Positioning the Regional Workforce Collaborative – Perfect Timing

Today, a popular discussion is how to attract and retain the right employee. Everyone seems to have an expert opinion. The reality is that it’s more complicated than most want to admit. According to Labor Department data, a workforce shortage is fast approaching. It will significantly impact every organization, forcing them to take prudent steps to preserve current workforce while actively planning for future workforce needs. Pricewaterhouse Coopers, In Managing Tomorrow’s People, 2011, says “the race to capture the best has always been challenging, but with even less talent available in tomorrow’s world, we can expect a significant talent crunch with a potentially profound impact on organizations.”

North Texas hospitals have always believed this to be true as the trend lines in their individual hospital systems have been indicating. With an aging workforce and a declining pool of young talent this unprecedented shift will require bold innovations. This is what the North Texas Regional Healthcare Workforce Planning Collaborative (NTRHWPC) has embarked upon – a journey that has created the first regional workforce planning tool to provide benchmarks to hospital partners. With this innovation area hospitals will now be able to see how they compare to other hospital systems in North Texas.  With a singular pool of talent, having this information is crucial to making more informed workforce business decisions.

The NTRHWPC is starting to get familiar with the capabilities of the workforce tool and to see how far reaching is its capability and application. Educational partners and key stakeholders are starting to engage. Following the antitrust safe harbor requirements, very strict guidelines are in place as to who will have access to data and what data can and cannot be shared. The stage is being set for continuous collaboration that will ensure hospital partners agree on any data sharing.

With these safeguards in place, the NTRHWPC partners including regional coordinator, technology partner and hospital partners will continue to support this effort. Its educational partners and other key stakeholders will benefit from knowing what programs are needed to prepare the future workforce.  Hospital partners will benefit significantly from having the right workforce, well prepared and equipped at the right time delivering the most efficient quality and cost effective patient experience well into the future.

For further information or to learn how to participate in this collaborative, contact Neguiel Francis at nfrancis@dfwhcfoundation.org or 469-648-5033 or Sally Williams at swilliams@dfwhcfoundation.org or 469-648-5030