lot of times people leave their jobs to be able to relax and have a easier life. About 58.2% of respondents said they had left their jobs at the hospital because of these very reasons; burnout, frustration and long hours!

• Aging Employees

One of the biggest problems hospitals face is that their employees are aging and thus they are short staffed because their current employees are reaching their age of retirement. Also, the talent pool is not as extensive anymore thus getting new employees is more of a challenge. About 47.7% of the hospital staff that was questioned was set to retire in the next 5 years! This means there will be an extreme dearth of medical professionals in the coming years.

• Streamline Hiring

The hiring process at most hospitals is outdated and thus it takes a long time to sift through the applicants and hire one suitable for the job. The amount of time it takes to hire someone usually means they find a job elsewhere. Thus the process of hiring staff should be streamlined and updated. The process should be more invisible and open so people can easily know of the opportunities available and whether they are eligible.

The current dearth of medical professionals is extremely concerning since this means that in the coming years the shortage will be even worse and hospitals will not only be short staffed but will not have enough experienced professionals available. Steps have to be taken to make sure staff does not quit and employees can be retained for the long term! Hiring and training of employees should be more frequent so that old employees who retire or leave can be replaced more quickly.