As many tech companies and desk organizations navigate through a national labor shortage, nursing and other healthcare professions are navigating shifts of their own.
In a recent survey of more than 500 healthcare professionals, half of clinic owners/practitioners revealed they’re facing challenges retaining talent, and of those, a whopping three-fourths said their staff are moving on to new employers.
Whether you’ve already experienced staff turnover or you’re just preparing for the future, here’s what you need to know to keep running a flawless business. Keep reading to learn what else respondents of the survey said — and three ways practices are filling the workforce gap.
1. Job boards
To recruit talent, clinics are mostly turning to traditional means. Three in five are currently recruiting through general job boards, while nearly half turn to specialized ones. More than two in five also said they’re hiring internally.
If you don’t have a large human resources team that can recruit for you, job boards are a great way to source candidates from a lot of different backgrounds.
Not sure which job boards to use? Here are a few common job boards to consider if you haven’t already.
ZipRecruiter. Simply upload your job description and ZipRecruiter will help find candidates to apply.
Health eCareers. In addition to being a place where you can post your open role, Health eCareers is a resource for job seekers to find career resources, news coverage, and information for all types of medical professions.
LinkedIn Recruiter. LinkedIn isn’t just for tech jobs. With LinkedIn Recruiter, you can easily find candidates who are looking for new opportunities and filter candidates by skills, related keywords on their resume, and location.
2. Internships
As the saying goes, everyone starts from somewhere. Same goes for careers.
And an area your clinic may be overlooking in finding new recruits? Recent graduates. Campus recruitment for internships is currently used by just 21% of clinics.
Whether you’re looking for front office staff or technicians, there are several opportunities for students to get exposure to full-time work while you help fill roles that are open.
Of course you may not be able to use internships for all of your open positions, but look for ways to outsource the tasks that you can. Here are a few tips.
Match skills to roles. Your staff scheduling tool can be used as a filter to ensure the right people are scheduled in the right roles. Using training tags to identify if there are specific trainings or qualifications needed for that task or role.
Create a high-impact experience. Interns are looking to learn during their time at your business and they’re eager to make an impact. Look at the gaps on your staff and find tasks and projects that will not only educate them about what it’s like to work at a practice, but help your business grow at the same time.
Make them feel welcome. Invite your interns to staff meetings and outings. Little gestures that make them feel part of the team will go a long way in ensuring quality work.
3. Build rapport with current staff
A lack of qualified applicants topped the list of recruitment challenges (58%). Nearly half (48%) also called out an imbalance between potential employees’ experience and education. More than one in three (32%) found the screening process itself a source of frustration. And hiring for rural areas comes with its own set of problems, according to 28% of clinic owners/practitioners.
With that in mind, there are multiple ways to bolster working conditions for your existing staff.
Address pain points. Nearly two-thirds of owners/practitioners said they’re improving compensation, with about half saying they’re recognizing their employees more and streamlining communication, as well. In addition, 40% are providing development opportunities for existing staff, giving their career and morale a boost.
Make employee wellness a priority. More than half of survey respondents said they’re also thinking about the health and well-being of employees post-pandemic by speaking candidly about mental health in the workplace and encouraging them to take days off for mental health needs.
Spruce up the office. There’s another step you can take, too, that might not yet be on your radar. Designing a workplace that takes employees’ mental health into account can be as simple as improving lighting, adding noise insulation and diversifying your layout for a mix of open-plan and isolated areas.
Mind the (industry) gap
You may already be putting money toward filling your labor shortage, but don’t overlook how using the right tools can help you retain and recruit talent. Being mindful of how your investments affect both staff and consumers lays the groundwork for retaining both employees and patients.
To learn more insights about what’s happening in the healthcare space, download the 2021-2022 Clinics Industry Report.
