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Topics: Healthcare, COVID-19
The economy began the second half of the year with strong momentum, with the July 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Hiring Situation reporting that 943,000 new jobs were created last month. The gains were the largest seen in nearly a year and the unemployment rate ticked down to 5.6%, a 16-month low.
Healthcare added 36,800 jobs in July. Job gains in ambulatory health care services (31,900) and hospitals (18,300) than offset a loss of 13,400 jobs in nursing and residential care facilities. Healthcare employment remains down by 502,000 since February 2020.
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Topics: Jobs Report
Hiring surged in June, according to the June 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Hiring Situation Report, which showed that 850,000 new jobs were gained last month. The increase was the largest in 10 months and the unemployment rate ticked up to 5.9% from 5.8% the month prior. Most of the growth was seen in the service sector, reflecting signs of economic improvement.
That said, the healthcare sector lost 12,000 jobs in June, with hospitals recording a third straight month of job losses. Hospitals lost 5,500 jobs, and nursing homes lost 9,600 jobs in June. Those losses were slightly offset by 2,900 new jobs in ambulatory services. After seeing modest gains at the start of 2021, hospitals have recorded 10,200 job losses since April. Overall 537,000 healthcare jobs have been lost since the start of the pandemic in February 2020, with nursing homes making up the majority of the loss (-360,000), while hospitals have accounted for nearly one-fifth of all losses (-102,000) jobs. The only portion of the healthcare sector which saw growth throughout the pandemic has been within ambulatory care, which gained 75,400 jobs during the same time period.
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Topics: Jobs Report
Congratulations to Chris Ocampo, BSN, RN, on earning a DAISY Award!
Chris was nominated by a patient at HCA Houston Healthcare West for the kindness that he exhibited and the care that he displayed to both the patient and family. Read the full nomination below:
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Topics: Nurse Appreciation, Healthcare, HealthTrust, Nurse Recognition, DAISY Award
The dedication and diligence of every employee at HealthTrust Workforce Solutions help contribute to positive patient care. We are grateful for the outstanding commitment of our exceptional employees and the hard work that is consistently displayed! For the second quarter of 2021, we have highlighted below a few Recruitment employees who went above and beyond in their service to colleagues and clinicians.
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Topics: HealthTrust, Healthcare Recruitment
A two-year-old Labrador retriever is helping keep patients, visitors and caregivers safe by sniffing for signs of COVID-19 at Doctors Hospital in Sarasota, Fla. "It's a distinct smell. The body's response to us fighting off COVID-19 is what the dogs are reacting to," explains Buffy's trainer Laska Parrow. The idea came about because Bob Meade serves as both a board member for the non-profit that trained Buffy, and is the CEO of the Doctors Hospital of Sarasota.
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Topics: Healthcare, COVID-19
As we head into the holiday weekend, HealthTrust Workforce Solutions would like to wish you all the best for a great holiday and a Happy 4th of July! This 4th of July, we would like to honor those who have dedicated and sacrificed their lives for the freedom that our nation enjoys today. We are thankful for the commitment that has been and continues to be made for our nation as we strive for a better tomorrow.
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Topics: Special Holiday Message, Health & Safety, 4th of July
Amy Rushton, Vice President of Behavioral Health for HCA Healthcare, recently spoke about mental health awareness and how to practice self-care at work.
(Some responses have been edited for clarity).
How has HCA Healthcare responded to mental health needs over the past year?
I will say our leadership team at HCA Healthcare was very concerned about the impact that COVID-19 was going to have on everyone and tried to get things in place to provide support at all different levels in the company.
We are particularly proud of our nurse care hotline (800-480-1234), which is for nurses who are working in our facilities. That has been very highly utilized, especially during this past year.
In our facilities, we also posted electronic posters that reminded our staff members about signs and symptoms of stress. For our Behavioral Health service line, we had folks in divisions hosting wellness chats, which has been very well-received.
Some facilities set up a calming area where, if things were really stressful at work, colleagues could go to this room and just decompress.
In addition, our benefits department put together additional resources for our employee assistance program (EAP).
What are some signs of stress at work?
We’ve seen a whole bunch of different signs — from difficulty thinking clearly, confusion, difficulty problem-solving, making decisions and even some memory issues or misinterpretation of situations or comments.
Some behavioral signs may be risk-taking. This could be more alcohol consumption, conflicts with others, withdrawal and isolation. There are some physical feelings as well. We heard a lot about inability to relax and trouble sleeping. I think that was a huge one for many folks.
On the emotional side, there was anger, hostility, frustration, sadness, difficulty maintaining an emotional balance. There were a lot of symptoms related to excessive stress.
If you notice these symptoms in someone, what’s the best way to address it?
I think the most important way to address it is to ask them how they’re doing. I want to emphasize that it’s so important not to shy away from that conversation and to ask someone how they’re doing, really doing. Also normalize the experience that’s happened. We’ve all had extreme stress over this year. It’s okay for them to feel like they are stressed.
What’s important though, is to know that if it goes on for more than two to four weeks or interferes with your relationships, your work or your daily functioning, that’s when you really do need to seek some additional care.
If you’re a high-achiever and often do well in crises, it might not always be obvious when there is internal mental turmoil. Can you talk about that?
