Bonusses given for hiring new medical staff and why this sucks
One of the headlines of the week in Holland is about how high the shortage of specialty medical staff is in Holland, and that therefore bonusses are given in certain hospitals to gain new staff.
I think you almost can not get me more upset with this news. But its a hot topic if you look at NOS. I know, I know, you all do not speak Dutch, let me give you the short version of it.
Hospitals are giving extra starting bonusses to attract new medical workers. This is mostly in the specialized fields of scrubnurses, anesthesia assistentens, recovery nurses, ICU nurses and ER nurses. Also bonusses are given when you are willing to do extra shifts. These bonusses are different per hospital, Erasmus Rotterdam will give you one extra month of cash if you stay for a month, and if you stay in UMCG for three years you will get an extra 5000 Euros.
Whats wrong with this Karin, aren't you also working in one of these fields? Shouldn't you be happy with the fact that bonusses are given??
No, no and no again!!
Well yes, I do work in one of these fields but it doesn't mean that I am happy with these measures. The main reason why I feel this way??
It is patching in stead of fixing!!!
When I left Holland end 2014 it was in a tumultuous phase in healthcare. People were actually being fired because there were too many people working in healthcare and there was not enough money to pay all of these people.
What was the shortterm answer to this? Don't hire new people and stop training new staff.
Epic fail!!
And why, because there is a gigantic group of seniors working in healthcare where retirement is there just a couple of years. In about that amount of years that it takes to train specialized workers appoximately to be exact ;)
Also not to fall into old sayings, but reality is that the majority of workers in healthcare is female. Which means that they make babies and often also work parttime after having those babies. That is not just a saying, that is reality. And you don't have to be an Einstein to realize this. Every healthcare workers will say this, and every statistic will ackowledge this.
It just means that training is key to keep your amount of working staff up to par. And that is where they failed a couple years back.
So now all of these hospitals are feeling the consequences of the decisions that they made. A market is created by themselves. Here is how ->
- Hospital doesn't train students, people retire, amount of staff shrinks
- Shortage is there, people start working more and more
- Because of shortage there is no time anymore for extra education (AKA improving yourself)
- You get bored and you work too much and have no options to grow because there is no room and money for training
- You get a ridiculous offer from a headhunters buro to work flexible for a shitload of money in different hospitals AND get extra education for free
- You don't feel the need to work at your own place anymore, because they aren't offering you anything so you decide to leave.
- Staff that sticks around has it even busier and busier than before, because no other staff is there anymore
- The shortage is filled with flexibel staff that is rented from these headhunter buro's for 3x the amount of money. Hospitals now have enough staff but it is costing them more and more
So what they are trying to do, is getting this staff back!
But that is easier said than done! The market (like every market) is one of ups and downs. So yes, in a while all the gaps will be filled, but all of this circeling around has costed the hospital huge amounts of money. And all of that will lead back to YOUR own monthly health insurance that will increase
What I think that they should do
If that hospitals should work more on attracting for the long term. For instance, I am a scrubnurse. I have worked in almost every specialty and because I am not an RN (registered nurse) I can not work in another field. Because I still like challenges I like working in different places. If I was able to do a payed training somewhere, half their time half my time, I would totally be in and stay somewhere. But there are never these kinds of opportunities because there isn't any money. Yes, there is money for a starting bonus, but that is short term thinking.
Also giving bonusses for staff working extra shifts is like the worse idea ever. Everybody knows that burn outs are are lurking around the corner in this business. But this means you are putting extra pressure of staff that is already under stress because they are understaffed. Something is totally not right here!
And also realize that these positions that are offered extra are the departments where the money is made for the hospitals, so they always want to keep them running. A nursing home will never be able to offer 5K starting bonusses because the money isn't made there, everything has to be as cheap as possible there.
Everything about this is wrong! And we all know it
/End Rant!
Uncomplicated article. I learned a lot of interesting and cognitive. I'm screwed up with you, I'll be glad to reciprocal subscription))
Unbelievable, I read your whole article and I loved it. It is important that doctors, nurses and surgeons in other countries know what is behind this kind of news. Professional growth is something that hospitals should always encourage and it is a great pity when they do not, especially when we see it in developed countries. I'd like to talk to you more, Greetings Karin.
Yeah its always good talking medical worldwide! So many differences but so many similarities!
I think personal growth in the end will make more of a difference than that onetime extrance bonus, but maybe its just me
Goed pint maar wat moeten we anders doen. Hetzelfde probleem is er met leraren, pittig vraagstuk
zorgen dat ze hun werk toffer blijven vinden en niet alleen voor het geld gaan uiteindelijk. veel leraren gaan natuurlijk wat anders ook doen omdat de werkdruk debiel hoog is en het salaris matig.
maar dat is ook een van de dingen...al deze functies die bonussen krijgen zijn heel specialistisch en creeeren alleen maar meer werk (operatiekamers bijvoorbeeld), terwijl de gewone verpleeghuizen ongeveer bezwijken onder de werkdruk
I'm not a close follower of the news, so I had no idea it was this bad. Indeed I'd like to see a more sustainable solution than handing out extra moneyz :-/
exactly, even though i am in that corner where the bonusses are given, but lets be realistic...if you get 1000 bucks extra to stay somewhere for a year...and the place sucks...you will be gone on day 366 right??
the place has to be fun and challenging and fun and safe and full with opportunities to maintain staff!
We have issues with staff shortages in hospitals here in Australia also, I think your very correct in saying that simply throwing money at the problem in this way is just a bandaid (temporary) solution, something with the long term in mind is what needs to happen... regardless it’s a tricky situation to rectify.
it is a super tricky situation... because in the end the people who are the victims of the battle are the innocent patients...and that is exactly what the issue is... because we want to maintain quality without giving in anything quickly...and thats cant be done
The staffing if hospitals is wrong.... the whole idea of modern hospitals is wrong! I love that you are awake in your world. Next post? Envisaging the healing hospitals of the future!! :)
hahahaha, you are visioning me as hospital director?? sweeet!!!
Well, the priorities are wrong, thats the issue. short term vision and seeing hospitals ase businesses in stead of places where people are priority number 1
Who better to be a hospital director than a nurse who has seen it all? :)
It's sad .. all these people lost their jobs and now there suddenly is a shitload of money for flex workers.. I see where this is wrong.. you are completely right..