So, what can healthcare recruiters do to maintain necessary hiring standards without burning out? While it’s a tough problem to tackle, there are strategies and plenty of resources that can help. 

The Reality of Burnout in Healthcare Recruitment 

Burnout is a common issue in recruitment, but emotional exhaustion and a drop in performance can be even more intense in this high-stakes industry.  

On top of the traditional demands in talent acquisition, healthcare recruiters also juggle: 

• Urgent hiring needs 

• Pressure to fill frontline roles 

• Specific candidate qualifications 

• Strict compliance regulations 

• Impact on patient care 

Additionally, healthcare recruiters are often the first in line to respond to a crisis, bringing on new staff to meet demands when mass casualty events, natural disasters, or even a global pandemic occur. As such, they may experience several symptoms of burnout like anxiety, depression, or depersonalization. Every hire matters, and even a momentary lapse in productivity or judgement can impact patient lives.  

How Burnout Affects Hiring Quality 

When recruiters are overwhelmed, the quality of their hires can take a hit. Burnout often leads to reduced engagement with candidates, which in turn creates a less-than-ideal candidate experience with recruiters who rush through critical steps in the recruitment process.  

This could lead to: 

• Poor candidate interactions 

• Inadequate staffing 

• Compliance issues 

• Overlooking great talent 

These issues contribute to longer time-to-fill metrics and a higher loss of talent in the process. When precision in hiring is crucial, these problems become particularly dangerous. 

Burnout can leave recruiters feeling like they’re caught in a no-win situation. Without proper strategies in place, they begin to compromise on the very quality they’ve been struggling to maintain. 

Strategies to Combat Burnout and Maintain Quality 

Focus on Strategic Tasks 

By automating time-consuming administrative duties, recruiters can shift their focus to higher-level, strategic tasks that tap into their expertise freeing them to dedicate more time to activities that improve the quality of hires. This might include: 

• Engaging candidates 

• Ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations 

• Building relationships with key sources of talent, like medical schools 

By freeing up time, recruiters can also invest in their own training and development, honing skills that align with their long-term career goals and the needs of the company. This shift ensures that recruiters are not just focused on filling positions quickly but are making thoughtful, high-quality hiring decisions that benefit candidates and their organization long term. 

Set Realistic Goals 

While the pressure to fill positions quickly can feel overwhelming, especially during high-volume hiring periods, setting realistic and achievable goals is essential to avoiding burnout. Leaders in healthcare organizations must strike a balance between speed and recruiter capacity. It’s crucial to align hiring goals with available resources and recruiter bandwidth to avoid unrealistic targets. Utilizing reporting and benchmarks, such as time to fill, can also provide valuable insights into your current recruitment process and reveal any gaps that need to be addressed.  

Foster a Supportive Team Environment 

Collaboration is essential to reducing individual recruiter workloads and preventing burnout. By encouraging a team-based approach to hiring—where tasks like screening and interviewing are shared—healthcare organizations can help recruiters feel more connected and less isolated. Open and clear communication also plays a big role here, building trust and creating a sense of community within the team.  

A few things that can contribute to a cohesive recruiter environment are:  

• Regular check-ins 

• Team meetings 

• Shared resources  

This will not only improve productivity but also boost morale and retention, helping the entire recruitment team stay engaged and motivated. 

Provide Mental Health Resources 

Recruiters, especially in healthcare, face intense demands, and offering programs specifically designed to promote mental wellness can help reduce emotional strain and boost overall performance. Companies can also implement initiatives to provide recruiters with the tools to manage stress and foster a supportive environment. 

Here are some resources companies can implement to ensure recruiters feel valued and heard: 

• Flexible schedules 

• Employee assistance programs (EAPs) 

• Access to mental health professionals 

• Mindfulness workshops 

• Mental health days 

• Resilience training programs 

By prioritizing recruiter well-being, healthcare organizations not only invest in their teams’ productivity and retention but also safeguard the long-term success of their talent acquisition strategies. 

Leverage AI and Automation 

While it will never fully replace recruiters, AI can expand access and enhance productivity, allowing a deeper focus on the strategic and human elements of recruitment that cannot be automated. One of the most effective ways to reduce recruiter burnout is by automating repetitive, time-consuming manual tasks.  

AI-driven platforms like Leoforce can automate: 

• Sourcing 

• Screening 

• Ranking 

• Outreach 

This reduces the administrative load placed on recruiters, freeing them up to focus on more strategic, value-driven tasks, like engaging with candidates on a deeper level or assessing cultural fit. AI tools can also be used to identify “hidden” candidates, optimize job descriptions and advertisements which is critical in a noisy and often overwhelmed employee market. It’s important to understand the place of AI in healthcare staffing.  

Technology’s Role in Alleviating Burnout 

Technology and automation are no longer optional, they’re essential for managing the heavy workload of high-volume recruitment. Beyond AI, tools like Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and CRMs play a crucial role in reducing recruiter burnout by automating routine tasks and streamlining communication, allowing recruiters to focus on higher-value activities. 

Leoforce’s AI technology, for instance, helps lighten the load by offering personalized candidate matches and automating outreach, reducing the need to sift through hundreds of resumes.  

By automating time-consuming tasks, healthcare organizations can protect their recruiters from burnout and free them to focus on what truly matters like building relationships, ensuring compliance, and hiring the best talent. 

Key Takeaways 

Burnout is a serious challenge for healthcare recruiters, particularly in high-volume hiring environments. However, healthcare organizations can protect their recruiters from burnout by: 

• Setting realistic goals 

• Freeing recruiters up to be strategic 

• Fostering a supportive team culture 

• Leveraging technology and AI  

Striking the right balance between automation and human insight is key to long-term success. With the right strategies in place, healthcare organizations can not only fill critical roles quickly but also ensure they are bringing in top-tier talent that drives organizational growth and improves patient outcomes. 

Want to dive deeper? 

To learn more about how technology can transform your healthcare recruitment process, explore the latest blog from Applications on Demand. 

The post Overcoming Burnout: Maintaining Quality in High-Volume Healthcare Hiring appeared first on Leoforce.

The massive workforce shortages in the healthcare industry today have reached critical levels, threatening to disrupt the quality of patient care itself. Exacerbated by the increased demand for healthcare services from a rising senior population, the shortage of healthcare professionals, including nurses, physicians, and support staff, is likely to get even worse as experts predict the senior population will continue to grow by nearly 50% over the next decade.

The consequences of this crisis are profound, leading to increased workloads and employee burnout, but also straining an already overburdened system’s ability to meet the needs of their communities. All of which is concerning for its potential impact on patient safety and care.

Addressing the healthcare staffing crisis requires comprehensive strategies – including workforce development initiatives, enhanced recruitment efforts, and improved working conditions to attract and retain qualified professionals. Finding sustainable solutions to this crisis is imperative to ensure the resilience and effectiveness of the healthcare system tasked with providing essential services to those in need.

Source at Scale with More Time and Cost Efficiency

The struggle is real for healthcare facilities everywhere trying to find qualified candidates for their open roles. However, there is a solution to filling critical healthcare roles where the demand is high, but the supply of qualified workers is low.

Applicants on Demand is an AI-driven, pay-for-performance recruiting model where you only pay for the qualified applicants you receive based on your criteria. This flexible, scalable solution allows you to determine the number of applicants you receive and features transparent, pay per applicant pricing based on the role and location.

This revolutionary recruiting service leverages 10+ years of AI learning from based on successful recruiting patterns and ideal candidate profiles to accurately identify, screen, score, rank, and engage the candidates most likely to succeed in the role, converting them into applicants ready to kickstart the hiring process.

To Learn More about how AI-driven pay-for-performance recruiting is changing the game for talent acquisition teams across various industries, watch our webinar.

Leading Healthcare Providers Utilize Applicants on Demand

Nationally recognized healthcare providers are leveraging Applicants on Demand to not only find the talent they need, but to decrease sourcing time and recruiting costs.

Applicants on Demand sources top healthcare talent from the largest database of candidate profiles in the industry sourced from 70+ channels, saving time and money by consolidating searches and matching best-fit candidates to compatible healthcare jobs, based on their likelihood of success.

Multiple industry-leading healthcare providers use Applicants on Demand to maximize their recruiting budget, accelerate hiring, and discover top talent before their competition.

