ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Dealing with Staffing Challenges During a Pandemic

by Renée Bacher • January 15, 2021

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

Fall Surge

In the Midwest in the fall and winter, where cases were spiking, hospitals were filling up and taxing ICUs. “Our ambulatory practice has, just as in the springtime, decreased office visits and increased telehealth visits,” said Dr. Pensak. “Transitional units are being brought online, and we’ve begun to limit elective surgeries requiring postsurgical hospitalization.” While staffing hasn’t been an issue so far at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, they are relying on an increasingly limited pool of nursing travelers, according to Dr. Pensak.

You Might Also Like

  • COVID-19 Pandemic: Dealing with Emergency Waivers, Provider Relief Funding, and Potential Audits
  • Basic Science Departments Struggle Amid Financial, Staffing Challenges
  • Here are Best Practices to Help Ensure Safety in Pediatric Otolaryngology During the Coronavirus Pandemic
  • AMA Offers Reopening Guide, Free Resident Materials During COVID-19 Pandemic
Explore This Issue
January 2021

There are big differences between the spring and winter surges, however. “The things we learned during the first wave will definitely help us in these next waves, but we have to be nimble and understand there’s a set of circumstances for winter that are different from the first time around, some of which will impact us positively and some of which will impact us negatively,” said Dr. Devaiah.

Occupation Type Of Healthcare Personnel (HCP) With COVID-19 — Six Jurisdictions,* FEB. 12–July 16, 2020

Characteristic (no. with available information)No. (%)
Healthcare support worker**1,895 (32.1)
Nurse***1,742 (29.5)
Administrative staff member581 (9.8)
Environmental services worker330 (5.6)
Physician190 (3.2)
Medical technician135 (2.3)
Behavioral health worker128 (2.2)
First responder113 (1.9)
Dietary services worker113 (1.9)
Dental worker98 (1.7)
Laboratorian68 (1.2)
Occupational, physical, or
speech therapist
65 (1.1)
Pharmacy worker62 (1.1)
Respiratory therapist44 (0.7)
Phlebotomist25 (0.4)
Physician assistant13 (0.2)
Other311 (5.3)
*Alaska, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Utah.
**Includes nursing assistant (1,444), medical assistant (123), and other care provider or aide (328)
***Specialty not specified.
Source: CDC. “Update: Characteristics of Health Care Personnel with COVID-19 — United States, February 12–July 16, 2020,” Sept. 25, 2020.

The positives include a better understanding of infection risk and control and greater access to PPE, both of which help both the general population and healthcare workers to avoid infection. Other pluses are the medications, procedures, and protocols that have been found to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 should patients need to be hospitalized.

The negatives boil down to pandemic fatigue: People have grown weary of wearing masks and social distancing nine months into the pandemic. “We should be understanding of the fact that dealing with COVID-19 is difficult, but we should also be vigilant about not taking shortcuts or dropping our guard,” said Dr. Devaiah.

In the Operating Room

Staff absences can particularly hurt in the OR. Dr. Pensak said the OR staff at his hospital are extremely taxed and the hospital has had to cut back on paid time off. “Indeed, staff availability will be the rate limiter for both the amount and quality of care provided,” he said.

At NYU, all elective surgeries resumed in May, with precautions to keep staff and patients safe. According to Dr. Roland, all staff in the OR are cross trained on many different kinds of cases to maintain good coverage should staff be out sick. NYU has also trained internal staff to fill potentially necessary roles should New York City have a second drastic COVID-19 wave.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 | Single Page

Filed Under: Features Tagged With: COVID19, practice managementIssue: January 2021

You Might Also Like:

  • COVID-19 Pandemic: Dealing with Emergency Waivers, Provider Relief Funding, and Potential Audits
  • Basic Science Departments Struggle Amid Financial, Staffing Challenges
  • Here are Best Practices to Help Ensure Safety in Pediatric Otolaryngology During the Coronavirus Pandemic
  • AMA Offers Reopening Guide, Free Resident Materials During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Why Virtual Grand Rounds May Be Here to Stay
    • Otolaryngologist Leverages His Love of Pinball into Second Business
    • These New Imaging Advances May Help to Protect Parathyroids
    • Is the Training and Cost of a Fellowship Worth It? Here’s What Otolaryngologists Say
    • Which Otologic Procedures Poses the Greatest Risk of Aerosol Generation?

Polls

Have you used 3D-printed materials in your otolaryngology practice?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.