The healthcare sector once again showed little change in employment numbers in December, according to the newest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) employment report, issued last week.

Remember way back to mid-November when you were counting the days until the beginning of the next medical staff calendar year? Well, the New Year has begun, and with it comes new medical staff leadership, new department chairs, and a host of other changes that require your medical staff's attention. Wouldn't it have been nice if you had taken steps to allow members of the medical executive committee (MEC), credentials committee, and major departments (and you!) to enjoy those last quiet days of November and December—no meetings, no minutes—before the madness of the new year began?

Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, people in a variety of careers and of all ages and socioeconomic levels are reevaluating their priorities and, in many cases, making career moves. While stories of people leaving their jobs and often their homes in urban centers for a less fast-paced life have become common, the reports aren’t just anecdotes.

What a couple of years it’s been. We’re almost 24 months out from when COVID-19 started to spread globally, eventually causing millions of deaths and rocking the healthcare industry, and the world, to the core. MSPs have been challenged since then on an administrative, emotional, and personal level. Yet the medical staff services industry continues to progress, and MSPs must be ready to meet whatever new challenges come their way. This all begs the question: What will be the focus for MSPs and medical staffs in 2022? Medical staffs will surely have a whole new set of challenges and areas that demand focus.