Use Case: Discover Top Healthcare Talent to Fill Roles Nationwide

A healthcare provider located in 31 states with over 10,000 employees needed to fill 3,000 open roles in the span of 10 months.

Challenges: Hiring at Scale for Various Locations

• Rapid Expansion: Urgent need to scale their workforce across 10 states.
• Diverse Skill Set Requirements: The need for niche, diverse skill sets for a variety of healthcare roles.
• Quality Assurance: Ensuring compliance with healthcare specific credentialing and regulatory requirements.

Solution: AI Qualified and Verified Applicants to Accelerate Bulk Healthcare Hiring

Recognizing the need for an advanced talent acquisition strategy, the organization decided to use Applicants on Demand, an AI-driven, pay-for-performance recruiting service, to increase the number of local, qualified applicants.

Applicants on Demand quickly began sourcing in just two weeks for a single state, rapidly expanding to 10 states – building a robust talent pipeline for the organization. Leveraging Applicants on Demand to increase the number of high-quality applicants, the healthcare provider was able to accelerate the recruiting process and focus on building quality relationships with the applicants.

Key Metrics

6,000+ applicants delivered

3,000+ jobs successfully closed

460+ average number of applicants each month

42% month over month growth

Use Case: Sourcing Out of State to Fill Local Job Openings

One of the largest state’s most prestigious hospitals had many fill roles in a highly competitive labor market but could not find the talent they needed.

Challenges: Fierce Competition for Qualified Candidates

• Labor shortages: A high volume of open jobs and not enough qualified local candidates.
• Competitive local talent pool: Amidst a healthcare labor shortage in a highly populated city with 180+ hospitals, the competition for qualified candidates was at an all-time high.

Solution: Expanding the Talent Pool to Increase Candidate Reach

This healthcare provider needed to widen their talent pool and find more effective ways to reach top talent before the competition.

They pivoted their strategy to discover candidates from locations outside their traditional recruitment areas. Using AI-assisted remote search to expand their candidate pool, attract, engage, and hire higher-quality, diverse talent.

By partnering with Applicants on Demand the hospital expanded their services from one location to 8 in just 6 months.

Key Metrics

1,200+ total applicants delivered

250+ average applications each month

Expanded from 1 location to 8

AI-Driven Pay-for-Performance Recruiting is a Healthcare Talent Acquisition Game Changer

Applicants on Demand’s AI-driven, pay-for-performance recruiting service is transforming healthcare talent acquisition. The success stories of these nationally recognized healthcare providers demonstrate how an AI-driven pay-for-performance recruiting service can help organizations build strong talent pipelines, efficiently scale for their workforce needs, and meet even the most diverse skill set requirements.

The organizations’ commitment to innovation in talent acquisition has not only optimized costs but has elevated their ability to deliver high quality healthcare services. Applicants on Demand continues to be a pivotal strategy for healthcare organizations to meet heightened demand in a highly competitive market where the challenges of massive workforce shortages remain.

Learn how Applicants on Demand can help your organization build a robust talent pipeline by rapidly delivering high quality applicants right to your ATS.

The post Applications on Demand Revolutionizes Healthcare Talent Acquisition to Fill Thousands of Jobs appeared first on Leoforce.

In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs in the healthcare industry are projected to rise from 153.5 million in 2020 to 165.4 million by 2030. It’s a real problem made worse by fierce competition for top talent, and time-consuming, inefficient recruiting processes. So time-consuming, it can take up to 250 days to fill a specialized role in healthcare in some cases. For healthcare leadership roles, it can be an even bigger issue because of the education, qualifications, and specialized skills required.

To help you build a robust recruitment strategy for sourcing, engaging, and hiring the right candidates, check out our 7 tips for effectively recruiting healthcare leaders in the turbulent healthcare industry of today.

Understand the Healthcare Talent Landscape

To effectively recruit for healthcare leadership, it’s important to have a firm grasp of the current healthcare talent landscape. This starts with assessing your organization’s needs to understand the precise mix of qualifications and skills required for leadership roles. It also requires staying updated on industry trends. For example, one current trend involves large numbers of healthcare professionals retiring or leaving the industry for other reasons. A recent survey by Elsevier Health projected that as many as 75% of healthcare professionals may exit the healthcare field by 2025. In response to this challenge, recruiters should explore creating a talent map to identify potential candidates within and outside the organization, keeping an eye on emerging leaders and up-and-coming talent.

Expand Your Talent Pipeline Across Multiple Channels

Don’t just rely on a single channel or even a few channels to source potential candidates. The broader your outreach strategy is, the more likely you are to build a broad talent pool of qualified candidates. Consider investing in a sourcing tool that features a built-in talent database to help you expand your talent pipeline. A tool such as the Leoforce sourcing platform. With the largest candidate database in North America (850+ million candidates sourced from 70+ channels across 150+ industries), Leoforce sources, scores and ranks talent for 90% of jobs in less than 5 minutes and reduces shortlisting time by 50%.

Leverage Technology and Data Analytics

Healthcare recruiting is no longer limited to posting job listings on websites and waiting for resumes to pour in. Harnessing the power of technology and data analytics can help you stay competitive. 94% of hiring professionals who utilize applicant tracking systems (ATS) have reported a noticeable improvement in hiring processes.

Leveraging AI tools such as Leoforce can streamline your healthcare recruiting efforts, by helping you identify top candidates faster, reducing time-to-hire and minimizing the risk and costs associated with bad hires. Leoforce’s AI-powered search and match capability uses 300+ attributes and 7 multidimensional data points to assess candidate relevancy empowering recruiters to match the most compatible talent to the job.

Emphasize Cultural Fit and Diversity

Recruiting healthcare leaders is about more than finding candidates with the right skills. You also need to ensure they’re the right culture fit for your organization. A diverse leadership team can bring fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to complex healthcare challenges. According to a Glassdoor survey, 76% of employees and job seekers emphasized the importance of diversity when evaluating job offers.

In keeping with these findings, Google has announced its commitment to achieving a 30 percent increase in leadership diversity by 2025. To promote diversity and cultural fit, implement a structured interview process that evaluates both technical and soft skills related to teamwork, communication, and adaptability. You can also consider blind resume screening as a strategy to mitigate unconscious bias during the initial phases of the recruitment process.

Invest in Employee Referral Programs

Employee referral programs are a highly effective and cost-efficient way to recruit top healthcare leaders. Your current employees often have valuable connections and can help identify candidates with the necessary qualifications that align with your organization’s culture. Employee referrals are a significant source of new hires, accounting for 30-50% of all engagements. The average cost-per-hire for employee referrals is $1,000 less than for hires from other sources.

To make your referral program successful, incentivize employees to refer qualified candidates and ensure the referral process is simple and user-friendly. You can also offer rewards or bonuses to employees whose referrals are successfully hired and stay with the organization for a given period.

Develop a Strong Employer Brand

Your organization’s reputation as an employer plays a significant role in attracting top healthcare leadership talent. A strong employer brand can differentiate you from competitors and make healthcare recruitment efforts more effective. 83% of employers recognize the substantial impact of employer branding on their ability to attract high-caliber candidates.

To build and maintain a strong employer brand, engage with current employees through surveys and feedback sessions to understand their experiences. Highlight positive aspects of your workplace culture in your recruitment materials and online presence. Showcase employee testimonials, awards, and recognitions to demonstrate your commitment to excellence.

Continuous Improvement and Evaluation

Recruitment strategies in healthcare are not static; they need to evolve continuously to meet changing needs and market conditions. Keep evaluating your recruitment plan’s effectiveness and be willing to adapt and refine your approach based on the results. Organizations that regularly review and adjust their recruitment strategies are more likely to achieve their recruitment goals.

Collect input from hiring managers, candidates, and newly onboarded team members to pinpoint areas for enhancements. Monitor key performance indicators such as time-to-hire, retention rates, and the diversity of hires. Use this data to fine-tune your healthcare recruitment strategies and ensure they remain effective in the ever-changing healthcare industry.

Revolutionize Your Healthcare Leadership Team

Are you ready to take your healthcare leadership to the next level? Discover how advanced AI technology can streamline healthcare recruitment and help you discover the talent most likely to succeed in the roles you’re sourcing.

The advanced AI in Leoforce is transforming the world of healthcare recruiting If you’re ready to start cutting candidate review and shortlisting time in half, Request a Demo of Leoforce today!

