Every healthcare organization has been hit hard by the staffing shortage throughout the industry: thousands of healthcare workers have left the profession since the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, though, numbers are rebounding – but not as fast as many healthcare systems would like.
As such, it’s vital that every healthcare agency use every tool in its arsenal to complete for this scarce but most essential element of a strong organization: good nurses, technicians, and doctors. Approaching staffing issues as a multifaceted problem increases your chances of success, which is why you should develop a blend of techniques to recruit and retain staff.
Be Proactive About Worker Burnout
One of your best defenses against staffing shortage is also one of the most obvious: retaining your current workers. Health worker burnout is the most serious issue facing the profession, which is why you need to make it a top priority to reduce the stress levels of your current workers and ensure that they feel supported.
While having adequate staffing is a critical element of ensuring your current workers are taken care of, there are many things you can do while you work on recruiting in order to improve staff well-being. This includes providing flexible scheduling using scheduling software, offering adequate leave, having a no-tolerance harassment policy, and offering incentives for those who meet quality metrics.
Sign Up for Specialist Job Boards
Generalist job boards such as Indeed and Monster work to find entry-level and non-medical staff, such as accountants, customer service representatives, orderlies, and sanitation workers, but they are often unhelpful in staffing highly educated positions. You may get dozens of irrelevant applications, which strains your HR system and takes away from other priorities, which is why you should consider specialist boards like PracticeMatch.
Sites like these are solely for healthcare professionals, which means that you’re far more likely to get high-quality resumes from qualified applicants. They also send job alerts to those who aren’t currently looking; these passive applicants, enticed by your excellent work environment and good benefits, wouldn’t have otherwise applied, and they are often the best acquisitions.
Attend Trade Shows
Trade shows can be incredibly helpful, as you’ll be able to meet various professionals who may be thinking about making a career change. Thankfully, there are thousands of medical conferences, job fairs, and trade shows that take place across the country, many of which are focused on different specialties within the healthcare industry.
In order to make the most out of your appearance, prepare documents ahead of time, including business cards, brochures, and small items like pens that will get attendees thinking about your services. Be sure to develop an elevator pitch about why someone should work for you, and make sure to follow up with anyone who provides their contact information.
Provide Referral Incentives
Your staff are an excellent resource for finding good workers, as hiring quality has a direct impact on their own well-being at work. They, more than anyone, will be highly motivated to seek out great potential coworkers who have the right qualifications, so you should incentivize this by providing incentives for those who refer new hires. The most common way to do so is to give out a bonus if the referral stays with the organization for a given period of time, usually until after the conclusion of their probationary 90 days.
Directly Solicit Resumes
If you’re hiring for a very particular specialty, there are only so many members of the profession: some may have only 2,000 specialists all across the country, which means that you’re competing with thousands of other hospitals that also need these workers. In these circumstances, the more personal you can make your pitch, the better.
Take your time and research those who are listed as members of associations for their given specialty. Learn about their credentials and work experience, which you can then include in a pitch letter. The majority of the pitch letter will be generalized, with only a small section that is personalized to anyone you choose to contact.
For example, you might say that you were impressed with their experience at a certain hospital system or that you know of the great reputation of their alma mater. Be sure to note where you got their details from, as this will reassure them that this is a legitimate message.
In such a tight employment market, it’s important that you think creatively and utilize every resource you have available. Personability, research, and the right tools, such as specialist job boards, will ensure that you can get the best workers for every position.
