Articles

Investing Early in Frontline Leaders: The Story Behind the Hillcrest Winning Metrics BY DAN COLLARD, COFOUNDER (WITH QUINT STUDER) HEALTHCARE PLUS SOLUTIONS GROUP A few years ago, Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was at a crossroads. The organization was experiencing some pretty big challenges. Registered nurse turnover and contract labor costs were higher than desired. Employee engagement was lower than desired. Meanwhile, charge nurses were under pressure, stretched thin, and often inexperienced, yet expected to lead without formal preparation or support. Of course, this predicament is hardly unique to Hillcrest. Across healthcare, ...

Exploring New Ways to Address Conflict Between Older and Younger Team Members BY MARGIE HACKBARTH, EMPOYEE EXPERIENCE ADVISOR, MARSHFIELD CLINIC - SANFORD HEALTH Conflicts between older and younger team members is an age-old problem that has been addressed in different ways over time, often raising awareness of preferences, tendencies and nuances of team members born in diverse generations like Gen Z, Gen Y (Millennials), Gen X, or Baby Boomers. This approach may help us better understand, explore, appreciate, and even celebrate our similarities and differences. While the intentions are good, more damaging are the unintentional impacts of age-related ...

The Silent Culture Killer: How Unhealed Betrayal Follows Healthcare Workers to Work BY DR. DEBI SILVER FOUNDER, & CEO, THE PBT ® INSTITUTE Imagine a nurse who, three years ago, discovered her husband had been having an affair. She processed it enough to get out of bed, go back to work, and keep functioning. From the outside, she looks fine. From the inside, she's operating in a state of low-grade hypervigilance — scanning for threats, struggling to trust colleagues, and quietly bracing for the next disappointment. Now put that nurse on a unit where staffing is short, leadership decisions feel top-down and unexplained, and a trusted colleague ...

Custom Beats Cookie-Cutter: Why Healthcare Staffing Tech Shouldn’t Be One Size Fits All BY CURT BALDWIN, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MEDICAL SOLUTIONS I was at Home Depot again last week, maybe for the fourth or fifth time, because I underestimated what I’d need for a home project. You know how it goes — you think it’ll be a quick fix, but one piece doesn’t quite fit, or you measured wrong, or you forgot something entirely. So, back to the store you go. It’s frustrating, but it’s also what happens when you’re trying to build something that actually works, not something that just sits there and looks right. Somewhere between trips, it hit me: ...

Menopause Matters: Supporting Women in the Workplace BY ALEXIA GEORGHIOU, FOUNDER, KNOXVILLE HAPPINESS COALITION Menopause is a natural stage in life, yet in workplaces across the globe, its impact is often dismissed or ignored. This oversight isn’t just a health issue — it’s a workplace crisis with measurable consequences. Millions of women go through menopause while employed but few receive the support they need. The result is burnout, lost productivity, poor mental health, and, in some tragic cases, irreversible outcomes. A recent case in the United Kingdom has drawn sharp attention to the risks of systemic neglect. Case Study: Jacqueline ...

Retention by Design: Predictive Analytics Meets Cognitive Load in Healthcare HR BY DR. ERIC RICHARDSON, PH.D., MPH, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP, CHHR, CHAIR AND PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT, MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND DR. JEAN GORDON, BSN, MS/HRM, MSN/ED, MBA/AAC, FNP, DBA, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AND MHA ONLINE DIVISION DIRECTOR, MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA What if you could predict which employees were most at risk of leaving months before they handed in their resignation? Or redesign work so that even the busiest shifts didn’t feel overwhelming? For healthcare human resource (HR) professionals, these possibilities ...

Look Three Ways for Career Development — Part 2 This article is Part 2 of a series. Part 1 appeared in the Q2 spring issue of HR Pulse. BY ELIZABETH BRUNO, MSN, RN When I first considered writing this article for ASHHRA, I thought about titling it "I’m Certified…Now What?" That’s a phrase I’ve heard from many HR colleagues when chatting about their careers. As I explored the topic and met with new and old friends, people spoke about careers, confusion, and a desire to move forward. Hence, the article. In my article titled Look in The Mirror, I asked you, the reader, several questions designed to help you clarify your focus, look closely at ...

