Millions of people are affected by mental illness each year. But with 43% of Americans lacking the mental health support they seek, the need for reliable psychiatry staffing has never been more prevalent. As 83% of our nation’s behavioral health providers are voicing concern about meeting mental health care demands, it is clear that facilities need outside support to maintain full coverage. Join the PsychStaffing team as we unpack the root causes of these staffing shortages and share how mental health staffing agencies can help.
Understanding Psychiatry Staffing Shortages
Psychiatry staffing shortages continue to plague facilities across the nation. The need for mental health support is high – 1 in 5 US adults experience mental illness. But that need is struggling to be met by behavioral health providers, as 93% report experiencing burnout and 48% say that workforce shortages are causing them to consider other types of employment.
These shortages have a domino effect: A facility loses a few providers, the facility struggles to make new hires, the remaining providers experience an increased caseload, and eventually those providers feel burned out and look for a new job. Until the behavioral health field can make substantial changes in how it approaches psychiatry staffing, the cycle will continue.
Factors Contributing to Staffing Shortages
The first step in ending the cycle of psychiatry staffing shortages is to truly understand the root cause. Many providers feel overworked and under-supported, lacking hope that their team will grow enough to grant them any relief. Here we expand on the factors that contribute to staffing shortages.
Increasing Demand
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, our nation has experienced an increasing demand for mental health services. In fact, 87% of our nation’s mental health providers have voiced concern about providing care in the event of another national health crisis. This growing need for behavioral health support is exhausting our already weak psychiatry staffing system. Without the intervention from psychiatry recruitment firms, patients will continue to miss out on much-needed treatment.
Burnout
According to the World Health Organization, burnout is a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy. This feeling of burnout, often caused by the increasing caseload mentioned above, convinces psychiatrists and nurse practitioners that they have no choice but to leave their jobs. Without support from teammates and management, the decision to leave should be no surprise.
Insufficient Training Programs
Another factor that often contributes to staffing shortages across many facilities is insufficient training. Poor training begets mistakes, miscommunication, unsatisfied patients, and more. A reliable way to cultivate a healthy culture at work and retain employees is to ensure they all receive the support, resources, and training they need to thrive. When employees are appropriately trained, they can optimize their workload and support their team with diligence.
How Staffing Shortages Can Affect Facilities
Psychiatry staffing shortages impact providers, their facilities, and their patients. The fallout of these deficits can be life-threatening. Join us as we share the major concerns that impact facilities facing staffing shortages and how mental health staffing agencies can help alleviate these concerns.
Compromised Care
As mental health specialists are forced to balance higher and higher caseloads, the care each patient receives may trend downwards. With fewer and fewer available psychiatrists, many patients are desperate to receive the care they need. The stakes are high in the field of behavioral health – facilities can not risk patients receiving anything but top-tier care.
Limited Access to Care
While some patients may experience compromised care, others will struggle to find access to care at all. A 2022 study found that most Americans who needed mental health care but did not receive it experienced issues with personal relationships (50%), work issues (45%), and a decline in their mental wellbeing (44%). These sobering statistics remind us that access to psychiatric care is important for the safety and overall well-being of patients across the nation.
High Turnover Rates
High turnover rates can be detrimental to both the culture and patients of behavioral health facilities. Quick employee turnover can happen due to an unhealthy culture, a lack of competitive pay, unclear career development, and more. The good news is that high turnover rates can be addressed by working with mental health staffing agencies like PsychStaffing, a company that matches quality psychiatrists and nurse practitioners with quality work environments.
How PsychStaffing Can Help
PsychStaffing is ready to address your psychiatry staffing troubles by connecting qualified providers with reputable facilities, advocating for both psychiatric professionals and organizations. We are proud to have over 30 years of experience as Ohio experts in psychiatry. Psychiatry isn’t just one of the areas we focus on – it is all we do!
From matching long-term assignments to supporting your facility with telepsychiatry solutions, our team will ensure your facility’s staffing shortages are a memory from the past. Connect with us today to get started!