Resources

• https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.nr0.htm
• https://beta.elsevier.com/connect/clinician-of-the-future?trial=true
• https://www.zippia.com/advice/recruitment-statistics/
• https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/diversity/
• https://blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/commitments-racial-equity/
• https://www.zippia.com/advice/employee-referral-statistics/

The post 7 Tips on Recruiting Healthcare Leadership: Strategies that Make a Difference appeared first on Leoforce.

But that brings us face-to-face with a new challenge: ensuring candidate quality remains high during bulk hiring. Fortunately, with the right strategy, it is possible to maintain a consistently high level of quality in bulk healthcare recruiting. To help you keep your recruiting game strong, we’ve put together 7 tips to help you do just that. Before we dive in, let’s explore the state of healthcare hiring in general and the challenges facing healthcare recruiters and staffing agencies today.

Today’s Healthcare Hiring Landscape

Spurred on by the pandemic, the current workforce shortage in the healthcare industry can be attributed to a number of things:

• High levels of employee burnout – A historic 333,000 healthcare workers left their jobs in 2021 citing burnout, stress and an increased workload as a result of the pandemic as the reason.
• Increase in senior population – The population over the age of 65 is expected to increase by 45.1% by 2032 which will likely increase the demand for healthcare services.
• More healthcare workers retiring – Healthcare workers from across the spectrum are “aging out” or retiring in the next several years leaving a significant number of roles unfilled.

All of the above has led to a major gap in the supply vs the demand of qualified healthcare workers and has healthcare recruitment firms and hiring leaders looking to bulk healthcare recruiting to make up the deficit.

Balancing Quality with Bulk Healthcare Recruiting

Data as a Solution

Examining historical hiring data and performance metrics allows you to unearth recurring patterns and trends associated with successful placements.

According to Universum, there has been a monumental shift in how companies utilize data for recruitment and talent management over the past five years. In 2023, 40% of companies consistently relied on data-driven decisions, representing a 50% increase over the past four years. The study also found that an additional 48% frequently base their decisions on data, collectively amounting to an impressive 88% who consistently or frequently incorporate data into their decision-making processes.

Data-driven recruiting can also provide a strategic advantage in terms of resource allocation. By examining historical hiring data and performance metrics, you can identify recurring patterns and trends associated with successful placements and use this data to your advantage. This information can enable you to identify and prioritize candidates with a greater probability of success, leading to increased efficiency.

Predictive Analytics

While data-driven recruiting is valuable, predictive analytics takes it a step further by using historical data to forecast future outcomes. Predictive analytics can identify candidates who are qualified and more likely to thrive in specific roles within a healthcare organization. This level of insight is invaluable, especially when dealing with high-volume recruitment where the stakes are high, and each hire must make an immediate and positive impact on patient care.

And for the record, adoption of predictive analytics in healthcare recruiting is on the rise. A survey by the Society of Actuaries revealed that 60% of healthcare executives have already integrated predictive analytics into their organizations. Not to mention, 20% of payers and providers say they intend to adopt predictive analytics in the coming year.

Healthcare-Specific Job Boards

Job boards tailored specifically to the healthcare industry can be indispensable tools for bulk healthcare recruiting and offer several advantages including:

• Access to candidates with healthcare-specific skill sets
• Decreased manual sourcing time
• Better targeting capability
• Reduced competition for candidates

Designed to attract candidates with the precise qualifications and experience required for different roles in healthcare, these platforms can help healthcare recruiters and hiring teams streamline sourcing saving valuable time and resources.

According to Zippia, 71% of surveyed companies in the US rely on free job boards as their primary method for recruiting new employees.

Video Interviews

In a study commissioned by HireVue, 54% of respondents reported that virtual interviews led to a more efficient recruitment process. In comparison, 41% indicated that it helped them pinpoint the most compatible candidates. Let’s face it, if you can’t be face-to-face, a video interview is the next best thing to being there. The research also found that 23% of study participants intended to transition exclusively to virtual interviewing methods.

Keep Your Employer Branding Strong

In any hiring scenario, a strong employer brand can make all the difference when it comes to capturing top talent. It’s even more critical in bulk healthcare recruiting where competition is fierce and talent scarce. Healthcare organizations with a positive reputation are far more likely to attract qualified candidates. That could be why research revealed that 78% of companies consider employer branding to be one of their top priorities. After all, an effective employer branding strategy has the potential to draw in higher-quality talent, trim down recruitment expenses, and decrease employee turnover rates.

Invest in Your Team’s Future

Employees who believe a company is invested in their future, are more likely to invest their long-term careers in that company. That’s why investing in ongoing training and development of your team is so important for employee retention and satisfaction. LinkedIn’s Workplace Learning Report found that 94% of employees expressed their willingness to stay with a company for an extended period when the company prioritizes their ongoing learning and development.

But it also has the dual benefit of helping your healthcare team develop new skills that can be leveraged to close a potential skills gap in the future in your workforce.

Simplify the Sourcing Process

It’s true that efficiency is absolutely crucial in bulk healthcare recruiting. But it should never come at the expense of quality. Start by looking for ways to simplify the sourcing process. You can leverage automated applicant tracking systems for screening resumes and applications. But there are better ways to maximize efficiency without sacrificing quality.

Consider that recruiters spend approximately 7 seconds on average scanning a resume. That doesn’t leave much room for a truly comprehensive assessment of a candidate’s qualifications. It can also lead to decisions based on arbitrary or biased factors. This is where an AI screening tool can be a game changer. Implementing a powerful sourcing tool such as Leoforce, allows healthcare recruiters to rapidly source, score, and rank the candidates most likely to excel in the role for 90% of jobs in 5 minutes or less, reducing shortlisting time by 50%.

Healthcare hiring is going to pose some challenges for the foreseeable future. To successfully navigate the rocky road of bulk healthcare recruitment, it’s critical to arm yourself with the right strategies and the best technology tools.

Elevating Bulk Healthcare Recruitment with Applicants on Demand

It’s safe to say that sourcing and hiring even one high quality healthcare worker is no small feat. But with an AI solution like Leoforce’s Applicants on Demand, (AoD) the burden of sourcing – is completely removed from your team. Instead, AI qualified applicants are delivered directly to your ATS. A true pay-for-performance hiring solution, AoD is revolutionizing bulk healthcare hiring. With no upfront costs and predictable, pay-per-applicant pricing, AoD prequalifies, engages, and nurtures candidates throughout the recruitment process, delivering them back to you as interview-ready applicants. If you’re ready to save your team precious time, money, and resources, contact us today to Learn More about AoD.

Resources

• https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20221024/over-333000-healthcare-workers-left-jobs-in-2021-report-says
• https://www.aamc.org/news/us-physician-shortage-growing
• https://www2.universumglobal.com/l/13732/2023-05-25/k2n664/13732/1685006384vHDQhOlL/Employer_Branding_NOW_2023_eBook.pdf
• https://www.soa.org/globalassets/assets/Files/programs/predictive-analytics/2019-health-care-trend.pdf
• https://gohire.io/blog/top-healthcare-job-boards
• https://www.zippia.com/advice/cost-of-hiring-statistics-average-cost-per-hire/
• https://www.hirevue.com/resources/report/report-state-of-hiring-experience-2021
• https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/employer-branding
• https://learning.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/learning/en-us/pdfs/workplace-learning-report/LinkedIn-Learning_Workplace-Learning-Report-2023-EN.pdf
• https://www.theladders.com/static/images/basicSite/pdfs/TheLadders-EyeTracking-StudyC2.pdf

The post 7 Ways to Keep Your Bulk Healthcare Recruiting & Quality Game Strong appeared first on Leoforce.

On top of all of these hurdles, the industry has to contend with even more challenges when it comes to bulk hiring of top healthcare professionals. According to a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges, the United States will have a shortage of between 54,100 and 139,000 physicians by 2033. But the workforce shortage doesn’t stop there. The American Nurses Association estimates that the country will need an additional 1.1 million registered nurses by 2022.

Yes, healthcare staffing agencies and recruiters are struggling to find qualified candidates to fill these positions quickly and efficiently. This is partially due to the slow, labor-intensive, inefficiency of the traditional hiring process. After all, sifting through countless resumes, scheduling interviews, and conducting background checks takes a significant amount of time and resources. Throw in the massive shortage of healthcare professionals, and it’s easy to see why it can be difficult to fill positions in healthcare quickly.

