As summer approaches, so do spikes in emergency room visits. As the weather warms up, here are some strategies to help you keep your facility fully staffed for the summer season.
1. Anticipate your peak periods
The emergency room tends to get busier during the summer as more people enjoy outdoor activities, and the risk of sports injuries and heat exposure increases. Holidays like Memorial Day, Labor Day—and especially the Fourth of July, which is often accompanied by fireworks-related injuries—often add to the number of patients coming into the ER.
All of this extra activity has the potential to make your ER a revolving door. However, anticipating those summer peaks and planning your staffing accordingly will help keep your facility running smoothly.
2. Avoid burnout by planning for additional staffing
Not only is summer the peak season for injuries—it’s also a time when your physicians are likely to consider taking time off. That means you could find your hospital understaffed at times when it’s already seeing an increase in patients.
When an ER physician takes some time off for vacation, other providers may be able to work double shifts to keep your facility running—but relying on staff to cover extra hours can eventually lead to burnout.
Ensuring that you have staffing coverage beyond a physician pulling the occasional double will help avoid staff burnout while keeping up with patient loads.
3. Add capacity through locum tenens
By accounting for summer patient volumes and potential time off, you can build a strategic plan to keep your facility staffed.
With locum tenens, you can scale up your staffing based on your seasonal needs. Locums providers can fill short-term gaps when your providers are out on vacation or provide additional support during peak patient volumes.
Locums provides the flexibility to help your facility maintain quality patient care—without overburdening your staff.
4. Build a relationship with a trusted staffing partner
A trusted staffing agency will anticipate your needs and help make sure you’re prepared for whatever comes up during summer, because you know that you and your patients are in good hands.
Building a relationship with your staffing partner before a staffing need arises allows them to get to know your facility’s unique needs, culture, and requirements. When you partner with a locum tenens agency early, they can begin identifying qualified candidates who match your specific needs—allowing for seamless integration when summer demands increase.
Summer’s surge in patient volumes doesn’t have to catch your facility off guard. By understanding seasonal patterns, implementing flexible staffing solutions like locum tenens, building relationships with trusted staffing partners, and prioritizing provider well-being, you can transform what might be a challenging season into one of operational excellence.
