The war for clinical talent is here. Thanks to a nationwide clinician shortage, many healthcare facilities are scrambling to find experienced medical professionals to fill their open positions. That means the healthcare facilities with the best recruitment strategies and employee retention programs are winning the industry’s top talent. So, what makes for a strong talent acquisition strategy? Consider the following recommendations to attract and retain quality candidates to your facility:
Build a strong workplace culture: Offering an employee-centric culture is a sure-fire way to attract and retain candidates to your facility. Everybody wants to make a difference and be rewarded and recognized for their work. With that in mind, several healthcare facilities have started operating under a shared governance model so clinical staff is engaged in decisions that impact how they deliver care. Additionally, some facilities also provide recognition programs with monetary incentives for clinicians who go above and beyond the call of duty.
Ensure your pay is competitive, but don’t forget about benefits: Pay is important, but it isn’t always everything. Great benefits can tip the scale in your favor when your facility isn’t the highest-paying option. Healthcare insurance and a 401(k) are considered standard these days, so to stand out in the crowd, many facilities are getting creative with their benefits package. Some facilities now offer their clinicians flexible shift options, sign-on bonuses, tuition reimbursement, and loan repayment programs. Whatever you decide to include in your benefits package, make sure it is considered valuable to the healthcare professionals you want to attract.
Create a career development roadmap: You’ll be much more likely to attract and retain quality clinicians if you can offer candidates the chance to grow in their careers at your facility. To that end, some facilities pay for their staff to go to work-related conferences or offer a bonus to employees who want to get certified in a particular specialty. It’s also helpful to create a career roadmap where clinicians can advance to higher levels of compensation based on experience or expertise.
Team up with an experienced staffing partner: Today’s digital marketing landscape means previously successful recruitment methods just don’t work anymore and that could be a problem for some hiring managers. After all, communication is essential to your facility’s talent acquisition strategy. You could have the world’s best employee support programs, but if no one knows about it, you won’t attract the industry’s top talent. That’s why many facilities are now outsourcing this recruitment role to staffing agencies, like Medical Solutions. Our recruiting experts can help you find the clinicians you need when you need them. They know where your candidates are on social media, and they’ll use direct networking methods to communicate your facility’s open positions.
In this era of clinician shortages, recruiting and retaining quality candidates is a top priority for healthcare leaders. Contact Medical Solutions today and discover the benefits of working with a true staffing partner!