I think it’s so important to take time for ourselves. For high achievers, it’s knowing when you feel slightly different.
I can’t stress enough the importance of knowing how your body feels and also recognizing that it’s okay not to feel okay. We have to take time to just breathe, be in the present and feel how our body feels. That’s the best way to take care of yourself.
What are some things colleagues can do at work to alleviate stress or feeling overwhelmed?
Breathing in and out of your nose is such a powerful way to help calm yourself down. Also, taking a minute to just take a walk around the building, or eating, taking breaks, drinking fluids.
If you have a buddy at work that knows you, maybe check in with each other. And if you see someone maybe acting a little bit irritable, have permission with that person to say, ‘Look, you’re sounding a little irritable today, take a walk.’
What else should people know?
Just be very mindful of how you’re feeling. It does happen that some people will look back on this time over the past year and start to get anxious. That’s okay, and it’s really important to talk about that, especially if it continues to come up and you’re feeling some of those symptoms of stress again.
I think, we need to normalize mental health, talk about how we’re feeling and acknowledge that it’s okay if you need some more support.
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Topics: Healthcare, Mental Health Awareness
Lauren Poliakin says her father’s knowledge, experience and compassion as a physician inspire her in the way she cares for her patients.
Lauren Poliakin and her father Raymond, an OB-GYN, share more than a profession as Raymond delivered his daughter at the same hospital — Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, CA — where they both now practice.
Lauren, who finished her residency in bariatrics just last year, often seeks guidance from her father, who has been in practice for 37 years.
Raymond frequently made the weekend rounds at Los Robles with each of his four children. Lauren, his eldest, was the one who was most eager to be there.
“It’s great working with her,” he says. “Every day is like ‘bring your child to work day.’”
Drawn to medicine
When Raymond was in the second grade, he wrote an essay about wanting to be a pediatrician. His pediatrician lived just a few blocks away from his family’s home and during a house call, diagnosed Raymond with appendicitis. His surgery, which was performed at a teaching hospital, made a lasting impression on him.
“They were all very supportive, very understanding, and they were caring. That was something that probably influenced me,” he recalls.
Raymond continued to excel in the sciences, never straying from his medical pursuits. When it came time to determine his specialty, he considered several areas: pediatrics, nephrology, general surgery and dermatology. Finally, he found his calling in obstetrics and gynecology.
“I found it very exciting and very rewarding — both the emergencies and delivering babies. So even though I gave up my sleep, I found that it was the happiest profession for me,” he says.
Dr. Raymond Poliakin, wife Victorine, and newborn Lauren in the late 1980s. Raymond delivered his daughter Lauren, as well as her three siblings at Los Robles.
Like her father, Lauren excelled in the sciences and in high school knew that she wanted to pursue a career in medicine. She initially thought she would focus on surgery, trauma and critical care. But in the third year of her surgery residency, she got the chance to work with a bariatric surgeon. That’s how she found her calling in bariatrics and obesity medicine.
“I love the anatomy of the esophagus, stomach and small bowel. And then the way that the surgery is done is very elegant, and I like that. I like that once you are able to master any of the bariatric surgeries, I think that you could do any type of surgery,” she says. “So, I liked that aspect, that knowing that these types of procedures are difficult, but once you’re able to master them, then you can feel confident with any other surgery.”
Her work is also rewarding because it often significantly improves the lives of her patients. Many tell her that their surgeries relieve back or knee pain they’ve endured for years and that they are able to be physically active with their families again.
“Most, if not all, of the patients are very happy after bariatric surgery because they get another chance at life,” she says. “A lot of people feel like they can’t have a second chance despite trying everything as far as diet, exercise and medications.”
Lessons learned
Lauren says the best advice her dad has ever given her is to do what makes her happy. He also told her to always believe in herself and trust her own instincts.
Raymond says he wanted his children to experience the same job satisfaction that has sustained him throughout his career. He tells them: “Make sure that whatever profession you do choose, make sure that you’re not working every day of your life: that you’re going to work, but you don’t feel like you worked that day — because that’s how I feel,” he says.
He enjoys helping Lauren perform surgeries and says she’s taught him new techniques.
“I am most proud of her when we are doing emergency surgeries that do not follow normal anatomy or present a unique surgical crossroad,” he says. “Her decision-making always leads her down the correct path.”
Lauren says her father’s calm demeanor during surgeries, his continual thirst for knowledge and his nurturing manner with patients inspire her.
“I liked seeing him speak with the patients and treat them. When I was younger, I didn’t really understand a lot that was going on, but I could see the patients’ facial expressions and when they were really happy — I liked the happiness part of it,” she recalls. “It was just a really positive atmosphere.”
Lauren trusts and respects her dad so much that she wants him to be her OB-GYN too.
“He is someone that I would let operate on me. And whenever I do end up having a baby, I want my dad to deliver the baby,” she says.
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Topics: Healthcare
Nurse Haley Arnouville at Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, La. was working the Emergency Room check-in desk when Mr. Ben walked in and said he was looking for his wife. After trying to search for his spouse, she noticed him sitting in the ER waiting area alone. She checked on him and noticed signs of dementia. She took the initiative to search online for his name and discovered his family had reported him missing three days prior in Waco, Texas. Haley worked with the local sheriff's office to safely reunite him with his family.
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Topics: Healthcare
