HEALTHCARE EMPLOYERS

Partnering to attract, retain and advance a thriving healthcare workforce

Engaging the voice of our healthcare employers

To ensure strategic conversations and collaborations between our regional partners, The Health Collaborative regularly convenes various employer groups to work together to solve complex workforce issues no organization can solve alone. 

Collaborations are focused on creating, sharing, and prioritizing strategies to address three primary workforce issues: attracting, retaining and advancing talent to meet workforce needs.

Employer groups that address workforce issues

Workforce Advisory Council

Since 2002, our Workforce Advisory Council has brought together the region’s health systems and committed collaborative partners representing education, training, and community organizations to increase the size, diversity and preparedness of our talent pool for entry-to-mid level health careers.

Chief Human Resources Officers

The Health Collaborative convenes the regional health systems’ Chief Human Resources Officers bi-monthly to inform and collaborate on our Workforce Innovation efforts, determine priorities, and develop and implement solutions to meet their critical healthcare workforce needs.

Chief Nursing Officers

We convene the region’s Chief Nursing Officers each month to share promising practices, discuss current concerns, and engage in strategic workforce discussions. We also provide the region’s Centralized Clinical Placement System for Nursing Students to connect schools with clinical sites for seamless placement opportunities.

Portrait of smiling doctor standing with digital tablet

Chief Diversity Officers

Several times a year, we bring Chief Diversity Officers and healthcare leaders together for our Peer-to-Peer Diversity Learning Forum to collaborate on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in our regional workforce. Members and guest presenters share ways to better represent the communities they serve and ensure equitable opportunities exist for all.

If you would like to participate in an affinity group, please contact Hope Arthur.

Best practices to enhance job quality and improve employee retention

With healthcare employers experiencing their highest vacancy rates in more than 15 years, ​​​​workforce attraction, retention and advancement are of top concern. Creating a work environment that is inclusive for all is critical to attracting and retaining top talent. The framework below, from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, provides a set of elements for employers to examine where they are currently and explore opportunities for continuing to build equity into the workplace.

Resources for job quality and retention

To learn more, explore these websites for additional best practices and resources from some of the nation’s top job quality thought leaders.

Systems Change Mindset Toolbox

Job Quality Maps

Job Quality Tools Library

Living Wage Calculator

Research that Empowers

Regional workforce data

The Health Collaborative regularly surveys regional health systems to understand their current workforce challenges, including workforce vacancies, retirement rates, age distributions for key positions, and more.