Fortunately, the introduction of AI in healthcare recruiting is changing the game. By utilizing advanced technologies such as machine learning and natural language processing, AI hiring solutions can streamline recruiting processes enabling recruiters to identify and engage the most compatible candidates in a matter of minutes. And there are a number of tangible benefits to incorporating an AI recruiting tool into your talent acquisition strategy. But before we discuss the benefits, let’s talk about where to start in the process.

Identify Gaps and Align Stakeholders

Before implementing any technology tool into your hiring process, it’s critical to assess where the gaps in your strategy are. After all, implementing an AI hiring solution into a healthcare organization requires careful planning and consideration. It’s important to align all stakeholders, including HR, recruiters, hiring managers, and IT professionals in the evaluation and planning process.

It starts by identifying the key areas where AI can have the most impact. Is resume screening taking an inordinate amount of time? Do the candidates match the roles you’re trying to fill? Are candidates getting scooped up by the competition faster than you can engage them? Answering these questions is the first step to understanding where you need to make recruiting process improvements, and ultimately selecting the right AI tool to achieve your hiring goals.

The Benefits of AI Hiring in Healthcare

Every industry of late seems to be touting the benefits of AI and what it can do to drive efficiency. But when it comes to the talent acquisition and recruiting ecosphere, AI technology is playing an increasingly important role for its ability to effectively pre-screen candidates and automate routine tasks. In fact, one of the major benefits of AI hiring in healthcare is the significant improvement in efficiency. AI algorithms can analyze and screen a large number of resumes in a fraction of the time it would take a human recruiter. This allows healthcare organizations to quickly identify and shortlist the most qualified candidates for further evaluation.

Suggested Read – Talent Intelligence + AI Tools: Redefining Healthcare Recruiting

Improved Candidate Quality

AI hiring technologies can also assess candidate skills, experience, and qualifications more accurately, leading to better matches between candidates and job requirements. This not only saves time for healthcare organizations, but also improves candidate quality over time.

With an AI sourcing tool such as Leoforce, not only do healthcare recruiters have access to the largest proprietary talent pool in North America (850M+ active and passive candidates), the platform also features talent intelligence and predictive analytics around on compensation, skills, education and other key data points to refine search parameters. The result is a 50% reduction in candidate review and shortlisting time.

Identifying Passive Candidates

Another noteworthy benefit of AI hiring in healthcare lies in the ability to identify passive candidates, or candidates who are not actively searching for a new job. These candidates may not apply to job postings but may be open to new opportunities if they are engaged directly. The Leoforce platform in particular, can also help healthcare recruiters discover, score, and rank talent in their own internal talent pools they may have overlooked using traditional methods.

Mitigating Bias

AI hiring in healthcare also has the potential to mitigate bias in the hiring process. Human recruiters may unintentionally introduce bias based on factors like gender, race, or educational background. AI algorithms, on the other hand, can be programmed to ignore such factors and focus solely on merit and qualifications. This ensures a fair and unbiased selection process for all candidates.

Things to Look for in An AI Hiring Tool

The number of AI recruiting and hiring tools on the market today is dizzying. And selecting the one that meets the unique needs of your organization can be daunting. As you explore the options, look for an AI tool that encompasses solutions to every sourcing challenge in a single platform. A great place to start your search is by exploring Leoforce. With powerful search and match, and talent intelligence capabilities, the largest talent database in North America, and Applicants on Demand, Leoforce is a single platform sourcing solution for bulk hiring of healthcare professionals. Leoforce’s AI enables human recruiters to focus on the parts of their job that add the most value.

Suggested Read – Empowering Healthcare Organizations with Talent Rediscovery through AI Recruiting Tools

What is AI Powered Applicants on Demand?

Perhaps the ultimate healthcare hiring solution, Leoforce’s AI powered Applicants on Demand completely removes the burden of sourcing healthcare professionals from healthcare staffing companies. Leveraging Leoforce’s powerful search and match capability and talent intelligence, the AI sourcing tool does everything from identifying, and engaging healthcare candidates, to nurturing talent throughout the entire recruiting lifecycle. AI matched candidates are transformed into applicants and submitted to healthcare recruiters through their own ATS to be managed using their standard hiring process. The service is a true pay for performance option with no up-front costs and a “pay for what you get” predictable budget.

At a time when the demand for healthcare professionals far exceeds the supply, healthcare staffing companies have their work cut out for them. But you don’t have to face these challenges alone. Contact us today to book a free demo of Leoforce, and find out what the power of AI can do for you.

Resources

• https://www.aamc.org/news/press-releases/new-aamc-report-confirms-growing-physician-shortage

The post How AI Hiring Streamlines Bulk Hiring of Healthcare Professionals appeared first on Leoforce.

AMN Healthcare’s 2022 Survey of Locum Tenens Staffing Trends report stated that 88% of healthcare facilities employed locum tenen physicians in 2022. A 2023 report by Staffing Industry Analysts forecasted that the locum tenens segment is expected to grow by at least 10% in 2023 and will continue to grow in 2024. Let’s understand the reasons why healthcare facilities are continuing to hire locum tenen physicians, the benefits of hiring locum tenen physicians and how healthcare facilities can hire locum tenen physicians.

If you’re unfamiliar with the term locum tenens, let’s briefly go through the definition of locum tenens. Essentially, locum tenens physicians refer to temporary or substitute physicians who provide healthcare services to healthcare facilities on a short term or contractual basis. Locum tenens physicians generally fill in for regular physicians who might be on annual leave or in case there is a shortage of medical staff. While locum tenen physicians are usually hired through temporary staffing agencies, some locum tenens also work as independent contractors.

The role of locum tenen physicians in the United States healthcare system

Along with catering to the increasing demand for healthcare, locum tenen physicians are making up for the acute shortage of medical staff. They also fill in gaps in staffing during annual leaves, vacations or unexpected absences of full-time medical staff. In a nutshell, locum tenen physicians help ensure that there are no interruptions in patient care.

Locum tenen physicians are usually not limited to general physicians. In fact, most of them tend to work across a wide range of healthcare specialties. These include emergency medicine, surgery, anesthesia etc. They can also take up short-term assignments which can be as short as a few consultations and as lengthy as a few months. Because they work across various healthcare facilities, they tend to have experience of interacting with a diverse range of patients. In fact, they generally have better than usual community engagement skills.

Overall, locum tenens physicians serve as a valuable resource for maintaining the continuity of healthcare services in the United States, filling temporary staffing gaps and contributing to the overall efficiency of the healthcare system.

Advantages of hiring locum tenen physicians

Hiring locum tenen physicians offers several benefits for healthcare facilities. For starters, locum tenen physicians ensure minimal interruptions in patient care, thereby maintaining consistency in healthcare services provided by a healthcare facility. Locum tenen physicians are usually flexible with their schedules and can take over when the regular physicians are unavailable. They are also available at short notice and can be available contractually – thereby allowing healthcare facilities to better manage staffing based on the current demand.

Essentially, locum tenen physicians help healthcare facilities maintain optimal patient to physician ratio. But locum tenen physicians are not just available to fill in gaps in staffing. They can also effectively reduce the burden on the current medical staff. In the past few years, medical staff have been quitting their profession in droves. Locum tenen physicians can help reduce cases of burnout due to increased workload.

Additionally, because locum tenen physicians belong to different specialties they can help healthcare facilities manage staffing needs for more than just general medicine, thereby ensuring that patients receive specific treatment as per the medical requirement.

Finally, locum tenen physicians are a cost-effective option in comparison to full time physicians. This is because they are not eligible for any full time employee benefits. Healthcare facilities can save on the cost of employee benefits like annual bonus, retirement and insurance plans as well as any other overhead costs that are usually associated with full time or permanent employees.

The benefits of hiring locum tenens physicians include maintaining continuity of care, flexibility in staffing, access to specialized expertise, reduced workload for existing staff, and potential cost savings. These advantages contribute to efficient healthcare delivery and improved patient outcomes.

Disadvantages of hiring locum tenen physicians

While there are plenty of advantages of hiring locum tenen physicians, there is also a downside.

Locum tenen physicians usually have a rather short adjustment period and might not be able to sync with the healthcare facility’s work ecosystem in their limited time. This can significantly impact healthcare efficiency during the initial stage of the assignment. Additionally, locum tenen physicians are rarely available for follow up care for patients. Transitioning to other physicians can make patients uncomfortable. Finally, the cost of hiring locum tenen physicians can be slightly higher than permanent staff in the long run, even though healthcare institutions don’t have to pay for additional overhead costs.

