Hospitals and healthcare organizations have undergone unprecedented change in recent years, which has only been further exacerbated by the pandemic. From the rise in patient consumerism and the swift pace of mergers and acquisitions to advancements in medical technology and the emphasis placed on population health management.
All of these factors (and more) have created a pressing need for facilities to acquire senior-level healthcare executives to oversee operations, drive growth and fulfill crucial leadership needs.
If your organization is seeking to fill a medical director, clinician, director of nursing or similar hard-to-fill position, here are 4 healthcare recruitment strategies to help bridge talent gaps and attract quality candidates.
Focus on Branding Efforts
In today’s digital era, your online footprint and brand positioning can directly impact a potential hire’s level of interest in your organization. It’s pivotal to invest time in reflecting upon your organization’s “why” and utilize storytelling to adequately reflect these values in your content and messaging.
Everything from company culture to how patients and employees perceive your facility can help attract, or deter, top talent from accepting a position with your organization. Branding and reputation management are two areas easily overlooked that can prove to be highly advantageous when establishing a competitive presence in the candidate marketplace.
Reevaluate Your Benefits & Offerings
There is a growing deficit between the number of open healthcare positions and available candidates to fill those roles. According to research conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), there will be a shortage of approximately 45,000 primary care physicians over the next decade, as well as a shortage of 46,000 surgeons and medical specialists.
Increased patient demand, the growing number of retirees in the field and burnout are three major factors contributing to staffing shortages. As a result, the recruitment landscape has become more cutthroat than ever.
To navigate the competitive space, healthcare organizations need to consider the type of benefits packages, and even potential sign-on bonuses – they are willing to offer. Traditional areas, like competitive salaries, enticing retirement benefits and good healthcare benefits, are just as important as perks like flexible scheduling, child care benefits, vacation time, free fitness classes and more.
Adopt a More Flexible Hiring Strategy
Volatility surrounding patient census – whether due to seasonality or pandemic-related causes – requires healthcare organizations to incorporate flexible staffing models into their hiring strategy.
From patient surges to technological advancements that require new executive-level oversight, facilities that proactively prepare for future needs via a pipeline of credentialed and highly specialized candidates will decrease time-to-fill, keep productivity high and ensure operations continue running smoothly. Implementing an on-demand healthcare recruiting strategy is a vital part of hiring hard-to-fill positions without jeopardizing the organization’s performance or profitability.
Find a Reputable Healthcare Recruitment Agency
Leaning on the expertise of healthcare recruitment specialists is an effective way to develop a sustainable and successful staffing strategy. A recruiting agency can help minimize costs associated with an unfilled position, quickly address coverage gaps and, best of all, take on all payroll and benefit-related costs.
To learn more about how partnering with Polaris can help your organization with hard-to-fill positions, contact our team of specialists today.