March 2021

While the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nursing workforce remain to be seen, the latest data from the Vizient and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Nurse Residency Program serve as a call to action for hospital and nursing leaders if we are to successfully support and retain these nurses as a critical component of the health care workforce.

Not only has the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the many ways that care is delivered, it also has had a significant impact on the attitudes of patients and their family caregivers about their health care. A new Vizient report shows that patients are constantly weighing the risks and benefits to remain safe from the virus when deciding whether and where to have procedures, screening tests, check-ups and even vaccinations.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the health care workforce has shown resilience and agility in the face of unprecedented challenges. Yet, sustaining and improving the advances made in the past year means nurturing a culture of teamwork. Here are several keys to advancing team culture as well as common barriers.

Health care staff and clinicians are indispensable to the care of the patients and communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but they themselves are facing many challenges. Participants in Vizient’s Staff Well-being Coping with Crisis Events collaborative have done just that, reducing voluntary nurse separations and identifying several leading practices that support staff well-being during a crisis.

As the COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold early last year, clinicians donned and doffed N95 masks as they always had done while caring for an increasing number of COVID patients. When it became clear that personal protective equipment (PPE), such as N95 masks, werein short supply, hospitals began extraordinary conservation and reuse measures. Today, the picture is much different.

During the next decade, outpatient procedures are expected to grow by 19%, with many transitioning outside hospital walls to lower-cost, lower-acuity ambulatory care sites. These shifts can provide opportunities for clinical leaders who are poised to take advantage of them. Here are the procedures predicted to shift along with four ways to prepare now.

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