4 Mistakes Companies Make When Sourcing Healthcare Workers

Healthcare continues to be one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S., with a projected job growth rate of 16% between 2020 to 2030. During this time period, the healthcare industry is expected to add about 2.6 million new jobs – more than any other occupational group. 

During the pandemic, many healthcare workers quit their jobs due to excess stress and burnout. Even before this pandemic-related shortage, much of the sector’s aging workforce was set to retire in the coming years, and the healthcare worker shortage was expected to become a crisis.

With this in mind, it’s easy to see why recruiting in the healthcare sector is a significant challenge. To help you source and hire effectively, we offer the opportunity to learn from common mistakes!

Common Healthcare Sourcing Mistakes to Avoid

Healthcare organizations need to remain alert and agile to prevent the following sourcing missteps:

1. Post and Pray 

One of the most common approaches to candidate sourcing is to post a job ad on as many boards as possible, in the hopes that the right candidate will apply. But, this “post and pray” approach is not ideal – particularly for specialized industries, like healthcare. 

For one, the right recruitment advertisement technology can help distribute job ads effectively across boards, casting a wider net, and attracting quality, best-fit candidates. Here is where an excellent programmatic partner (shameless plug!) can do the heavy lifting by intelligently allocating your advertising budget based on data-driven insights and market trends to meet your hiring goals.

In addition, niche job sites like Health eCareers, CareerVitals,  JAMA Career Center, Doximity, DocCafe, Healthcare Jobsite, or MedJobsCafe.com can augment your sourcing strategy. These offer healthcare-specific filters, such as medical specialties, licensing, and certifications to helping recruiters expand their talent search. Some websites, like HealthJobsNationwide.com, host community forums and support groups that enable members to interact. The websites also allow job seekers to look for positions based on location, specialty, job type, etc. 

Recruitment advertising solutions also offer the perfect opportunity to maximize your diversity hiring initiatives and reach candidates from underrepresented groups and limit bias in the recruitment process through data-driven hiring. 

2. Overlooking Millenial and Gen-Z Professionals

Millennials and Gen-Zers are making their way into the workforce. In 2020, medical school applications went up by 18%, and enrollment in bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree programs increased by nearly 6%. In addition, last year, more than 222,000 nurses took the National Council Licensure Examination, a 5% increase, signifying that people who earned nursing degrees but haven’t been practicing are returning to the profession. 

With an incoming young workforce, healthcare sourcers must change course to attract Millennials and Gen-Zers. According to the AHA Healthcare Talent Scan report, providing flexible scheduling options and allowing them to create their own career pathways can be appealing to clinicians. Using social media to highlight diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives can attract Gen-Zers who value a culture fit over other benefits. Publicizing your DE&I content to the right audiences, sharing stories of diverse leaders in your organization, and leveraging social media for recruiting will help source young professionals. 3. Ignoring Value-Based Pay

Compensation in the healthcare industry has been under careful scrutiny over the last few years. With difficult working conditions, long hours, and increasing burnout, healthcare professionals are demanding better pay structures. The fee-for-service is a traditional healthcare reimbursement model where healthcare professionals are paid based on the number of services they perform. It incentivizes professionals to see more patients or order more tests to bring in more money, often overworking professionals.

In contrast, value-based pay ties the quality of service to the payment. This model prioritizes patient satisfaction and outcomes and incentivizes providers’ effectiveness across care settings. Adopting and emphasizing value-based pay can help when sourcing healthcare professionals.

4. Not Taking Advantage of Professional Associations and Industry Events

Employee networks can be a terrific resource – especially for healthcare professionals. Searching for candidates through traditional approaches is a struggle, but sourcing through professional associations can do the trick. Associations often host conferences, opportunities for continued learning, and career advancement events, providing the perfect chance to engage members for brand building and talent sourcing. 

Before attending an industry event, develop a plan for networking with professionals and gathering contact information from interested job prospects. You can implement a networking plan to build relationships with healthcare professionals, add them to your talent pipeline, and contact them when positions aligning with these prospects open up. 

You can reach the vast healthcare professional network through associations like the American Nurses Association, American Medical Association,American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management (AAHAM), American Case Management Association (ACMA), and many more. Advertising through these associations’ publications, newsletters or websites is another option to consider to reach healthcare candidates. You can find a detailed list of healthcare professional associations here.

Conclusion

The shortage of healthcare workers has been an ongoing struggle aggravated by the pandemic. An aging workforce and high attrition rates due to stress and burnout make sourcing an even more complex endeavor. In a fast-paced hiring environment, mistakes can cost you the right talent, productivity, and thousands of dollars worth of investments. Don’t repeat the mistakes above! When sourcing for healthcare workers, adopting a multi-channel recruitment advertising approach and targeting niche job boards is necessary. In addition, highlighting value-based pay, DE&I efforts, leveraging social media, and approaching professional associations can help you succeed.

To learn about recruitment advertising to meet your healthcare hiring needs, schedule a demo with us. And don’t forget to  follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn!