Improving neonatology staffing - a practical toolkit to advocate for improvements to clinical staffing

Neonatology faces worsening challenges between the demands on its workforce and its current staffing models. This growing disparity has the potential to jeopardize patient care and the overall longevity of its workforce. The Improving Neonatology Staffing (INS) toolkit provides strategies, resources, and research to assist individuals and leaders in evaluating and improving their local staffing needs. Though addressing staffing issues is challenging, the INS toolkit can aid leaders and individuals to advocate for and work towards improving staffing to longitudinally improve the vitality of our workforce. KEY POINTS: There is a worsening imbalance with the demands placed on the neonatology workforce and its current staffing models. Issues in neonatology staffing have the potential to jeopardize patient care and the sustainability of its workforce. The Improving Neonatology Staffing (INS) toolkit offers a practical approach to addressing and advocating for staffing considerations. Its sectioned approach and fund of strategies and tools may be utilized systematically or applied separately to a group's or individual's needs. The INS toolkit serves as a vital resource in creating systematic and longitudinal change for staffing reform.