What will the Healthcare workforce of the future look like and what does that mean for you?

With the healthcare sector adding jobs at a faster rate than most any other industry and with more people retiring than there are sheer numbers replacing them, good leaders are and will continue to be in demand. That said, the environment is changing as rapidly as are the demographics, leading to changes in the way work gets done and who does that work. Bundled payment schemes and risk sharing business models will change the way we work and how we define success. Technology advancements and consumerism continue to push the boundaries of not only where care is delivered, but how it is provided and paid for. Work/Life balance and social engagement have moved from catch phrases to ingrained choices and a powerful lens in which the workforce of today and tomorrow looks at their career choices. For employers, this has had and will continue to have a huge impact on how to compensate, incent, retain and develop talented professionals.

Organizational leaders of today and tomorrow need professionals who have cross-functional skills and abilities to think beyond their particular box on an organization chart. Example: Finance departments need to support patient care and not just tally the costs associated with that care and clinicians and caregivers must be more facile with the underlying finances of the enterprise. In a shared risk world, both sides will be held more highly accountable for clinical AND financial success. In addition to cross-functional skill requirements, organizational leadership needs more of its executives to work without a roadmap. Agile development techniques have “trickled up” to the C-Suite and Boards. Business models quickly take shape, get developed and assessed quickly and are either kept and further investment is made or they are scrapped and new ideas replace them. It is these types of skills, irrespective of the function being performed, that will advance your career.