Healthcare organizations that share information about work experience, benefits and perks at their facilities will have a better chance of finding candidates who want to join their team, said Dr. Iman Abouzeid, CEO and co-founder of Incredible Health, an artificial intelligence-powered healthcare career platform.
Abouzeid told Healthcare IT News that data from the company’s fifth annual State of Nursing in America report also shows that hospitals are implementing more flexible work schedules and that nurses’ salaries are up 40% this year.
The survey also found that while nurses trust platforms that use generative AI to match them with healthcare employers, they are hesitant to use AI in their work and fearful that their employers will use AI to deliver healthcare.
In the following Q&A, Abouzeid explains why healthcare leaders should not only share their AI roadmap with nurses and other healthcare professionals, but also take the time to communicate their organization’s success using AI to improve patient care and employee experience.
Q. Despite the talent shortage, nursing teams across the U.S. are reporting cuts and staffing mandates. What is your perspective on the current job market challenges facing nurses?
A. Nurses face many challenges when finding work, including applying to many employers without receiving a response, limited awareness of employer expectations on resumes, limited interview guidance, and limited awareness of the myriad opportunities available to nurses across the country.
We found that health systems that give nurses what they really want attract more and better talent.
According to our 2024 Healthcare Executive Report, 82% of healthcare leaders have experienced challenges recruiting full-time nurses to fill vacant positions in the past year.
The most common request healthcare executives received from nurses was for higher salaries, with more than half (64%) saying it was the most effective way to attract and retain nurses. Additionally, health systems are increasingly offering flexible work schedules and opportunities for career advancement.
Hospitals that have implemented these recruitment strategies have been successful.
Q. How can artificial intelligence help reduce the nursing shortage and improve the workplace experience for healthcare workers?
A. AI can shrink the nursing shortage by expanding opportunities for healthcare workers and streamlining the job search process.
AI-powered tools can efficiently match nurses to the right roles and automate administrative tasks, freeing up time for patient care. Additionally, these technologies can improve the overall job search experience by providing customized job recommendations and improving hiring workflows.
Incredible Health recently introduced a suite of AI-powered products to aid in the hiring process for both nurses and health systems.
One feature, the Resume Wizard, allows nurses to create a free resume that highlights their skills and is automatically optimized to match them with hospitals and roles that meet their criteria.
Health systems on our platform are using generative AI to enable recruiters to instantly automate specially tailored messaging to nursing candidates, highlighting key details about hospital benefits, perks, and other differentiators for joining our team. Since implementing this feature, they’ve seen a 20% increase in nurses accepting interview requests on Incredible Health’s marketplace.
This allows nurses to make more informed decisions about which job opportunities to pursue and allows hospitals to differentiate themselves from their competitors.
Q. If more than half (53%) of nurses surveyed are concerned that AI will “create a generational divide,” what does that mean for a skilled, experienced workforce and the organizations that rely on them for organizational knowledge, training and mentorship?
A. Experienced nurses play a key role in training and mentoring the next generation of nurses in the workplace. Data from our recent report showed that while most nurses use AI for scheduling and basic administrative tasks, only 11% of nurses reported using AI to make patient care recommendations during the admission process.
While fear is expected when exploring new technologies with unknown impacts, older generations can take comfort in knowing that these tools are aids in automating tasks, not replacements for patient care.
Q. If nurses are hesitant to use AI to make patient care recommendations (12% report using these tools in the Incredible Health survey), what’s behind this anxiety and how can healthcare organizations address it?
A. The fear behind this may vary from nurse to nurse, but our data shows that 64% of nurses believe AI will have a negative impact on their employment.
These concerns are not limited to the healthcare industry, as many American workers are concerned about how AI will affect the future of work.
Lack of communication about AI and its role can cause stress for employees. To mitigate this, healthcare leaders need to share more about their AI roadmap, intended use, and how AI is already creating a positive impact within their organizations.
Q. Anecdotally, how has AI improved communication with existing nurses, provided positive effects such as increased pay, flexible scheduling, and reduced reliance on traveling nurses, and attracted new nursing talent to address nursing shortages at your organization?
A. Health systems on our platform are using generative AI to enable recruiters to instantly automate specially tailored messaging to nursing candidates, highlighting key details about hospital benefits, perks and other differentiators when joining our team.
Advertising what your health system has to offer, such as flexible schedules and opportunities for career advancement, will help attract top talent and retain nurses.
Thirty-five percent of hospitals have implemented more flexible work schedules this year, a 23% increase from last year, and 66% have increased nurses’ salaries, a 40% increase from the previous year.
Increased nurse retention and improved staffing ratios are a direct result of giving nurses what they want.
The HIMSS AI in Healthcare Forum is scheduled to take place in Boston on September 5-6. More information and registration available here.
Andrea Fox is a senior editor at Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.
