Guest editorial

I was asked a question last week about our ads for staff and thought it might be helpful to discuss the continuing need for OMHC employees, especially in the nursing department. The workforce shortage was even a topic of discussion at a recent rural hospital CEO round-table. The American population living today has advantages that none before us has had. We live in a time of tremendous medical advances which allow us to live longer and with a greater quality of life than ever before.

In addition, the healthcare industry is faced with approximately 10,000 Americans reaching the age of 65 each and every day. Our baby boomer population is placing a strain on providers of care, as the percentage of the population that is over 65 will continue to grow for decades. The vast majority of care received is at later stages in life. Those forces together create an intense need for additional healthcare workers at all levels. Nursing schools and medical schools simply do not have enough capacity to train sufficient numbers of individuals to meet the demand for care.

Our small facility faces unique challenges in nursing due to the special needs and expectations required to perform successfully for our patients. In larger facilities for example, nurses specialize in Emergency, Labor and Delivery, Surgery, Acute Care, ICU care, etc. Our nurses at OMHC are required to care for Acute Care patients, Long Term Care patients and Emergency patients. These are very different types of nursing, and some elect not to work in this unique environment. The skill set needed for long-term care, for example, is very different from the skills necessary to care competently for an emergency patient. It takes a special nurse who is comfortable and able to work safely in this variety of settings.

Another factor in obtaining and retaining staff is the rapid pace of change in our industry. The expectations placed on providers of care continuously change and often require additional attention and work product from all involved. These changes are intended to ensure that patients receive the appropriate and safe, high level of care that each and every one deserves. Patients expect exceptional quality care and the regulatory environment calls for us to deliver that level of care. What was acceptable practice even 10 years ago, may not be acceptable practice now. The standards required of our staff at all levels continue to escalate to ensure that we are providing the same quality of care that patients would expect to receive anywhere. Anything less isn’t accepted by our team, nor is it accepted by the regulatory agencies that govern and pay us. Given that our staff cares for various levels of patients, they also must stay current in whatever latest practice is best for patients in each of those areas of care. It’s no easy task to be a nurse at Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center. The delivery of high quality care is the reason we exist, and all that we do at Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center is focused on that single effort.

Let’s also not forget the very difficult and important role that Certified Nurse Aides play in the care process. These dedicated professionals have a physically and emotionally taxing role and are closest in communication and “touch” with our residents. I honestly don’t recall a time when recruiting nurse aides wasn’t challenging. It’s a high turnover field and there are few who remain in this important role as a life-time commitment. Some continue their education and become nurses. Others realize how difficult the position is and, unfortunately, are able to find entry-level work with similar compensation in other industries. I cannot overstate how difficult and how very impactful the nurse aide job is in a long term care setting. We have elected to continuously recruit for nurse aides at Odessa Memorial Healthcare Center due to the inherently high turnover in the profession.

I hope this helps those outside our industry understand the circumstances behind our needs. One additional mention is that we compete for the same staff with other area organizations and we have challenges specific to our community with historically inconsistent access to child care, limited employment options for spouses, and sometimes limited housing options.

We face tremendous challenges relative to issues of workforce and regulation which drive the consistent change and requirements each of us must respond to on a continuous basis. These issues absolutely affect how we conduct our business, but rest assured that our goal and mission are always to provide caring, quality healthcare to you –- our community.