Health Worker Connection Initiative
The U.S. is grappling with a nursing shortage, which is expected to get significantly worse over the next decade, as demand for healthcare support increases.
Social connection is part of the solution.
Rising turnover rates are a large contributing factor, and nearly half of all nurses report feeling burnout or “emotional exhaustion” within their first two years. One factor in burnout that shows promise for successful intervention is loneliness and its inverse, social connection.
The Health Worker Connection Initiative from UNOS works with healthcare leaders and human resources to identify areas of underperformance and disconnection within healthcare organizations. Using these learnings, UNOS tailors initiatives to build trust, resolve conflicts, and develop camaraderie and commitment to mission. Combining coaching of healthcare leaders, in-person training of teams, and online resources, the program creates a sense of alignment and belonging across diverse teams seeking to improve health outcomes for patients.
Born from the community learnings from the intense environments and esprit de corps necessary in organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and transplant teams, the program is seeking to share learnings and best practices for team connection across the healthcare ecosystem.
