How Jefferson Health is Finding Success with New Approaches to Workforce Woes

May 13, 2026

Responding to the ongoing needs of our members, HAP hosted a Workforce Summit that brought together clinical, administrative, and workforce leaders from across Pennsylvania to learn and share best practices for developing and engaging health care teams. We’re highlighting some of the innovative ways Pennsylvania hospitals are addressing the workforce crisis.

Securing and maintaining a steady and satisfied workforce is every hospital’s challenge, and experts at Jefferson Health are thinking outside the box to find solutions.

Jefferson has pivoted from short-term ideas and instead redesigned its workforce strategy from the ground up, tackling high vacancy rates, turnover, and heavy reliance on costly temporary staffing, said Daniel Hudson, MSN, RN, CENP, senior vice president, nursing operations. Hudson and Andrew L. Thum, DNP, ML, RN, NEA-BC, AVP, nursing operations, presented their findings at HAP’s recent Workforce Summit.

The new approach focuses on flexibility, employee engagement, and building strong talent pipelines. Initiatives include creating an internal flexible nursing team, expanding virtual nursing support, developing education partnerships, and re-engaging experienced nurses.

In his presentation, Hudson stressed the importance of engaging front-line direct care staff. “We went from reactive staffing to proactive staffing,” he said. Together, these efforts have strengthened the workforce, improved job satisfaction, and helped ensure patients continue to receive high-quality care, said Hudson, who also serves as Jefferson’s chief nursing officer, Ambulatory Nursing.

Key Takeaways

• Big problems require big solutions:  Nursing shortages and turnover are major challenges, impacting patient care and increasing costs for hospitals. The ‘secret sauce’ is strategic integration across people, processes, and pipelines.
• Zoom out:  Long-term solutions require system-wide change, not temporary fixes like overtime or agency staffing.
• Flexible, internal staffing models work:  Such approaches reduce reliance on outside agencies while giving nurses more control and support.
• Investing in education and career pathways builds the future workforce:  These investments help train and retain new health care professionals.
• Engaging front-line nurses in decision making improves outcomes:  Engagement creates more sustainable and effective solutions.
• Results show real progress:  The approach has yielded lower vacancies, reduced turnover, and significant cost savings.

HAP’s Workforce Summit brought clinical, administrative, and workforce leaders from across Pennsylvania together to learn and share best practices for developing and engaging health care teams. Watch for more #WorkforceWednesday coverage in the coming weeks of the innovative practices shared during the summit.