Five Keys to Healthcare Recruiting

With a recent global pandemic and a population that continues to age, the need for skilled healthcare professionals has never been greater. Recruiters in this space are struggling to meet this demand, though. From the dwindling talent pool to the rigid regulations and fierce competition, the obstacles are tough and aplenty. In this article, we’ll share five keys to healthcare recruiting that address the most common challenges in this industry. 

1. Leverage recruitment marketing to address the persistent healthcare talent shortage

At the heart of the healthcare hiring conundrum lies a severe shortage of skilled professionals, particularly in key roles such as nurses and physicians. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the nursing shortage is only expected to worsen, with a projected deficit of nearly 1 million registered nurses by 2030. Similarly, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicts a shortfall of up to 124,000 physicians by 2034. So how can recruiters hire when the supply is low and demand is high? The answer is by adopting a multi-pronged approach:

• Think beyond traditional channels. You’ll get a leg up over the competition if you cast a wider net and search for talent on social media platforms and in professional networking events. In addition, highlighting employees and celebrating their accomplishments on social platforms helps build your employer brand over the long term. Northwestern Medicine’s Instagram account offers a great example.
• Develop a strong employee referral program. Yes, this is an older sourcing method, but it is still very effective for healthcare and other industries.
• Make sure your career site is informative, easy to use, and showcases your employer brand. Catholic Healthcare’s career site, for example, has a user-friendly design and offers FAQs, testimonials, a list of benefits, and guides for interview preparation. For more on career sites, read Four Amazing Career Sites and Why We Love Them.
• Partner with educational institutions to identify and scoop up top talent before they graduate (and before other recruiters get to them. The hunt for talent is competitive, and you should be, too). For example, Northwestern Medicine offers a pre-med internship program.

2. Streamline the rigorous healthcare screening process

In an industry where lives are on the line, recruiters have to be extra careful when looking into candidates’ qualifications, certifications, references, financial records, and criminal history. Background screening helps companies stay out of trouble and improve quality of hire: the HireRight 2023 Global Benchmark Report found that 66% of companies in North America report better quality of hire when using pre-employment screening. It can take a lot of time and resources to carry out these thorough checks, though. To navigate this challenge:

• Use an applicant tracking system (ATS) that integrates with automated reference checking and background screening providers. This tried and true combo expedites the vetting process while improving quality and compliance.
• Establish clear guidelines and standardize the credential verification process to reduce the potential for errors and ensure consistency across the organization. Regular audits and quality checks are also recommended to uncover and address any vulnerabilities, no matter how small, in the vetting process.

3. Engage healthcare employees to retain top talent 

Finding and hiring the right medical professionals is only half the battle; now, you’ve got to retain them. The healthcare industry is infamous for its high turnover, with as many as 18% of healthcare workers quitting their jobs during COVID-19. Burnout, lack of work-life balance, and pursuing opportunities elsewhere top the list of reasons for this mass exodus. Here are a few things you can do to stem the tide of attrition:

• Prioritize wellness by creating programs and offering counseling on physical and mental health. It should go without saying that employees who are burnt out can’t deliver the best quality care. 
• Offer flexible work arrangements whenever possible and a competitive amount of PTO. All employees should be able to maintain a healthy work-life balance, regardless of the profession. 
• Implement employee engagement, recognition, and incentive programs. These can be great in cultivating a sense of belonging and loyalty, but also making employees feel valued and appreciated for what they do.
• Create various paths to career development and communicate them clearly so employees are aware of the long-term career benefits of staying with your organization.
• Offer competitive compensation packages and attractive benefits if possible.

4. Use automated tools to reach healthcare candidates 24/7 

Unlike traditional jobs with 9-to-5 work days, the healthcare industry is on 24/7, with medical professionals often working long hours, juggling shifts, and changing schedules without ample notice to ensure continuous care for patients. For recruiters, this means that it can be to get a hold of candidates during normal business hours. Calling candidates is out of the question too, for the same reasons. You can, however, use asynchronous communication channels like:

• SMS/WhatsApp messaging: This allows you to send interview reminders, job updates, and other important communications directly to candidates’ phones, and they can respond at their convenience.  
• HR chatbots: You can program an HR chatbot to answer common questions and provide candidates updates at any time of day. 
• One-way video interview tools: These asynchronous tools allow candidates to record their responses to pre-determined questions on their own time, and you can review their responses either individually as they are submitted or in bulk after receiving multiple submissions. By choosing video interviewing tools that integrate with the ATS, healthcare recruiting teams gain additional efficiency.

5. Uphold diversity, equity, and inclusion

DEI is crucial in healthcare—and it’s more than just improving workplace engagement and culture; DEI can positively impact patient outcomes and innovation in the organization. Achieving true representation in healthcare remains an ongoing challenge in the U.S. though, with Black, Latino, and Native Americans severely underrepresented in the healthcare workforce. To address this imbalance, recruiters need to do a lot more than using job boards: 

• Actively seek out underrepresented communities and build relationships with professional associations, community organizations, and educational institutions that can serve as pipelines for diverse talent.
• Re-examine your hiring process through a DEI lens to reduce unconscious biases and any other barriers that could block the way for diverse candidates. This may involve implementing blind resume reviews, standardizing interview questions, implementing hiring scorecards, and providing comprehensive DEI training for all hiring managers and those with the power to make decisions.
• Celebrate employee diversity on social channels to show prospective candidates that your organization is inclusive. For example, Catholic Healthcare’s LinkedIn feed celebrates Ramadan, Chinese New Year, and multicultural employee events. 

Looking ahead in healthcare recruiting

Hiring in healthcare is about more than just filling open roles; it’s a commitment to finding the best people to care for people. If you’re recruiting in this space, remember to cast a wider net to find skilled candidates, leverage technology to streamline the vetting process, emphasize employee wellbeing and career growth, and make diversity and inclusion a core part of your hiring strategy. By adopting a creative, multi-faceted approach, you can stay ahead of the curve and ensure a steady influx of skilled professionals into this vital sector.

To learn more about how SmartRecruiters can help your healthcare organization hire top talent, check out our recruiting platform or get in touch with us for a demo.