While these disadvantages exist, they can often be mitigated through effective communication, proper onboarding, and fostering a supportive work environment for locum tenens physicians. If a healthcare facility is looking to hire locum tenen physicians, here are some handy tips.

Tips to hire locum tenen physicians

Clearly define medical staffing requirements

It is important that healthcare institutions clearly specify what kind of locum tenen physicians are required at their facility. These requirements should include qualifications, medical specialty, additional medical certifications, duration, clinical skills, availability etc.

Hire a medical staffing agency

Medical staffing agencies usually have access to a large network of locum tenen physicians and can give healthcare facilities immediate access to a talent pool as per their requirements. Additionally, medical staffing agencies will conduct their own due diligence before passing over medical profiles to the healthcare institution.

Use AI-based healthcare recruiting software solutions

AI can play a valuable role in healthcare recruitment by automating and streamlining various aspects of the process including candidate sourcing and candidate screening. AI-based applicant tracking systems can also streamline candidate management while predictive analysis software can help match candidates as per criteria and introduce the best possible matches to healthcare institutions while eliminating recruiter bias. The advanced AI in Leoforce is revolutionizing the healthcare recruiting industry by using 300+ parameters and 7 multi-dimensional data points to score and rank talent for compatibility. Leoforce simultaneously helps source candidates from multiple channels in under 5 minutes, reducing candidate review and shortlisting time by 50%. Request a Demo to understand how Leoforce can help organizations streamline their healthcare staffing challenges and optimize hiring of locum tenen physicians.

The healthcare staffing industry has seen a steady rise in the popularity of locum tenen physicians between 2020 and 2023, mainly due to their ability to discover flexible staffing solutions. The hiring trajectory is expected to grow steadily in 2023 and it is highly likely that locum tenens might represent one of the fast-growing staffing segments in the near future.

Resources

• https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/977617
• https://www2.staffingindustry.com/Editorial/Healthcare-Staffing-Report/April-13-2023/Summary-of-SIA-s-healthcare-staffing-industry-forecast
• https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/practices/face-physician-shortage-85-healthcare-facilities-rely-locum-tenens
• https://revcycleintelligence.com/news/88-of-healthcare-facilities-employed-locum-tenens-providers

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Here are top five reasons a hospital must urgently hire a medical staffing agency

Surge in in-patient intake

An unexpected increase in in-patient intake can result in pandemonium if a healthcare institute is unprepared to handle the increased load. In such situations, healthcare institutions need to urgently bring in temporary staff that can handle emergency situations. A medical staffing agency can provide access to temporary or contractual staff in such situations and thereby ensure negligible interruptions in patient care.

Shortage of staff

The United States along with several other countries is facing an acute shortage of nursing staff in some States and a surplus of nursing staff in some States. As of 2023, the United States employs over 5.3 million healthcare professionals serving as nurses. But the demand for nursing staff is expected to exponentially increase by 2030; so much so that several States will witness a severe shortage. A staffing agency can help healthcare institutions by building a database of healthcare professionals. They can also help source healthcare professionals from out of State to fill in vacant positions.

Temporary staffing needs

While an increase in in-patient intake can lead to a hospital needing more manpower, it might not be the only reason. Sometimes hospitals require temporary staff to cover for full-time employees who might be on annual leave. Similarly, hospitals might need extra manpower during specific periods of the year as patient intake might increase seasonally. A medical staffing agency can not only predict such times, it can be prepared to source temporary staff and ensure uninterrupted operations in such a time.

Specialized positions

Because healthcare is extremely diverse, some hospital departments cannot make do with general physicians. They need medical professionals specializing in specific types of healthcare. It can be challenging as well as extremely time consuming to find such specialty staff through traditional means of recruitment. A medical staffing agency can come in handy in such cases. They can put hospitals in touch with medical specialists as per their requirements and reduce the time and resources taken to complete such a task.

Access a broader talent pool while reorganizing

Healthcare institutions have been trying to cut down on healthcare staff because of increased expenses and decreased revenue. Healthcare layoffs have gone up by an alarming 287% from May 2022. As such, hospitals will quickly need to bring in replacements – this can be done with the help of a medical staffing agency.

Bonus reason – Outsourcing recruitment

Some healthcare institutions prefer outsourcing all of their manpower sourcing needs to medical staffing agencies. This means the agency will take care of all recruitment processes including candidate sourcing and screening, initial interviews and even onboarding. By using a medical staffing agency, hospital administrations can focus on optimizing other functions at the institution.

Now that you know the reasons why a hospital needs a medical staffing agency, let’s quickly understand how a top medical staffing agency can help a hospital or healthcare institution with its recruitment needs.

Here are the benefits of hiring a top medical staffing agency

Medical staffing agencies can give you immediate access to a pool of candidates

Top medical staffing agencies tend to maintain a database of candidates across varied medical fields, designations and specialties. Because they have an extensive network of healthcare professionals at hand, they can quickly attend to a hospital’s recruiting needs.

Medical staffing agencies can provide flexible staffing solutions

A healthcare institution’s staffing needs might vary and it might not need permanent or full time employees all the time. Top medical staffing agencies can usually help with flexible medical recruitment solutions.

Medical staffing agencies provide end to end staffing solutions

Attention to detail and a robust skill set are key to working in the medical profession. Any mistakes or errors in judgement can cost a patient their life. That is why it is imperative that hospitals and other healthcare institutions only hire staff that has the right education, training and relevant experience. This makes it important to vet the applications received for a specific position. Staffing agencies with experience in medical recruitment are aware that due diligence must be conducted before hiring a medical professional including verifying their training and experience, assessing their skill set and conducting background checks based on the information provided by applicants. If a hospital or healthcare institution were to take up such a task they would find it to be extremely cumbersome as well as time consuming. But for those trained in medical recruitment, such a task will be easily streamlined.

Medical staffing agencies can cater to specialized needs

Hospital departments might require medical professionals with specialized skills. For instance, a trauma nurse might not be as efficient while assisting in a surgery as a surgical nurse. Similarly, a pediatrician might not be as efficient as a cardiologist while diagnosing heart related disorders. It is important that healthcare institutions hire medical professionals that cater to a specific branch of medicine in order to effectively treat patients. Medical staffing agencies can help shortlist, vet, assess and onboard specialty medical professionals as per the healthcare institution’s requirements.

Medical staffing agencies are prepared to cater to a manpower crisis

Because healthcare staffing agencies will have a better understanding of the healthcare industry, they will be better prepared to handle staffing needs of hospitals in case of emergency medical crises. Medical agencies will be in a position to resource temporary or contractual medical service professionals to address short term staffing needs.

Medical staffing agencies can help reduce the recruiting time by 50%

Because medical staffing agencies are better experienced and agile and they usually make use of technology to assist with recruiting, they can bring down the time taken to recruit medical staff by at least 50%, thereby saving on time as well as cost.

Medical staffing agencies opt for technology-based recruiting to optimize healthcare hiring

Medical staffing agencies usually employ AI based recruiting solutions to optimize the hiring process. AI can play a valuable role in healthcare recruitment by automating and streamlining various aspects of the process including candidate sourcing and candidate screening. AI based applicant tracking systems can also streamline candidate management while predictive analysis software can help match candidates as per criteria and introduce the best possible matches to healthcare institutions while eliminating recruiter bias. The advanced AI in Leoforce is revolutionizing the healthcare recruiting industry by using 300+ parameters and 7 multi-dimensional data points to score and rank talent for compatibility. Leoforce simultaneously helps source candidates from multiple channels in under 5 minutes, reducing candidate review and shortlisting time by 50%. Request a Demo to understand how Leoforce can help your organization streamline its healthcare staffing challenges in time to avoid a nursing shortage crisis.

Over to You

Staffing agencies play a crucial role in healthcare recruitment by connecting healthcare organizations with qualified professionals efficiently and effectively. By leveraging AI tools and technologies, healthcare organizations and recruiters can streamline the recruitment process, identify qualified candidates efficiently, and ultimately make better-informed hiring decisions.

The post Signs Your Hospital Needs a Top Medical Staffing Agency appeared first on Leoforce.

