Literature Review

Google.org and Johnson & Johnson Foundation launch $10 million AI training program for rural U.S. healthcare workers Complete AI Training; Press Release; 4/14/26 Google.org and the Johnson & Johnson Foundation are launching a $10 million program to train rural U.S. healthcare workers to use AI tools for administrative tasks. The initiative targets operational efficiency in clinics facing chronic staffing shortages and administrative overload. ... According to the National Rural Health Association, over 130 rural hospitals have shut down since 2010, with administrative burden cited as a major factor. The new program addresses this directly by teaching healthcare workers to use AI for scheduling, patient documentation, and clinic operations. 

Expanded palliative care program in Dubuque addresses a 'significant need' Telegraph Herald; by Grace Burwell; 3/28/26 A “meant to be” collaboration between two Dubuque providers is offering the local aging population expanded palliative support. UnityPoint Health-Finley Hospital and Hospice of Dubuque recently launched an expanded palliative care program, bringing three nurse practitioners to the Dubuque hospital. Lavonne Noel, executive director of Hospice of Dubuque, said the new resource sprung out of “more need than ever before. It’s more important than ever that we work together in the health care environment right now, so we’re excited to join forces and collaborate on this."

Mass AI job replacement? Not in healthcare, CIOs say Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 3/18/26 While some doomsayers predict that AI will replace human workers en masse, health system CIOs told Becker’s that healthcare, so reliant on the human touch, is safe. But that doesn’t mean duties won’t change dramatically. In late February, an investment analyst scenario outlining economic cataclysm caused by AI momentarily jolted the stock market. The authors, from Citrini Research, imagined white-collar job openings “collapsing” in late 2026, with blue-collar hiring staying “relatively stable.” While healthcare may be best described as “gray-collar,” the sector is still the nation’s largest employer, driving much of the country’s job growth over the past few decades. Could AI change that equation? ...

21 hospitals, health systems raising workers’ payBecker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 3/24/26 Since December 2025, the following hospitals and health systems have said they plan to raise their workers’ pay. ... This webpage was created Jan. 9 and is updated regularly. It was last updated March 24.

Thyme Care launches Integrated Social Support model, bringing proactive oncology social work to 8 million Americans upon diagnosis PR Newswire, Nashville, TN; by Thyme Care; 3/5/26 Thyme Care today announced the public launch of its Integrated Social Support (ISS) model, a redesigned approach to oncology navigation that positions licensed master's-level social workers as the first to intervene when members experience barriers to navigating their cancer. The announcement coincides with National Social Work Month in March, recognizing the essential role social workers play in improving health outcomes. An estimated 44% of individuals affected by cancer experience psychosocial burdens, which are associated with poorer health, clinical, and economic outcomes for patients and caregivers. Thyme Care's ISS model flips the approach by making licensed social workers one of the first points of contact for social, emotional, and practical needs, assessing members from day one and throughout their journey ...

A nurse-led violence prevention program that cut incidents to zero Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Mariah Taylor; 3/2/26 WakeMed Raleigh (N.C.) has gone 20 consecutive months — and counting — without a single workplace violence incident on its medical-surgical unit. It is all thanks to a program created by three nurse leaders. The program started with a partnership between med-surg and psychiatric nurses. ...

UVM Home Health & Hospice volunteers among the longest serving in the nation Vermont Business Magazine | The University of Vermont Health Network - Home Health & Hospice; by Tim; 3/3/26 Among the longest‑serving hospice volunteers in the nation, Charlotte Kenney, Jan Watt and Lil Venner have each devoted more than 45 years to UVM Health – Home Health & Hospice because, they say, helping patients and their families make the most of the time they have left of this earth is a privilege, rooted in grace and connection. The notion that hospice work is defined by sorrow, is rejected by all three dedicated volunteers. "What I'm doing is enabling this person to live fully until the very last second," says Kenney. ... Venner adds, "You see the world differently when you're looking through the eyes of somebody who may be seeing this particular thing for the last time." Editor's Note: We celebrate these devoted hospice volunteers at UVM Health Network – Home Health & Hospice. Together, Charlotte Kenney, Jan Watt, and Lil Venner have given more than 185 years of service—an extraordinary testament to presence, compassion, and steadfast commitment. Who among your volunteers carries a stories of faithful service? What collective years of care live within your own program? Consider gathering and sharing that data—not simply as numbers, but as narratives of impact and catalysts for thanks.