Resilience. It Isn’t a Skill. It’s Not a Trait. It’s a Choice. WHAT STAGE IV CANCER TAUGHT ME ABOUT STRENGTH, SURRENDER, AND STARTING AGAIN BY MAUREEN O’BRIEN, CEO, THE GLOBAL WISDOM & LEADERSHIP FORUM AND FOUNDER, THE SALES SAGE™ Resilience is often portrayed as grit, toughness, and an unshakable spirit. But I’ve come to believe resilience is something deeper — quieter, more tender. It’s a decision to show up even when you’re uncertain, to keep moving when you feel broken, and to make the choice to begin again — especially when you wonder if you can. I didn’t learn this from a textbook. I learned it when I heard three words that split my ...

In a Perfect World: What National Nursing Credentialing Could Look Like BY PATTI ARTLEY, CHIEF NURSING OFFICER, MEDICAL SOLUTIONS, DNP, RN, NEA-BC Imagine a day when a nurse licensed in Illinois can start a new position in Arizona without navigating a maze of paperwork and delays. Every license, continuing education credit, and professional document is stored securely in one digital location, ready to be verified instantly. Job sourcing is assisted by AI, and nurses can respond to shifting needs across the country with agility and confidence. While this may sound idealistic, the opportunity to standardize credentialing in the United States is ...

The Balladeer Children’s Program: An Innovative Benefit That Helped Reconnect a Workforce BY ANNIE BRENNER, M.ED., BALLADEER CHILDREN’S PROGRAM COORDINATOR, BALLAD HEALTH; SHAWNA DEHART, BS, MANAGER, BALLADEER CHILDREN’S PROGRAM, BALLAD HEALTH; AND HAMLIN J. WILSON, MS, VICE-PRESIDENT, EMPLOYEE RELATIONS, AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, BALLAD HEALTH Recent years have certainly presented unique and unprecedented challenges for the healthcare industry. The COVID-19 pandemic placed immense strain on the workforce, leading to high turnover, diminished morale, and a palpable sense of depletion. Critical social work connections were often lost between ...

Hiring New Grads and Upskilling Workers for Healthcare Roles BY AMY MACKENROTH, M.A., ASSOCIATE DEPUTY CHANCELLOR, NATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS & INNOVATION AT DALLAS COLLEGE The healthcare industry is one of the most dynamic and essential sectors in the global economy. With an aging population and the continuous advancement of medical technologies, the demand for skilled healthcare professionals is ever-increasing. However, hiring new graduates for healthcare roles presents unique challenges and opportunities. Emphasizing skills-based hiring and work-based learning programs can significantly enhance the recruitment and integration of new graduates ...

Navigating Complexity: How AI and Chatbots Simplify Onboarding in Healthcare HR BY DR. ERIC RICHARDSON, PH.D., MPH, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP, CHHR, CHAIR AND PROFESSOR, DEPT. OF HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT, COLLEGE OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS, MEDICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND DR. JEAN GORDON, BSN, MS/HRM, MSN/ED, MBA/AAC, FNP, DBA Introduction The landscape of healthcare human resources (HR) is undergoing rapid transformation driven by the urgent need to address the unique challenges impacting workforce efficiency and patient care. Traditional HR practices are often hindered by high turnover rates, staffing shortages, complex compliance ...

A New Direction at the NLRB, and Not a Moment Too Soon BY CHRIS CIMINO, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CHESSBOARD CONSULTING, INC. First, the good news! As the chart (below) indicates, healthcare union organizing — as measured by representation elections held by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) — declined by roughly 23% in the first half of 2025 (compared to the first six months of 2024). 1 The not-so-good news: unions still won an eye-popping 86% of all healthcare elections that took place in the first half of this calendar year. The decline in healthcare union organizing follows a larger trend for all NLRB elections. The first six months of ...