Healthcare organizations that provide information about their institutions’ work experiences, benefits and perks can better find candidates to join their teams, said Dr. Iman Abuzeid, CEO and co-founder of Incredible Health, a healthcare career platform powered by artificial intelligence.
Abuzeid told Healthcare IT News Data from the company’s fifth State of US Nursing Report also shows that hospitals have implemented more flexible schedules and that nurse salaries have increased 40% this year.
The research It also found that while nurses trust a platform that uses generative AI to match them with healthcare employers, they are hesitant to use AI in their work and fear that their employers will use AI to deliver healthcare.
In the following Q&A, Abuzeid explains why healthcare leaders should not only share their AI roadmaps with nurses and other healthcare workers, but also take the time to communicate their organizations’ success in using AI to improve patient care and employee experiences.
Q. Despite staffing shortages, nursing teams across the U.S. are reporting staff reductions and mandates. What are your insights on the current labor market challenges facing nurses?
A. Nurses face many challenges in finding a job. For example, they have to apply to many employers and never get a response. They are not aware of what employers expect from resumes, they are not well informed about the guidance during job interviews and they are not well informed about the many opportunities that are available to them nationwide.
We see that healthcare systems that deliver what nurses actually want attract more talent.
Our 2024 Healthcare Executive Report finds that 82% of healthcare leaders have struggled to recruit permanent nurses to fill open positions in the past year.
The most common request healthcare leaders received from nurses was for pay raises, with more than half (64%) saying raises were the most effective method of attracting and hiring nurses. Additionally, flexible scheduling and career opportunities are increasingly offered by health systems.
Hospitals that implement these recruitment strategies are seeing success.
Q. How can artificial intelligence help reduce the nursing shortage and improve healthcare worker experiences in the workplace?
A. AI can reduce the nursing shortage by expanding opportunities and streamlining the hiring process for healthcare professionals.
AI-powered tools can more efficiently match nurses to roles and automate administrative tasks, freeing up time for patient care. Additionally, these technologies can improve the overall job search experience by providing tailored job recommendations and improving hiring workflows.
At Incredible Health, we recently launched a suite of AI-powered products to help both nurses and health systems navigate the hiring process.
Our Resume Wizard allows nurses to generate a free resume that is automatically optimized to showcase their skills and match them to the hospitals and positions that meet their criteria.
Health systems on our platform use generative AI to help recruiters automate tailored messaging directly to nurse candidates, detailing key hospital benefits, perks, and other differentiators of joining their team. Since implementing this feature, we’ve seen a notable 20% increase in nurses accepting interview requests on Incredible Health’s marketplace.
It helps nurses make more informed decisions about which careers to pursue and helps hospitals differentiate themselves from the competition.
Q. If more than half of nurses surveyed (53%) fear that AI will “create a generation gap,” what does that mean for the experienced workforce and the organizations that rely on them for institutional knowledge, training, and mentoring?
A. Senior nurses play a key role in training and mentoring the next generation of nurses in the workforce. Data from our recent report also showed that most nurses use AI for scheduling and basic administrative tasks, but only 11% said they use it to recommend patient care during the intake process.
There is some fear to be expected when trying out a new technology whose implications are still unknown. However, older generations can rest assured that these tools are an aid to automating tasks, not a replacement for patient care.
Q. If nurses are hesitant to use AI to recommend patient care (12% in the Incredible Health study reported using these tools), what’s behind this fear and how can healthcare organizations address it?
A. The fear of this may be different for every nurse, but our data shows that 64% of nurses believe AI will be detrimental to their work.
These concerns extend beyond the healthcare sector: Many American workers fear how AI could impact the future of work.
Lack of communication about AI and its role can cause stress among employees. To reduce this, healthcare leaders should share more about their AI roadmap, its intended use, and how it has already made a positive impact within the organization.
Q. How has AI anecdotally improved communication with existing nurses and resulted in positive impacts such as higher salaries, flexible scheduling, and reduced reliance on traveling nurses, and how has it attracted new nursing talent to end the shortage within an organization?
A. Healthcare systems on our platform use generative AI to help recruiters instantly send automated, specially tailored messages to nursing candidates, highlighting important details about hospital amenities, perks, and other differentiators for joining their team.
By promoting what their healthcare system has to offer, such as flexible work hours and career opportunities, they can attract talent and retain nurses.
This year, 35% of hospitals have implemented more flexible schedules, up 23% from last year, and 66% have increased nurse salaries, up 40% from the previous year.
Improving nurse retention and better staffing are a direct result of delivering what nurses want.
The HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum will take place September 5-6 in Boston. More information and registration.
Andrea Fox is Editor-in-Chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email address: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.