The healthcare industry also faces challenges while trying to establish a diverse, equal and inclusive environment. Healthcare disparities and inequities are often rooted in systemic and historical factors such as racism, discrimination, and unequal access to resources. Let’s understand these challenges briefly.

Challenges in Implementing DEI in Healthcare

Underrepresentation in leadership positions

The United States might be accepting diversity but white men still seem to be in leadership positions. In an article published by USA today in 2022, 1 in 7 companies have all white leadership teams. This includes healthcare organizations. Many healthcare organizations seem to lack representation in high-ranking management roles. This underrepresentation is not limited to race alone. It also throws light on the fact that women and other genders or those who are open about their sexual identity are usually not included in leadership positions. Underrepresented teams can lead to disparities in decision-making, limited role models for underrepresented groups, and unequal access to opportunities.

Implicit bias becomes a barrier to progress

Organizations might claim to offer an equal opportunity environment but unconscious bias can influence and impair decision making leading to disparities within the organization. For instance, only offering the graveyard shift to immigrant nurses because of the unconscious belief that they tend to work harder in a foreign country can hamper their progress and even lead to burnout. Other factors that might lead to implicit bias include ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status and sexual identity. It is important to address implicit bias to establish an equal opportunity environment.

Lack of training in cultural competency

Due to the diverse nature of the United States population, it is important that healthcare professionals have the ability to understand their patients and effectively communicate with them. However, lack of cultural competency training programs leads to a lower patient dissatisfaction rate and a less than pleasant patient-centered care experience.

Non-inclusive policies and practices

Several healthcare institutions tend to lack inclusive policies and practices that promote equity and support diverse employees. Hospitals also lack anti-discriminatory policies or a zero-tolerance policy against any kind of discrimination. This can be a barrier for recruiting an effective workforce, retaining skilled employees and maintaining a positive work environment.

Addressing diversity, equity and inclusion challenges at a healthcare institution requires a multi-faceted approach. This approach will involve equal opportunity recruitment, cultural competence training, diverse representation in leadership, inclusive policies, zero tolerance to discrimination and a continuous evaluation of healthcare functions in a bid to ensure equity and inclusivity for both medical professionals as well as patients. Let’s understand these measures in brief.

Using AI tools to eliminate recruiter bias in healthcare recruiting

Acts of discrimination can be witnessed everywhere and not just on the hospital floor. Recruiter bias can lead to hospitals missing out on hiring competent talents. By using AI based recruiting tools, healthcare recruiters can streamline the initial hiring process and let the software take up the task of shortlisting candidates and assessing their skills. Additionally, AI based applicant tracking systems can streamline candidate management while predictive analysis software can help match candidates as per criteria and introduce the best possible matches to healthcare institutions while eliminating recruiter bias. The advanced AI in Leoforce is revolutionizing the healthcare recruiting industry by using 300+ parameters and 7 multi-dimensional data points to score and rank talent for compatibility. Leoforce simultaneously helps source candidates from multiple channels in under 5 minutes, reducing candidate review and shortlisting time by 50%. Request a Demo to understand how Leoforce can help your organization streamline its healthcare recruiting objectives and make recruiting more inclusive.

Prioritize implementation of zero tolerance, non discriminatory policies

In order to ensure that the hospital is established as a safe and positive working environment for all, it is imperative that healthcare institutions draw up clear and comprehensive non-discrimination policies. These policies need to clearly chalk out the healthcare institution’s commitment to providing equal treatment to their workforce as well as their patients. The healthcare institution must also communicate to all their employees that any discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other protected characteristics is not tolerated.

Introduce diversity and inclusion training

It is important that healthcare institutions regularly conduct diversity and inclusion training programs for all hospital staff. These training sessions can raise awareness about unconscious bias, cultural competence, respectful communication, and the importance of equitable treatment. It also includes cultural competence training to enhance understanding of diverse patient populations, their unique healthcare needs, and consequent communication strategies. Such training programs show the workforce that the healthcare institution is aware of the workforce’s challenges and is actively working to overcome them.

Design and adopt a patient-centered approach on the hospital floor

It is important for healthcare institutions to establish that the hospital is all about patient care. By developing a patient centered approach, medical professionals will learn to respect individual values, preferences, and accept and adapt to diverse backgrounds. This approach will also involve patients in decision-making processes, and take into consideration their cultural beliefs, socioeconomic factors, and social determinants of health when developing patient care plans.

Conclusion

Organizations have a growing responsibility to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in healthcare not only for their employees, but also to better serve patients and their families. As a result, diversity, equity and inclusion are a focus for healthcare organizations and several healthcare institutions are taking active measures to ensure a positive working environment.

Resources

• https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/money/2023/02/16/white-men-corporate-america-diversity/11114830002/

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In just the first five months of 2023, the healthcare sector including healthcare institutions and healthcare product manufacturers, have announced over 33,000 layoffs. This number is up by 81% from May 2022 when a little over 18,000 layoffs were announced. Read on to know more about the healthcare layoffs in 2023, its reasons and how this crisis can be resolved.

Layoffs in healthcare can occur due to various factors such as organizational restructuring, financial challenges, staff shortage and changes in healthcare policies. According to a report published by Syntellis, hospitals in the United States saw a rise in year-on-year (YoY) margins in January by 3.7 percentage points. This is the first instance since the YoY increase in December 2021. Hospitals also witnessed an increase in gross operating revenue by 10.1% YoY. The increase can be attributed to an increase in outpatient revenue which went up by 18.7%.

Emergency department (ED) labor expenses have gone up by at least 50% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020. However, the number of ED personnel has steadily declined over the past three years. Healthcare institutions in the Western States of USA have reported a 52.4% increase in ED labor expenses between January 2020 and January 2023. These expenses have been attributed to the average increase in wages of registered nurses. Western States, especially California, have the highest average for hourly wages of registered nurses at $64 in 2023.

The acute shortage in nursing staff has led to healthcare institutions heavily relying on contractual nursing staff. As a result, healthcare institutions are also witnessing a surge in contractual labor expenses. The American Hospital Association has reported that contract labor expenses have increased by at least 258% between 2019 and 2022. The average wage paid to contractual healthcare employees has gone up by 57%. If measures are not taken to resolve the nursing shortage crisis, the cost for contractual healthcare services will continue to surge in 2023. As per experts at Syntellis, this year will continue to see an increase in expenses due to nurse shortage and continued reliance on contractual staff. Nurse shortage is a serious crisis in the American healthcare landscape.

Click here to know more about the nursing shortage in USA

In a bid to reduce costs, healthcare institutions are laying off hundreds and thousands of employees. However, most of the cutbacks are happening in the administrative departments of healthcare institutions. Nonclinical employees are bearing the brunt of the high cost of patient facing employees and healthcare institutions, big or small, are laying off employees in the administrative departments.

Here are some of the most prominent examples.

• Between February and April 2023, Adventist Health laid off 59 administrative employees citing reorganization of staff to consolidate its care networks – this move saved them nearly $100 million in expenses.
• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center reportedly laid off 131 non-union employees at its main facility and about two dozen more employees at other locations. These employees were a part of non-patient care departments including administrative support, pharmacy technicians and hospital operations management.
• Employees at Compass Health were caught off guard when the healthcare institution announced a layoff of at least 500 support staff last year.
• Crozer Health fired 215 employees that made up 4% of their total workforce. They cited the reason for the layoff as restructuring in a bid to cut costs and optimize administrative efforts. This move also included shutting the door on any underutilized health services.
• Madera Community Hospital, which reported running at a $2.5 million per month operational deficit, let go an alarming 772 permanent employees in January.
• McClaren’s Healthcare laid off 743 employees, a third of which were registered nurses. Other laid off employees included nursing assistants, pharmacists, accountants, housekeepers, physical therapists and technicians. It also included the healthcare institution’s chief operating officer and vice president of patient care services and the chief nursing officer.

Hospital expenses, particularly for labor, continue to be high amid growing inflation and persistent staff shortages ultimately resulting in revenue deficit. In a bid to cut costs, healthcare institutions are reorganizing and optimizing their current resources. As a result, employees in non-patient facing roles as well as patient facing roles are facing severe consequences.

One way to resolve layoffs will be to resolve the nurse shortage crisis. Healthcare institutions urgently need to go back to the drawing board and recalibrate their workforce management strategies. Addressing the shortage of nursing staff is critical because experts are predicting an upward trajectory for the shortage that can lead to a large-scale healthcare staff emergency by 2030.

