Thanks to the nationwide nursing shortage, it takes substantial time and effort to find, recruit, and hire the ideal healthcare professional, especially in the post-acute care sector. With that in mind, our team at Medical Solutions would like to offer the following advice for hiring in this special niche.
Interview with cultural fit in mind: It’s no secret that providing long-term care requires a certain temperament and skill set. These clinicians mostly care for an elderly population, so that means the job calls for individuals who are familiar with end of life care, have the ability to handle grief and loss, and can manage the job’s often demanding physical needs. To address this, you should have an extensive behavioral interview process that goes through certain scenarios. Additionally, it’s a good idea to ask the same questions multiple times throughout the interview to gauge how well they can handle repetition. Clearly, if the interviewee becomes easily frustrated answering the same questions, he or she might not be the right fit. After all, the individual may easily have to repeat instructions to an Alzheimer’s patient.
Set up a recruitment pipeline: Partner with a university or nursing school that can help you find and educate students and new grads on the benefits of working in the senior care space. If a local nursing school partnership isn’t an option, you can also enlist the services of a staffing agency. For example, Medical Solutions has recruiting experts on board who can help you quickly find the post-acute clinicians you need.
Don’t forget about employer branding and the candidate experience: In today’s digital world, it’s no longer enough to simply post a job and let the applications roll in. You need to find out what sets your healthcare organization apart and advertise that in the right spaces. For example, social media ads are one such way to attract and direct job seekers to your healthcare organization’s website. Then, make sure these candidates can easily and quickly apply for your open positions. If your online application process is too difficult, they’ll stop half-way through and leave your site.
Did we miss any other pro tips for hiring in long-term care? Let us know what works for you and your healthcare organization in the comments below!