The Penn Foster Blog

The emergence of COVID-19 has heavily impacted the healthcare industry. From worker shortages to mass layoffs, healthcare is in flux. COVID-19 is being compared to Ebola, SARS, and the plague. Even at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States was experiencing a shortage of healthcare workers. In the midst of the pandemic, hospitals and other healthcare facilities, especially those in the hardest hit cities and areas, were facing such a dire need for healthcare workers that unprecedented measures and drastic actions were taken, from fast-tracking licensing of physicians to calling in retired healthcare professionals to make up the deficit.

In less than five years, millennial workers are primed to make up 75% of the American workforce. 94% of those millennials want to use their skills to benefit a cause, and 57% wish there were more company-wide service days. With a majority of the workforce focused on social change and community responsibility, brands that want to thrive today and in the future need to view corporate responsibility strategy and company culture as essential parts of their job-marketing process. These are vital to enticing a younger generation that wants to do work that does social good. Not only can a focus on doing good attract potential hires, but it can also help your company retain current employees and build a strong brand reputation that pulls in new clients.

Middle-skilled workers are among the 44 million Americans who struggle to find work, and as the world has settled into a new world of work amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, that challenge is becoming more difficult. Additionally, hiring practices rooted in a degree-first approach may be exacerbating the disparity between open positions and those qualified to fill them. As the United States unemployment rate hits 11.1% - that’s 17.75 million Americans out of work - employers in some of the hardest hit industries can’t afford to quibble over degrees and inflated credentials when it comes to hiring. In order to stem the tide of a devastating skills gap and attempt to address a growing recession, employers need to change how they define qualified applicants.

Today’s dynamic workplace demands more diverse skills than ever before. Amidst the historic pandemic and shift in the economy, new jobs are being created and lesser-known roles, like contact tracing, are growing. And while a degree may prove a generalized understanding of a particular subject area, it doesn’t guarantee that the worker has the skills needed by your specific business today. This is why even though 44 percent of employers have increased the level of education required for job roles over the last five years, 62% of HR leaders are exploring or have already implemented a formal effort to deemphasize degrees and prioritize skills competencies.

First-time pet ownership can be both exciting and daunting, not only for the owner, but also for the animal. Over the past few months pet ownership has grown, including increased pet adoption, and your practice’s new clients will understandably desire quality care for their animals and compete for your attention. With this in mind, as appointments from new owners increase, what are you doing to meet both their needs and the needs of their new furry friends?

Until recently, most Americans valued higher education above any other preparation for the workforce. Parents advised their children to go to college so they could get a good job. Employers identified top candidates based on who had a college degree. The implication was that a college education represented the highest standard for employee training. Today, those attitudes are shifting. Both employers and employees are beginning to recognize that workers need more than academic knowledge to succeed on the job.

Veterinary healthcare teams succeed when every member of the team knows their role and has the training to do it well. Each person needs to be educated to the demands of the job and then allowed to work to the top of their license. In short, each team member should become a leader in their area of expertise. Training veterinary healthcare teams helps everyone build the skills they need to help the team succeed.

Having a clear social mission as a business is no longer a plus, it’s a priority. For large and small companies alike, corporate responsibility and social impact initiatives are vital to building a brand that aligns with consumer values and contributes to a greater good. But launching a social impact program needs to come from a place of authenticity and truth; empty platitudes geared toward gaining good press without action can backfire.

As we navigate a rapidly changing economy, focusing on workforce development, upskilling, and outskilling is imperative to strengthening your workforce and preparing displaced workers to play a role in a new industry. A tuition assistance program or tailored employee training program is a vital first step toward building a workforce that will support your business well into the future. While education programs and outskilling initiatives might not make your business immune to the skills gap and other pressing market challenges, they will go a long way toward making sure you always have the middle skills workforce your business needs while maintaining a positive relationship with former employees that can boost your company’s image.

When clients bring their pets to veterinary appointments, they expect more than a checkup. They want veterinary technicians and other team members to advise them on how to care for their pets. To consistently provide the most up-to-date recommendations, everyone on the healthcare team needs continuing education and credentialing.