Here are some ways to reduce nurse shortage

Offer nurse exchange and out of State on the job training programs

Affiliated healthcare institutions need to start offering out of state and on the job nurse training programs or even nurse exchange educational programs. This will fill a significant amount of available nursing positions in States that are facing a shortage and even reduce the amount of nurses in States that are experiencing a surplus. Additionally, State funded teaching hospitals (especially those in States that are likely to experience severe deficit) can increase their intake of students wishing to train in the medical care field.

Reduce the burden on hospital staff to eliminate burnout

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, 50% of healthcare workers report symptoms of burnout and decreased morale. This is because healthcare institutions are expecting to extract more work from lower numbers of manpower. This burnout rate is expected to continue increasing as the urgent need for healthcare professionals continues to increase. By employing technology based solutions like machine learning software for patient care management – healthcare institutions can considerably reduce the burden on nursing staff.

Using AI-based recruitment solutions for healthcare recruiting

By using AI-based recruitment solutions, recruiters can significantly cut down the time taken to hire medical professionals. AI-based solutions can easily post information about job availability, shortlist and categorize applications, conduct skill assessments and even schedule interviews. These solutions not only save time, they also eliminate recruiter bias. The advanced AI in Leoforce is revolutionizing the healthcare recruiting industry by using 300+ parameters and 7 multi-dimensional data points to score and rank talent for compatibility. Leoforce simultaneously helps source candidates from multiple channels in under 5 minutes, reducing candidate review and shortlisting time by 50%. Request a Demo to understand how Leoforce can help your organization streamline its healthcare staffing challenges in time to avoid a nursing shortage crisis.

Over To You

1 in 3 nurses are likely to quit their job in the next five years as per a report by USA Today. The United States National Council of State Boards of Nursing stated in a report that about 100,000 registered nurses have left the profession since 2020. If they don’t leave, they also run the risk of getting fired. Additionally, increasing wages for nursing staff means other non-patient staff bear the brunt of cost cutting. Eventually, the administrative work is expected to be taken on by nursing staff – leading to burnout and continuation of the vicious cycle.

Resources

• https://www.challengergray.com/blog/may-2023-layoffs-jump-on-tech-retail-auto-ytd-hiring-lowest-since-2016/
• https://www.syntellis.com/sites/default/files/2023-03/Performance%20Trends%20Feb_HC.1102.03.23.pdf
• https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2023/03/13/hospital-expenses

The post Healthcare Layoffs Stats 2023 appeared first on Leoforce.

7 Healthcare Staffing Solutions for Nursing Shortages

Explore these 7 effective healthcare staffing solutions to combat nursing shortages and ensure adequate patient care.

Offer nurse exchange and out of State on the job training programs

If affiliated healthcare institutions start offering out of state and on the job nurse training programs or even nurse exchange education programs, a significant amount of available nursing positions will be filled. Additionally, State funded teaching hospitals (especially those in States that are likely to experience severe deficit) can increase their intake of students wishing to train in the medical care field.

Improve the current work culture so fewer nurses quit

For a workplace to be considered healthy, community building must be at its heart. Hence, a healthcare organisation that puts the good of the larger community first, should do the same for its own people. This helps reinforce the belief that the work each person is doing is not just worthwhile, but also respected. It is imperative that healthcare institutions create a positive and healthy workplace by maintaining clear and consistent communication, demonstrating empathy, being transparent, and setting boundaries. Additionally, healthcare institutions that prioritize community will not tolerate hate speech, discrimination, or bias. They will promote a welcoming atmosphere regardless of differences and will have systems in place for diversity and inclusion training, as well as a safe reporting mechanism for instances of discrimination without fear of retaliation.

Address the shortage well in advance with educational programs

The above numbers have raised alarm bells across the United States and it is imperative to address the concerns at a grassroot level. Educational institutions in the United States can offer State funded scholarships and short term healthcare programs to train nurses for telehealth and travelling healthcare services. These initiatives are likely to encourage more students to enrol into nursing programs.

Training the trainer programs for ageing workforce

The current ageing workforce hold a plethora of work experience and can be trained to take up telehealth and travelling healthcare services. This will allow them to continue work at reasonable and flexible hours, even from remote locations. While this move will not help in reducing the nurse shortage, it will reduce the burden on nurses working full time and part time at healthcare institutions. By reducing the number of people visiting hospitals for non urgent medical care, hospitals can transfer the responsibilities of on-campus nurses to those working for telehealth and travelling health services.

Introduce strict non-tolerance against discrimination

It’s not just that nurses are quitting their jobs, the nursing profession has earned a nasty reputation of being extremely exhausting at a physical as well as a mental level. Moreover, a report published by the Johnson Wood foundation in May 2023 stated that the nurses interviewed reported witnessing racist behaviour and experiencing discrimination from almost 80% of their patients. Of these nurses, those belonging to the Hispanic, Asian and Black races reported more incidents of microaggression due to race in comparison to their White peers. Introducing a strict no discrimination policy at a healthcare institution as well as a State level will encourage more students to enrol into nurse training programs. It will also encourage nurses from other States to apply for jobs in States known for discriminating against race.

Streamline healthcare recruitment with AI-based solutions

On an average, recruiters can take up to 8 months to fill in a position in healthcare in the United States. This is because most healthcare recruiters as well as healthcare institutions are continuing to use traditional means and methods of recruitment. By introducing AI-based recruiting solutions like Leoforce, recruiters can cut down recruitment shortlisting by at least 50%. The advanced AI in Leoforce is revolutionizing the healthcare recruiting industry by using 300+ parameters and 7 multi-dimensional data points to score and rank talent for compatibility. Leoforce simultaneously helps source candidates from multiple channels in little under 5 minutes! Click here to Request a Demo today.

Introduce AI-based solutions to reduce the burden on nursing staff

It is common knowledge that nursing staff are constantly overworked. Artificial Intelligence based medical solutions can be used to reduce the burden on nursing staff. By using AI-based medical software, healthcare institutions can detect early signs of genetic conditions and terminal illnesses like cancer; they can also use AI and machine learning solutions for managing medical databases. AI can successfully conduct virtual health checks and act as a virtual health assistant. But that’s not all! AI can even be used in complicated surgical procedures as assistant surgical bots. By using AI-based medical solutions, healthcare institutions can reduce the burden on nurses and medical professionals by at least 20%. Such initiatives can significantly bring down the rate at which nurses are quitting their profession.

Final Remarks

If it does not take action immediately, the United States could have a medical crisis at its hands by 2030. A severe shortage of nurses will not only affect healthcare institutions it will also have a severe impact on the medical-based economy.

Resources

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nurses-racism-discrimination-healthcare-survey/
• https://www.registerednursing.org/articles/largest-nursing-shortages/

The post Innovative Remedies for Hospitals to Deal with Nurse Shortage appeared first on Leoforce.

As of 2023, the United States employs over 5.3 million healthcare professionals serving as nurses.

Here is a breakdown of the number of nurses by employment category

Of these numbers, the total number of registered nurses can be further categorized by State. The table below illustrates the projected demand and supply in the year 2030. It also illustrates the surplus or deficit number of registered nurses by 2030 and the States that are likely to face a surplus or shortage.

From the above illustrated table, we can understand that the States of California, Texas, New Jersey and South Carolina are likely to face a severe deficit of registered nurses. On the other hand, the States of Florida, New York, Missouri and North Carolina are expected to see a surplus of registered nurses by 2030 – this will likely lead to a drop in the average pay scale in states with a surplus. Similarly, states with a deficit are likely to witness an upward trajectory in terms of pay.

Here is a table to better illustrate the current average pay in 50 US States

Suggested Reading: 2023 Salary Guide for US Nurse Practitioners

What can the States do to reduce the nurse shortage?

Evidently, it’s critical to reduce the nursing shortage. But one can understand how complicated the efforts can be. So, keeping past experiences and futuristic technology in mind, experts in healthcare recruitment suggest the following measures.

Optimize nurse staffing agencies

Medical staffing agencies have increasingly become the need of the hour. In order to resolve healthcare staffing shortages, medical staffing agencies assist and aid hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and other healthcare organizations in medical recruitment. Through extensive research and cutting-edge technology driven recruitment solutions, medical staffing agencies provide healthcare institutions with the right talent to fill their vacant positions. These agencies provide complete end-to-end staffing solutions; from sourcing, screening, to filtering candidates, in order to help you find the best talent for your healthcare needs. They also offer various additional services, such as credentialing, background checks, and onboarding, to ensure their candidates meet the necessary qualifications and are ready to work.