March is Social Work Month: "Uplift. Defend. Transform." NASW - National Association of Social Workers; retrieved from website, 3/2/26 Social Work Month was first celebrated in March 1963 to build public support for the profession. It has become an event celebrated by hundreds of thousands of social workers – and their supporters – each year. This year’s theme is “Social Workers: Uplift. Defend. Transform.” Learn more about why this theme was selected and what activities are planned for Social Work Month 2026!

Do you feel like an emotional sponge? Here’s how to protect your energy and refocus Real Simple; by Nandini Maharaj; 3/1/26 It’s possible to stay compassionate without feeling drained—experts explain how. ... [There's] a difference between healthy forms of distraction—like going for a walk or taking deep breaths—and unhealthy habits. We asked mental health experts about healthy and unhealthy distractions and how to protect your energy when you’re feeling like an emotional sponge.

“You’re not just there to do a job”: a qualitative examination of Canadian long-term care worker strengths BMH Health Services Research; by Duneesha Goonetilleke, Nick Boettcher, Sofia Celis & Bonnie Lashewicz; 2/25/26, online ahead of print Results: We present three themes identifying interlocking expressions of strength. First, during crisis, workers stretched roles, redistributed tasks, and supported one another to sustain care under extreme constraint. Second, staff upheld person-centred care in their daily actions, working from values of dignity, relationships, and residents’ goals. Third, workers translated experience into learning and advocacy, articulating ideas to improve staffing, role clarity, leadership practices, and visitation approaches. Across these expressions, workers’ tenacity, togetherness, and shared purpose enabled collective action, although these strengths often entailed costs such as fatigue and moral strain. 

Canisius shapes future physicians through compassionate care Canisius University, Buffalo, NY; Press Release; 2/23/26 At the bedside of someone’s final moments, silence often speaks louder than words.  For students from Canisius University, that quiet became a teacher of one of the most powerful lessons of their education — one that cannot be learned from textbooks alone. Through specialized training, a group of undergraduate students discovered that medicine is not only about treating illness but about presence, dignity and care as they served as mercy doulas at Sloan Comfort Care Home, where they learned to provide companionship and steady support to those nearing the end of life.

Weaving a unified fabric of care will heal the patient-provider relationship MedCity News; by Sachin K. Gupta; 2/20/26 Healthcare can transform only when strategy, workflow, data, and human connection operate together with a single purpose: strengthen the relationship at the center of care. The healthcare industry is under strain. ... At the core of these problems is the strained patient-clinician relationship. Healthcare is losing the very relationship it was built on. This is one of the prime problems that we need to solve to build a stronger healthcare industry, and AI is the instrument. ... Healthcare can transform only when strategy, workflow, data, and human connection operate together with a single purpose: strengthen the relationship at the center of care.

Physician Associates [PAs] in hospice and palliative medicine: Insights from a national needs assessment American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Ryan Baldeo, MPAS, MSPC, PA-C, FAAHPM; 2/3/26Results: Respondents were primarily female (89.8%) and hospital-based (57.1%), with 73.5% less than or equal to 10 years of experience in the specialty. While 55.1% had specialized training, only 16.3% were specialty certified. Qualitative analysis identified five challenges: regulatory and policy hurdles, workforce disparities compared to other APPs, misconceptions about the PA role, education gaps, and emotional strain.Conclusion: These preliminary findings suggest a need for targeted organizational support in advocacy, particularly regarding legislative efforts for hospice inclusive, and professional development to bridge the certification gap.