If you’re exhausted from the administrative side of staffing for a long term care facility, then you’re not alone. Between a shortage of caregivers, the complexity of administrative tasks, and a rise in adults needing care, it can be difficult to keep up. From managing staffer’s schedules and availability to making sure that all of your team member’s have up-to-date credentials, the work is never done. It can be difficult to stay organized with all of the day-to-day tasks without a well developed system in place. With Supplemental Staffing Technology, your skilled nursing facility can save time and money while lowering your workload and still providing quality care for your residents.‍

A Shortage in Qualified Staff‍

Not having enough staff to run your day-to-day operations seems to be an issue that comes up again and again in long term care, and especially today during a national staffing crisis. Scheduling gaps in care facilities can lead to a lot of problems such as resident safety risks and staff burnout. 

Despite desperately needing caregivers, it can be difficult to find the time to find new employees. The hiring process, even for temporary employees, can be extremely time consuming. Aside from the time it takes to review possible employees, there are also many factors that go into selecting a qualified, available, and likable candidate. Availability, experience, and credentials are all things that you will need to take into account when bringing in new team members. 

The fear of being understaffed is a real one, and one felt by facilities across the nation on a regular basis. No matter if your staffing problem is caused by a shortage of employees or scheduling complications, not having enough caregivers to meet your facility’s daily operations needs can be detrimental to everyone involved. The amount of items to juggle adds up quickly and causes a lot of problems for both you and the rest of your team.

Having to coordinate the schedules and availability of all your employees adds yet another layer of complexity to your job. Last-minute callouts, vacations, and coordination around each team member’s individual needs is ongoing. It is an essential part of the scheduling process to find a way to keep everything together and organized. When you’re short-staffed for the day, or week, who do you call?  It’s important to have reliable flexible team members that you can call in at a moment’s notice. Utilizing an existing network of on-call, qualified, available caretakers is a great strategy. Scheduling changes can quickly turn into a jumble of text messages, phone calls, emails, and spreadsheets that can overwhelm even the most organized manager. ‍

A Rise in Seniors Needing Care

Truthfully, a shortage in employees is not the only thing causing staffing problems in skilled nursing. There has also been a significant rise in adults who need care in recent years, and that’s only increasing in the years to come. 

Staffing shortages can negatively impact patients in skilled nursing facilities. When there aren’t enough caregivers, existing ones tend to be overworked and worn thin. This impacts the patients or residents in their care because they are not able to receive the level of care they need and deserve. Gaps in scheduling, while inconvenient, can also be dangerous in extreme situations. In the case of an emergency, an already short-staffed workplace can leave patients at risk and lacking their necessary care. 

Having a proactive solution to potential staffing shortages can easily reduce this problem. Using supplemental staffing software can help fill up empty shifts so that your team members, and residents, are never left without the help they need.‍

Complex Administrative Tasks

There are a lot of moving parts when managing a long-term care facility. Keeping track of employee schedules, credentials, invoices, patient information, and more is just one aspect of an increasingly complex operation. Even the most organized Director of Nursing (DON) or nurse manager can struggle when handling all of these important elements. 

Having a flawed system with which you handle scheduling does not help anyone. Employees will be frustrated because their schedule is wrong, or you forgot to put in that vacation they requested off. You’ll be frustrated because you’re wasting time and energy at a computer crafting schedules. Your patients and residents, and their families, will be frustrated because there will be gaps in the schedule, and they won’t get the care that they need. In situations like this, no one wins.

Have you ever had an employee unable to work because their certifications or licensing expired and you didn’t realize it? Credentials are something that can make or break your healthcare facility. If not everyone meets compliance, you can be faced with a lot of problems. Avoid losing employees, even temporarily, or failing an audit by managing everyone’s credentials and licenses in one place.

Simplifying your administrative duties will simplify this task, and it’ll save time and money by reducing administrative overhead. 
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The Solution

There are so many challenges facing healthcare professionals today. The founders of Kevala identified these issues, crafted a  solution, and launched the Kevala Care Network to address the real-time needs of healthcare staff.

Whether through the Kevala Care Network or another staffing agency, the answer to workforce staffing issues is in the communication and organization through technology.

“The workforce is changing, and the worker is more empowered now than they ever have been. They want control and they want flexibility and choice over their schedule.” - Todd Owens, CEO, Kevala

Supplemental Staffing Technology

If you’re still looking for a solution to fill up scheduling gaps, supplemental staffing technology may be the answer. Kevala can make both finding temporary employees and managing your current staff’s schedules easier. Using Kevala can save you hours of stress, searching, and phone calls and get your residents the care that they require. There are existing agencies with networks of available caregivers or, if you’d like, you can create your own pool using supplemental staff members. Whichever route you end up choosing, it is important to have a way to keep yourself organized and able to solve problems with your schedule at a moment’s notice. With so many various staffing solutions to choose from, it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for so that you can meet all of your needs. While there may be a lot of choices, remember that not all of them are created equally. It is important to weigh all of your options and see what would work best for you and your team. 

Having an all-in-one, multifunctional software is essential for success. This will cut down on the number of programs that you and your team will need to learn. You will also be able to keep track of documents and other important information in one easily accessible place.

The All-in-One Solution You Need

If you’re ready to make the switch to an all-in-one staffing solution, then you need Kevala. An all inclusive, flexible workforce management platform. We built Kevala to help you find the best staffers while managing your agency’s spending. 

With Kevala, you’ll get: 

• Flexibility
• Automation
• Software to cover the facility’s needs

Our flexible staffing options allow you to work with your favorite existing staffing agencies as well as accessing thousands of qualified professionals through the Kevala Care Network. You can curate a personalized float pool of your favorite caregivers you have previously worked with. You will be able to save even more time filling open shifts by having access to all of your options at once. Viewing credentials and wage requirements all in one place allows you to pick the perfect caregiver for any scenario. Cut back on costly last-minute hiring costs and stay one step ahead.
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Automation is another key factor that sets Kevala above the rest. Streamline all of your credential management with automated alerts. Keep all of your employee’s licenses and other credentials up-to-date and be reminded before they expire. Stay audit-ready and compliant, without worry. You’ll never fail a surprise audit again with Kevala’s credential management software.

Having a multi-functioning software is a necessity in this modern age. Kevala’s workforce management is the solution for all of your needs. Whether you need to broadcast your open shifts, keep all of your timesheets and other documentation electronically, or simply manage the schedules of both your permanent and temporary employees. With Kevala, you’ll save time and money by reducing your administrative overhead costs and increasing efficiency all around. 

With Kevala, you can keep everything in one place. All of your administration’s notifications, communications, and files can be streamlined through one easy-to-learn program.

Learn more about how Kevala can help you and your organization with a free, no-pressure demo today. Sign up here.