UNLEASH America: ‘Magic Johnson’s keynote will be one of the memories of my life’

There are about five million registered nurses (RNs) in the US. 

Now, this might sound like a lot, but this number is set to decrease each year by 6-8% – depending on the different healthcare divisions.

In fact, the number of US-based RNs declined by roughly 3.3% between 2021 and 2022, with the pandemic showing the largest drop off in over four decades – while at the same time experiencing a huge surge in demand.

Of those who left the industry during the Covid period, most were either under the age of 35 or of retirement age, leaving a significant talent gap for the most experienced RNs, and those who would make the future workforce. 

This imbalance is therefore causing a serious healthcare crisis – one that is costly and complex to navigate.

Adam Holton, CPO at Amedisys

Ahead of UNLEASH America, Amedisys’s Chief People Officer Adam Holton, who will be taking center stage at the event, discusses the severity of these issues and the strategies Amedisys has implemented to overcome these issues.

In an exclusive pre-event interview, UNLEASH gets the inside track as to what to expect from Holton’s session.

Tackling the headwinds and tailwinds in healthcare

The healthcare sector relies on RNs, which are the single largest segment of the healthcare workforce. But next year, the field is predicted to be short of between 200,000 to 450,000 RNs – with rates varying between studies. 

We are in the industry that is essentially demand unconstrained – given the age demographics in the US demand is virtually unlimited and it’s only going to increase,” Holton explains.

“We’re seeing an increased demand for healthcare, with a less experienced workforce, that will be constantly under the pressure of increased workload – the number one driver of turnover. In other words, we have a significant business challenge that can only be solved with people.”

And this crisis is only set to increase, with Holton explaining that 62% of RNs report that workload is the major reason as to why they decided to either leave the industry. 

On Thursday 9 May, Holton will be discussing this during his case study titled: Manufacturing Capacity in the Face of Unprecedented Labor Headwinds at UNLEASH America.

I will be highlighting the headwinds, which organizations in similar circumstances will be able to relate to,” Holton shares, “while looking at how to systematically think about compiling a strategy that allows you to not only survive, but to actually thrive.

“2023 was our best capacity year in terms of adding clinical capacity. So my role, at Amedisys is to focus on how we get the right amount of clinical capacity for the patients. 

“And I think we were able to grow through the results that we achieve, too, because although the overall environment is really challenging, it doesn’t mean that we can’t thrive. So, that’s essentially what we will share with those who join us.”

During our conversation with Holton, he made one very clear: people are a top priority for Amedisys. 

So much so, the business put together a comprehensive strategy to identify how it will focus on its people. This strategy, which will be refreshed on an annual basis, outlines Amedisys is facing, while also giving an insight as to what the business is focusing on.

He explains: “As a company, we believe it’s very important to focus on the business outcomes that we’re trying to achieve and aspects we want to execute, which will then have an impact on the metrics and the outcomes that we were trying to drive to. So from this, we’ve realized that having a very specific strategy has helped us to drive results that we want.”

In fact, Holton passionately drives home the importance of strategy, stating: “Strategy comes down to one word, in my experience, and that is alignment.

“Most companies try to do way too many things well by putting the same level of focus on almost everything. But for us, a key part of our strategy is to ensure we are heading along the right path together.”

To explain this in greater depth, he uses the analogy of placing a group of people to run a race. At the beginning, he explains, if the group is told they need to cross a finish line, but it’s not explained where it is, you can expect to have a problem. 

This is because people would be running in many different directions, with some starting off quickly and burning themselves out, others may give up halfway through. In essence, only a few people would be expected to find and cross that finish line. 

On the other hand, if people were told before the race that everyone has to run together, it will be a lot easier on the front end to observe those that have been successful.

“I therefore think that many organizations don’t put enough time, effort and energy into aligning where they’re headed, to ensure all of their people are running in the same direction,” he adds.

Creating lifelong memories at UNLEASH America

With UNLEASH America only a handful of weeks away, Holton expresses his excitement.

I’ve always known UNLEASH to be one of the preeminent HR conferences – and I’ve heard that from many, many people that I respect,” he exudes. 

“Like many, I believe AI and Gen AI have huge potential to transform how we support our organizations more effectively in the future. 

“I feel, for the first time, we’ve reached a point where there is more substance behind what we’re going to see from AI, as opposed to smoke and mirrors. The last couple of years, there’s been a lot of good work done. But I think we’ll see much more substance behind the solutions that we’ll see.”

But for Holton, there’s one aspect of UNLEASH America that he’s particularly excited about.

“As a kid, I grew up in a predominantly basketball family and I was a high school basketball coach here in the United States,” he explains. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Magic Johnson, so the opportunity to see his keynote will be one of the memories of my life.”

Book your place at UNLEASH America

To find out more details about Adam’s session on Manufacturing Capacity in the Face of Unprecedented Labor Headwinds, click here.

Make sure you’re part of the discussion, book your ticket for UNLEASH America.