Guide in Building Your Own Float Pool

The urgency to implement internal, adaptable talent pools to cover open shifts, commonly referred to as "float pools," has reached unprecedented levels. Ongoing staff shortages, burnout, and turnover in healthcare have created a staffing crisis not witnessed in recent history, making these float pools a critical solution for filling staffing gaps.

Previously, healthcare facilities relied on temporary measures such as supplemental staffing agencies, travel nurses, or overtime incentives to maintain staffing levels, but these were intended as short-term fixes. With staffing shortages worsening and no immediate resolution in sight, the industry must adopt long-term strategies. Internal float pools offer a sustainable, cost-effective alternative that ensures continuity of care.

As healthcare embraces the gig economy trend, flexibility for healthcare workers is increasingly crucial. Float pools represent the optimal long-term solution for meeting staffing needs efficiently. Whether for large healthcare organizations or individual facilities, float pools enable shift coverage without excessive costs.

This guide outlines five essential steps to initiate your own float pool.

Step 1: Establish a Management System

The key to achieving success hinges on establishing an effective management system. Healthcare organizations grapple with varying census figures and the unpredictable demand for float pools. Without adequate management, deployment strategies, development plans, and visibility, these efforts are destined to falter.

A crucial first step involves appointing or hiring a dedicated individual to oversee the float pool—a centralized owner such as a coordinator, manager, or director. Similar to other managerial roles in healthcare settings, this individual will possess comprehensive oversight and authority to drive team performance. However, leveraging appropriate tools and implementing streamlined processes is essential to ensuring their effectiveness.

Methods and operational procedures

Effective deployment of the float pool team relies entirely on utilizing dedicated tools and processes designed for this purpose. The primary objective of a float pool is to seamlessly fill essential gaps and accommodate fluctuating shift requirements, making a sophisticated and capable scheduling tool indispensable.

Scheduling tools like Kevala, QGenda, Axxess Home Health, CentralReach and OnShift are specifically engineered to connect all available shifts with your labor pools, including the float team. The appointed leader of your float team should adeptly leverage these tools to establish a robust scheduling workflow that anticipates and meets the needs of each department or facility. Given the complexity inherent in scheduling across different buildings and departments, the tools employed must be intuitive to minimize errors and ensure efficiency.

Furthermore, communication between the float team and the respective buildings or units they support must be straightforward and direct. Implementing streamlined communication through specialized tools bridges gaps and enhances coordination between facilities and the float team. Establishing clear communication protocols, defining performance expectations, and providing structured scheduling frameworks for float members are all critical elements in fostering a high-functioning team.

Automated tools for scheduling and communication are not merely advantageous but essential components of a successful management system. By leveraging tools specifically designed to optimize shift coverage and address healthcare staffing shortages, you position your float pool for success. Remember, a solid management system is key to cultivating an effective team.

Step 2: Build Your Team

The next step involves recruiting personnel to fill these new roles, focusing not just on filling positions but on selecting the most qualified candidates for the job.

There are several strategies to establish an effective float team, beginning with an assessment of the specific roles and locations needing staffing. Identifying which departments or areas require the most support and determining the specific positions in demand provides a starting point to prioritize recruitment efforts. It's also essential to evaluate the reliance on staffing agencies, especially in critical areas. Balancing cost savings with building a resilient workforce are key priorities in float pool development, requiring a clear understanding of where adjustments can be made.

Harness Internal Resources

Once the staffing needs are identified, your organization’s Human Resources team can lead recruitment efforts effectively. Leveraging widely-used platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter ensures reaching a broad audience swiftly. Posting job listings, conducting interviews, and providing training are essential steps in assembling your float team. Another valuable approach is maximizing existing resources within your organization.

Consider the potential for current full-time staff members to transition into more flexible roles. By cross-training these employees and facilitating their shift into flexible positions, significant time, money, and resources can be saved. Current staff members require minimal training since they are already familiar with your organization's operations. Offering increased flexibility can enhance their job satisfaction and performance, benefiting both employees and the organization alike.

Step 3: Deployment

The primary objective of this step is to effectively deploy your float team, ensuring seamless integration with each facility while providing the desired flexibility for staff members. The level of scheduling flexibility offered by your organization can encompass dictating entire schedules or allowing team members more control over certain aspects of their shifts.

