Staffing shortages continue to disrupt hospital operations, stretch teams thin, and threaten care quality. Despite gradual improvements in inpatient volumes, labor costs remain high, and support roles are unstable. Inexperienced RNs are stepping into demanding environments without the necessary infrastructure, while licensed staff face mounting burnout. Health systems can’t afford to wait for workforce conditions to normalize. They’re rethinking staffing models, redefining care delivery, and exploring new role configurations to remain viable.
Here’s how health systems are taking action.
Rethinking Care Teams Beyond Licensed Staff
University Hospitals offers a clear example of what’s possible when organizations move beyond traditional role structures. With high RN turnover, the system piloted new support roles at Cleveland Medical Center and Ahuja Medical Center. To relieve pressure on nurses, they introduced patient transporters, community health workers, and spiritual care partners.
These roles don’t require licensure but are key in patient experience and care coordination. Transporters help with patient movement and logistics. Community health workers offer advocacy and assist with discharge planning. Spiritual care providers support communication and emotional wellness. Together, they helped reduce overall RN turnover by over 40 percent and cut first-year RN turnover by up to 70 percent. This success highlights the importance of blending licensed and unlicensed positions to create a more sustainable staffing model.
Shifting From “Top-of-License” to “Right-fit” Care Delivery
The push for top-of-license practice has collided with reality. Many support roles experience high churn. Nurses entering the workforce often lack the clinical experience to take full advantage of license-based delegation. Health systems respond by adjusting expectations and designing workflows that focus on consistency, not idealized models.
By investing in hybrid care teams that include tech-enabled roles and flexible staffing pools, hospitals can reduce nurse strain without compromising quality. Advisory Board research shows that nearly half of chief nursing officers now rank workload reduction as their top retention priority.
Innovating Care Environments to Match Staffing Realities
Acute care bias dominates healthcare infrastructure, even as capacity constraints worsen. One solution gaining traction is using transitional care environments to support discharge-ready patients. In Ontario, hospitals retrofitted a former hotel into a “satellite care facility” with over 60 beds, staffed by more than 100 nurses and 15 physicians. This approach freed up acute beds while still maintaining care continuity.
Similarly, some U.S. systems are testing SNF-at-Home models. These allow patients typically requiring skilled nursing facility placement to recover safely at home with virtual monitoring, therapy, and nursing support. Experts estimate that up to 15 percent of SNF patients could benefit from this alternative.
The Bottom Line
Staffing issues won’t resolve themselves. Instead of waiting, innovative health systems are designed around their existing workforce. They’re diversifying roles, reconfiguring care settings, and using data to inform decisions that relieve pressure on licensed clinicians.
Transform Your Staffing Strategy with Proven Workforce Solutions
At Supplemental Health Care, we support this transformation. Whether you need flexible clinical staff or insight into hybrid workforce models, our team can help you build a care delivery strategy that works, not just today, but for the long term. To implement workforce solutions that support long-term care delivery, connect with the team at Supplemental Health Care and start building your strategy today.
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