Medical Staffing Solutions

Healthcare staffing agencies provide complete, end-to-end solutions for your healthcare staffing shortages. Through deep research and cutting-edge technology-driven recruitment solutions, medical staffing agencies have become the backbone for all hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and other healthcare organizations when it comes to staffing shortages.

Using AI-based recruitment solutions

By using AI-based recruitment solutions, recruiters can significantly cut down the time taken to hire medical professionals. AI-based solutions can easily post information about job availability, shortlist and categorize applications, conduct skill assessments and even schedule interviews. These solutions not only save time, they also eliminate recruiter bias. The advanced AI in Leoforce is revolutionizing the healthcare recruiting industry by using 300+ parameters and 7 multi-dimensional data points to score and rank talent for compatibility. Leoforce simultaneously helps source candidates from multiple channels in under 5 minutes, reducing candidate review and shortlisting time by 50%. Request a Demo to understand how Leoforce can help your organization streamline its healthcare staffing challenges in time to avoid a nursing shortage crisis.

Using AI-based medical solutions

Artificial Intelligence software can be used to help detect early signs of genetic conditions and terminal illnesses like cancer; it can help in managing medical databases; it can act as a virtual health assistant and even be used for complicated surgical procedures as assistant surgical bots. By using AI-based medical solutions, healthcare institutions can reduce the burden on nurses and medical professionals by at least 20%.

Offer State funded training and exchange programs

States with a deficit can collaborate with those States having a surplus of nurses and initiate training-based exchange programs – this will allow nurses from affiliated hospitals to work at hospitals in other States – even if temporarily and considerably reduce the burden on overworked nursing staff.

Wrapping it Up

Healthcare workers have always been overworked, the Covid19 pandemic just made things worse. Despite its current challenges, the healthcare industry remains to be one of the fastest-growing sectors all over the globe. That’s why healthcare recruiting experts urgently need to realign their hiring strategies in order to overcome a potential shortage. But it shouldn’t stop at redesigning hiring strategies, it also needs to expand into training, nurturing and retaining healthcare providers.

Resource

• https://www.nursingprocess.org/how-many-nurses-are-there-in-the-us.html

The post US States with the Most Nurses Shortages and How to Fill Them appeared first on Leoforce.

With the demand for nurses higher than ever, healthcare recruiting teams are tasked with the difficult job of finding the right talent for their organizations in a tight labor market where increasing competition for qualified nurses is fierce.
Fortunately, with the right strategies in place, finding and engaging these superheroes in scrubs is possible. But before we talk strategy, let’s explore how we got here, and why finding a few good nurses is the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack.

Why There Are Nursing Shortages

The nursing profession has been evolving since the early 19th century when Florence Nightingale founded the first nursing school. Since its inception, nursing has become one of the most critical healthcare occupations out there. However, despite the significant role nurses play on a healthcare team, nursing shortages have become a major issue for healthcare recruitment teams. For a variety of reasons.

An aging population – As the population ages, the demand for healthcare services increases. With more individuals likely to develop chronic health conditions that require continuous medical care, the need for nurses is higher than ever. However, the supply of qualified nurses can’t keep up with the demand.

Baby Boomers are retiring – A large percentage of the current nursing workforce is composed of baby boomers who are retiring at an unprecedented rate. This retirement trend is causing an exodus of experienced nurses from the workforce, and the result is to a significant shortage of experienced nursing staff.

Healthcare is more complex now – The increasing complexity of healthcare has also played a significant role in nursing shortages. Technological advancements and new treatment procedures require more specialized nursing care, and nurses with more advanced training and skills. Unfortunately, there is also a shortage of these specialized nurses.

Wages don’t align with how hard nurses work – Lack of proper compensation is another contributing factor to nursing shortages. Many nurses feel underpaid and overworked, resulting in dissatisfaction, burnout, and low morale. Low pay makes nursing an unattractive profession for young people, resulting in a decline in the number of younger people choosing nursing as a career path.

The Impact of Nursing Shortages on Healthcare Recruitment

Nursing shortages have a profound impact on healthcare recruitment. The need for registered nurses (RNs) has always been high, but in recent years, the shortage has grown more critical. According to the American Nurses Association, there will be a need for an additional 1.1 million RNs by 2022^[1].

The first impact of nursing shortages on healthcare recruitment is the obvious one. The challenge of finding qualified candidates for open positions. Healthcare occupations are in high demand, and nursing positions are no exception. However, with fewer nurses to choose from, recruiters face a challenge in filling open positions with qualified candidates. As a result, many organizations have been forced to increase their recruitment efforts, invest more time and resources into finding candidates, and offer higher salaries and benefits to attract talent.

Impacts to the Healthcare Industry and Society

The healthcare industry itself suffers as a result of nursing shortages as well. Not enough nurses means increased workloads for existing nurses, which can lead to burnout and fatigue. Nurses who are overworked and overstressed may leave their jobs, leading to a further shortage of qualified candidates. In some cases, organizations may even be forced to close down units or reduce the number of beds due to staffing shortages.

However, the impact of nursing shortages goes far beyond these challenges. The shortage also affects patient care, which in turn impacts society. With fewer nurses available to provide care, patients may have longer wait times, fewer options for care, and may lead to a decrease in the quality of healthcare. Nursing shortages can also have an economic impact on society. With fewer healthcare workers, the cost of healthcare may increase, as well as the burden on taxpayers.

It’s easy to see why having the right strategies in place for navigating nursing shortages is so important for healthcare recruiting teams.

Strategies for Dealing with Nursing Shortages

Here are some practical steps that healthcare recruiting teams can use to attract and retain nurses:

Diversify recruitment strategies: One of the most effective ways to overcome nursing shortages is to explore diverse recruitment strategies that target a broader range of potential candidates. Recruitment teams should consider non-traditional recruitment channels such as social media, nursing conferences, and online job fairs to reach out to nursing professionals.

Develop a strong employer brand: Building a strong employer brand is an essential step to attracting nurses and other healthcare professionals. Healthcare recruiters need to be able to showcase their organization’s culture, values, and employee benefits. Highlighting the company’s commitment to professional development, job stability, and work-life balance can significantly improve their appeal to prospective candidates.

Improve the candidate experience: Candidates often have several employment opportunities to choose from, which means healthcare recruiters need to be responsive and proactive in improving the overall candidate experience. This includes streamlining the recruitment process, providing regular feedback, and being available to answer candidate questions. It’s also where a powerful sourcing tool like Leoforce can be beneficial. With the ability to streamline talent engagement and communicate with candidates from a single interface with talk, text, email, and chatbot options, your ability to nurture nursing candidates throughout the recruiting lifecycle increases exponentially.

Offer competitive compensation and benefits: Offering competitive salaries and benefits is critical to attracting and retaining nurses. Recruiters should develop a robust compensation and benefits package that reflects industry standards and addresses the unique needs of nurses.

Implement retention programs: Once you’ve recruited talented nurses, it’s crucial to develop retention programs that foster loyalty and commitment to the organization. Creating a supportive work environment, and developing recognition programs can significantly increase employee satisfaction, which in turn reduces the risk of turnover.

Invest in the right AI sourcing technology: In recent years, technology has become an essential tool in healthcare recruitment. Investing in innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, applicant tracking systems, and video interviews can significantly increase recruiting efficiency and streamline the onboarding process. It can also offer access to a broader pool of talent. With the Leoforce platform, healthcare recruiters get immediate access to a proprietary database of 850M+ local and global candidates, making it far more likely to find top nursing talent for your open roles.

But it’s not just about more candidates. It’s about finding the nursing candidates who are most likely to succeed in the job you’re sourcing. Ayra’s advanced search and match capability, and talent scoring and ranking allows healthcare recruiters to refine the parameters of their search and surface the most compatible candidates for 90% of jobs in under 5 minutes.

Resolving the nursing shortage is certainly not going to happen overnight. But by arming yourself with the right strategy and the right technological resources, you can certainly get a whole lot closer to reaching your healthcare recruiting goals. If you’d like to see the power of AI in action, book your demo of Leoforce today.

Resources

[1] https://mediakit.nurse.com/blog/nursing-shortage-recruiting/.

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