A common approach involves setting core schedules while permitting float members to have input on shift lengths, times (AM, PM, NOC), or specific days they prefer off. While the overall schedule remains under organizational control, empowering staff with some scheduling autonomy significantly enhances employee satisfaction.

Prior to deployment, it's essential to establish a fair and transparent compensation system. Consider these guidelines to develop a system that aligns with your organization’s pay structure, complies with federal and state labor laws, and possibly includes incentives for working in particular locations or shifts.

Remember, float pools are designed to address staffing shortages, increased patient demand, or unexpected absences. Maintaining 1-2 float members on call ensures readiness to fill in during emergencies or urgent staffing needs.

For instance, if you have three healthcare facilities and a team of 10 float nurses, rotate each member through full-time schedules across these facilities. This approach allows them sufficient time to familiarize themselves with each department or facility, enabling them to develop preferences that can optimize scheduling efficiency over time.

Successful deployment of a float team strikes a balance between structure and flexibility, ensuring schedules meet organizational needs while adapting to unforeseen circumstances. Proper deployment enhances healthcare facility efficiency, ultimately improving patient care.

Step 4: Monitor

Technology plays a crucial role in ensuring the effectiveness of operational functions, including float pools. Employing technology to facilitate efficient communication of schedules is essential for optimizing the performance of a float team. By utilizing notification systems, real-time updates, and data analysis, your float team can achieve its maximum potential.

When establishing your own float pool, it's imperative to integrate scheduling and tracking technology. This implementation helps facilities avoid costly staffing errors by monitoring and responding to nurse shift preferences and trends effectively. Having the right technology in place enables visibility and tracking of your float team’s deployment, significantly impacting its success.

Utilizing data and technology provides actionable insights that are pivotal in cost reduction efforts. By tracking data, your organization can pinpoint staffing gaps across departments or facilities and identify where additional full-time staff is necessary. This insight enhances recruitment strategies for filling recurring shifts and guides targeted advertising efforts.

Analyzing data reveals areas of underutilization and excessive spending, critical for optimizing operational efficiency. A comprehensive software solution offers a detailed dashboard to monitor staffing expenditures, whether with agency partners, full-time employees, or the float pool team. Such tools are indispensable for establishing a successful float pool, underscoring the importance of their implementation and proficiency in usage.

Step 5: Optimization

With your float pool recruited, deployed, managed, and tracked, what comes next?

Optimization.

Achieving maximum effectiveness with a float pool hinges on prioritizing its members. In healthcare, a persistent challenge is preventing burnout and reducing turnover among nurses who face the daily demands of their roles. It's crucial to ensure your float team remains engaged and satisfied. While you may already employ various retention strategies, float pools require unique attention due to the dynamic nature of their work environment. Each shift demands adaptability and performance, which should be acknowledged and supported. Here are some approaches to foster engagement and cultivate a sense of community and morale within your float team:

• Regular staff meetings or check-ins to promote transparent communication

• Personalized recognition and awards for exceptional performance

• Opportunities for professional development tailored to float pool members

• Mentorship programs aimed at career advancement

• Providing support resources to manage workload and reduce stress and burnout.

Building a collaborative relationship with your float team is pivotal for optimizing their performance. As discussed in Step 3, involving float nurses in decision-making about certain aspects of their schedules enhances their sense of ownership and commitment. Engaging them in meetings to voice their opinions contributes significantly to retention and overall performance.

Optimizing your float pools also entails maximizing individual performance. Given their diverse experiences across various facilities and departments, allowing float nurses to work where they excel is essential. For instance, if a nurse seeks to develop pediatric care skills, offering more shifts in the pediatric center can facilitate their growth and proficiency. 

Establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with your float staff is fundamental to the success and optimization of your float pool. Strengthening these connections fosters improved utilization and performance over time.

Maximize the Utilization of the Healthcare Workforce

Think of your nurse float pool as a resilient support system. Like a safety net, it requires ongoing assessment and adjustment—strengthening where necessary, expanding where needed—to effectively meet the dynamic demands of your healthcare organization. The value of this staff safety net lies in its ability to adapt through experience and proactive management.

A float pool represents a sustainable solution to enduring challenges in healthcare staffing. As flexibility becomes increasingly standard for healthcare professionals, float pools align with this trend. Shifting the focus from merely securing adequate staff to optimizing their utilization is essential for overcoming staffing shortages. Float pools play a crucial role in addressing the pressing needs of the healthcare staffing industry.