Caregiver Turnover and Long-term Incentive to Stay in the Healthcare Industry
One of the most important caregiver topics that is rarely explored is caregiver turnover. There is so much that we can dig into has it concerns the issue of caregiver turnover, but this blog will take a bit different ‘turn’ itself. Let’s not waste any time here and go ahead and jump right in here by saying that caregivers resign, or are terminated for any number of reasons. This, of course, is on a situational basis as to the ‘exact’ reason why such would occur. Nevertheless, turnover happens. The questions is why?
From a personal standpoint, the quick answer is caregiver burnout. Little rest, long hours, often without a reprieve or relief, all play a role into why there is such a high degree of turnover in the caregiver industry. Let’s not forget that caregivers have families too. They have personal issues and a host of other things going on in their lives; each of which affects their health and work performance on various levels. Having said this, our focus here is not to dive into the ‘why’ there is turnover. Rather, delving into creating a long-term incentive for caregivers to remain in the caregiver field.
What are we talking about?
Simply put, incentive. That is, giving the caregiver something to shoot for in terms of furthering their career and thereby eliminating, or certainly minimizing the ‘dead end’ that so many caregivers experience with regard to their careers. Once caregivers acquire their initial caregiver certification there is nowhere else to go; or so most think. This is where the American Caregiver Association comes into play. As the national accrediting body for caregivers, the ACA offers caregivers something ‘more’ beyond initial certification.
After obtaining initial caregiver certification, caregivers can come back and expand their knowledge base with Advanced National Caregiver Certification. Caregiver can then move onto complete the National Assisted Living Manager Certification Course . After these two courses are completed, the caregiver has exponentially grown as a caregiver because each of these two additional courses offers a window into a greater depth of understanding for the caregiver. But it doesn’t stop there.
Once caregivers have finished the aforementioned courses, they can return to the ACA and continue their development as a caregiver and human being on various levels by taking our ‘Level 1’ certification courses that dive into the topics of caregiver ethics and personal development, and another one on the way that explores caregiver leadership. These Level 1 courses further expand the knowledge base of the caregiver and provide a host of intangible benefits for the caregiver that can work to provide that greater purpose and incentive to remain in the field.
Finally, caregivers can pursue the highest level of certification, Master Caregiver Certification (MCC). MCC is achieved by the caregiver completing four of the five courses above along with submitting a resume documenting a minimum of five (5) years of experience as a caregiver in any caregiver setting. MCC is a special certification because is truly separates caregivers who fall into the high turnover category, from those who have been in the field for several years and have a wealth of knowledge and expertise.
More importantly, Master Caregiver Certification acknowledges that long-term caregivers have given over the long-term, and this is where the tie-in comes with regard to helping providing incentive for caregivers to stay in the field, continuing to help our seniors.