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Attracting & Retaining Healthcare Professionals in 2022

Written by: Alex Brown
Published on: Feb 28, 2022
Category:

group of doctors joining a hospital

These days, hiring the best healthcare talent is not always a guarantee of sustainable employment. But hiring the right talent is a better predictor of a long-term relationship.

Why is hiring the right talent so important? Because those individuals are already or could become high performers for your healthcare facility. And one study found that high performers are 400 percent more productive than average workers.

So it has become mission-critical for employers to attract and retain the best healthcare professionals (HCPs) available. And simply put, the best way to retain HCPs is to create an environment where people want to work.

What do Candidates Want?

You must ask yourself, “What are candidates looking for?”

Compensation might seem to be the top consideration for finding the right talent. Recently, healthcare organizations have pushed referral and retention bonuses as competition for talent ramps up during what is called the “great resignation.” And experts predict a rise in merit pay as well during 2022.

But compensation is only a single factor for highly valuable talent.

It is important for a successful hire that you consider all factors that contribute to the acceptance of a job offer. For instance, one recruitment agency found several organizational considerations that are important to candidates:

  1. Senior leadership
  2. Career growth and professional development
  3. Teamwork and collaboration
  4. Mission and purpose/values alignment
  5. Reward and recognition
  6. Empowerment of individuals

So, while compensation is a factor, it’s also important to build and share with candidates a strong, welcoming, and supportive place to work.

Senior Leadership & Company Values are Critical

The values, behaviors, and decisions of senior leadership are incredibly important. New job candidates want to know who they are going to be working for and how leadership aligns with them.

Sixty-seven percent of participants in one survey claimed that they would leave an employer if their personal views do not match the company values. So it is important to prominently express those values within your hiring communications. This way, you don’t end up with a dissatisfied staffer who leaves in a few months.

Five Ways to Attract & Retain Healthcare Professionals in 2022

Hire for Culture Fit

Healthcare professionals who feel they fit in the workplace culture are more likely to accept an offer and stay. During recruitment, it’s important to make sure a candidate aligns with your organization's core values, understands your expectations, and will get along with the rest of your staff before bringing them on board.

Emphasize a Work-life Balance

Work-life balance is a top priority for job candidates today, especially for millennials who prioritize flexible schedules, paid time off, and family-related benefits. So if your culture does not fully embrace an appealing work-life balance, it will be more difficult to attract and retain talent.

Invest in the Right Technologies

Many new technologies like telemedicine and remote monitoring have become mainstream in medical practices. Integrating these technologies into clinical workflows can save time and increase flexibility, making the workplace appealing.

Support Working Learners

Fostering a learning environment allows HCPs to grow and thrive. Make your organization a place of learning as well as a place of work by encouraging employees to complete externships, practicums, and internships.

Diversify Your Recruitment Channels

Some organizations fall into the pattern of using just one or two recruitment channels. But great talent can be found in many places. Diversifying your recruitment channels can help you find more qualified job candidates. For example, use a medical job board, credible medical journals, and social media sites where millennials likely start their job search.

Talent acquisition and employee retention can be considered two sides of the same coin. Much of the data shows people want to work for – and stay at – companies for many of the same reasons, which include:

  • Meaningful work
  • Belief in the organization and its mission
  • Appreciation and fair compensation
  • Growth opportunities

In other words: they have every reason to be engaged and look forward to coming to work.

Need to attract top talent? Appeal to active and passive job seekers by posting a job listing on myHealthTalent.com and a credible journal published by Elsevier.