Now that we’re moving into a post-COVID world, it’s incredible to look back at how quickly healthcare went from zero to 100 to face the threat of coronavirus head-on. We’ve seen the images of N-95 masks bruising a dedicated nurse’s face and the social media post from a physician who has worked doubles all week. And for all healthcare workers, “sleep” has been a foreign concept for months now.

But it won’t always be this way. In fact, a majority of America has already started opening again. While there is still pressure and urgency surrounding the pandemic, our staffing partners are also asking, “What comes next?” and “How can I provide post-COVID relief so my essential providers who may need a break can have one?”

Answers and solutions to these—and other—questions don’t have to be slow to find for those who build the infrastructure now. Floyd Lee Locums is encouraging all its contacts to consider creating a Roadmap Back to Routine. This plan can help you prepare for next week, next month, and next year in our post-COVID landscape.

As a starting place, start asking yourself key questions like:

1. What were my staffing needs BEFORE COVID-19 struck?
   • Do they remain consistent with where the facility is now?
   • If not, do you have the budget to support new roles?
2. How did your facility’s focus change when the pandemic occurred?
   • How fast or slow did focus shift?
   • Did budgets expand, constrict, or get reallocated to meet COVID-19?
   • Did expectations of your role change?
3. Did COVID-19 exacerbate or expose staffing problems?
   • Is there too much red tape in your organization?
   • Is there lack of clarity on priorities with internal team members?
   • Are your external partners meeting or missing your COVID-19 staffing needs?
4. Are there things you wish you could go back and tell yourself now?
   • Do you need to reserve more in emergency staffing dollars?
   • Was your staff able to manage an intensified work schedule?
   • Are you having healthcare providers coming back to work at different intervals?

One fundamental piece of the Roadmap to Routine is understanding that there may need to be a “new routine.” What worked before the pandemic could simply be unacceptable moving forward—and that’s okay.

With the answers above, bucket “like” responses together. Then, create a timeline where you identify what’s possible to address in the next year. Let’s take “budgets” for example:

Next week:

• Create a budget proposal that includes emergency staffing funds.
• Include a pre- and post-COVID funding comparison.
• Audit external vendor costs to supplement staffing.

Next month:

• Present emergency budget proposal to leadership.
• Source neutral industry benchmarking on staffing/role costs.

Next year:

• Conduct a competitive analysis to identify the ideal staffing partner.
• Share budget goals with partners and ask them to identify places they can add value (e.g., if you agree to partner exclusively with one company, will they offer you a discounted rate on placements?).

Repeat this exercise with each category you saw in your answers (e.g., budgets, roles needed, partner evaluation, facility opportunities, internal team, etc.). With this mapped out, you’ll be better prepared to meet obstacles as they occur rather than having challenges throwing you off course.

If you want help building your Roadmap Back to Routine, we’re happy to help. Contact us any time, and we’ll provide resources to fully evaluate where there may be gaps to helping you thrive in our post-COVID world.

About Floyd Lee Locums

Floyd Lee Locums provides an elite concierge experience to physicians, clinicians, and advanced practice providers in hospitals and healthcare facilities nationwide. Named the 2020 and 2021 “Best Staffing Firms to Temp For” by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), our hands-on approach to delivering best-in-class service, personalized career solutions, and coverage that positively impacts patient outcomes is setting a new standard in the locums industry.