systems staff scheduling patient classification time and attendance human resources and payroll business analytics for staffing agencies paperless recruiting competency testing staffing compliance management payroll and invoicing by job function chief executive officers chief financial officers chief information officers chief nursing officers human resources executives nurse managers staffing agency managers about leadership team events press releases contact us available opportunities community healthcare in the know blog webinars star client engagement insights in 20 webinars resources for health systems case studies white papers videos for staffing agencies case studies white papers careers culture values our associates why work at ge healthcare available opportunities search form search api healthcare is now ge healthcare outcomes driven companies coming together to deliver solutions that improve performance and care quality across the entire continuum . learn more turn workforce data into better outcomes learn more collaborative staffing a new approach for improved outcomes learn more ge healthcare leads in acute care scheduling innovation in 2016 klas scheduling report learn more what s new staff engagement is essential to organizational success regardless of industry but in healthcare it is especially crucial . strong workforce management strategies help hospitals and health systems achieve better workforce outcomes which can lead to better patient outcomes . it can also help navigate everyday challenges and encourage continued focus on improving the patient experience . one strategy for improving engagement is the deployment of a collaborative staffing model . in this model nurses work cooperatively with their managers to create schedules and fill open shifts across the organization freeing more time for managers to spend on the floor coaching other nurses and addressing patient issues . empowering and encouraging staff to become more engaged by actively participating in the scheduling process can ultimately translate to better clinical quality and better patient satisfaction . if nurses aren t engaged in their job or satisfied in their position care quality can suffer . high stress due to increasing workloads and low staff levels can cause nurse engagement to drop putting patient care at risk . fatigue and stress as a result of nurses working extensive periods of overtime can result in serious and potentially life threatening medical errors . having the optimal number and skill mix of nurses ensures that they are not handling too many patients or being assigned to patients outside of their training expertise which can increase mistakes stress and burnout . according to an article for harvard business review written by towers watson talent and rewards healthcare industry lead rick sherwood towers watson research found only 44 % of hospital staff in the u.s. are engaged in their jobs . this means the vast majority of nurses and hospital employees may be feeling disconnected from their work and may even feel as if they should look for other career opportunities . in addition to collaborative staffing strategies cnos and nurse managers can track nurse performance through a complete and integrated workforce management system which can include various types of software such as hospital staffing and scheduling software and human resources management solutions . engaged nurses are committed to their peers workplace and delivering better patient care . as the most patient facing representatives nurses are in a position to heavily influence the quality of patient care which is something that can not be ignored . it s not enough to simply recognize the importance of staff engagement . organizations that leverage the power of a truly engaged workforce are in an optimal position to realize better workforce outcomes and deliver high quality care . blog focusing on nurse engagement to achieve higher care quality read more when it comes to finding the most cost effective resources to cover a shift most hospitals and health systems will agree that sharing qualified staff across units or even facilities is preferable to more expensive alternatives such as ot contingent labor or costly shift bonuses . they also agree that by and large nurses and healthcare staff do not like being told to float to a non home unit . especially if there is a lack of understanding for why or if there s perceived unfairness regarding which staff members are told to float more than others etc. however we are beginning to observe a shift in attitude about floating among many organizations that utilize a collaborative staffing approach and the reason why is simple instead of making floating a command it s a choice . we call it self directed floating and it happens when employees are given visibility into all of the open shifts they qualify for across a broad number of units . essentially it allows employees to shop for shifts and proactively request those that fit their individual preferences interests and availability . it also allows staff an easy flexible way to make up for lost income such as when they take a sick day or are called off due to low census . additionally many view it as a chance to further advance their careers by expanding their skills and experience outside of their home unit . the trend towards self directed floating was uncovered in a recent study of 182 facilities that use a cloud based staffing solution which found that an unintended consequence of implementing a flexible approach to staffing was that nurses were consistently choosing to float1 . self directed floating provides autonomy and research has found that an increased sense of autonomy can reduce turnover and decrease staff burnout2 . how are hospitals making the transition from mandatory floating to self directed floating here are a few common characteristics of a collaborative approach to staffing that are seen in health systems where self directed floating is more prevalent organization wide visibility in order for staff to want to float it needs to be easy to see what shifts are available in the units that they are qualified to work . that requires automation that connects employees with the right skills with open shifts making it possible for them to engage in self directed floating . it s also important for managers to easily view the skills and competencies of the entire workforce as well as information about the current workload and overtime status so they can make data driven and safe staffing decisions . choice self directed floating requires providing employees with the autonomy to choose available shifts in other units . there must be a process for nurses to indicate their interest in working particular shifts outside of their home unit . participation a positive self directed floating experience takes committed participation from leadership management and staff . that starts with tools and systems that make it possible to see and choose open shifts across the enterprise . however that is just the beginning . making sure that employees have the tools information and support they need when working in non home units is also necessary for a health system that wants to create a culture of floating . consistency when employees are frequently moving between different units it makes sense to have standardized staffing policies especially regarding overtime and incentives . it s also important for floating staff to feel welcomed wherever they work so they have the desire to come back again . orientation and equitable staffing assignments can make the experience more positive and productive for both floating and home unit staff . over a decade ago the iom report keeping patients safe transforming the work environment of nurses noted that the quality of patient care is directly impacted by the degree to which nurses are active and empowered participants in making decisions about their patient s plan of care and by the degree to which they have an active and central role in organizational decision making3 . self directed floating is one strategy that allows staff to have an instrumental role in decisions that impact the organization and the patients they care for . to learn more about self directed floating check out the 20 minute webinar collaborative staffing how open shift management fulfills needs . 1schulman cheryl a. et al. self directed floating nurses are accepting its benefits . accessed october 2 2015 . http www.modernmedicine.com modern medicine news modernmedicine modern medicine feature articles self directed floating nurses a page full 2 weston marla . strategies for enhancing autonomy and control over nursing practice . ojin the online journal of issues in nursing . 2010 ; vol . 15 no. 1 manuscript 2 . 3armstrong kevin et al. structural empowerment magnet hospital characteristics and patient safety culture . journal of nursing care quality . 2005 ; vol . 21 no. 2 124 132 . blog from resisting to requesting what s causing the change in nurses attitudes about floating read more webinar practical steps to apply acuity based staffing what nurse leaders need to know read more press release ge healthcare leads in acute care scheduling innovation in 2016 klas scheduling performance report read more about ge healthcare ge healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services to meet the demand for increased access enhanced quality and more affordable healthcare around the world . ge nyse ge works on things that matter great people and technologies taking on tough challenges . from medical imaging software & it patient monitoring and diagnostics to drug discovery biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies and performance improvement professionals deliver great healthcare to their patients . solutions for health systems for staffing agencies by job function about community resources careers request a demo contact us client login copyright 2016 general electric company . all rights reserved . terms of use privacy policy