4 Strategies for Successful Hospital Recruiting

Is your hospital struggling to attract and retain skilled and talented staff? You’re not alone. Finding and retaining talent has long been a significant challenge for healthcare organizations. In fact, in a 2023 McKinsey and Company survey, over 40% of inpatient RNs claimed an intent to quit. High competition for hospital staff further fuels persistent shortages.

Staffing challenges have led many hospitals to turn to temporary staffing solutions, like using travel nurses to fill gaps, which drives up labor-related costs. Strategic talent acquisition can help healthcare organizations hire and retain the talent they need to provide quality patient care. The following recruitment strategies help hospitals in a highly competitive market so they can ensure adequate staffing levels 24/7.

1. Source and Attract Candidates to Build Your Hospital's Talent Pipeline

Building a robust talent pipeline for healthcare requires a strategic and proactive approach to sourcing and attracting candidates. Start by leveraging multiple channels such as online job boards, professional healthcare associations and social media platforms.

Utilizing advanced recruitment technology, such an applicant tracking system, can help identify and engage potential candidates efficiently. . Partnering with educational institutions to reach students and graduates can also help you build a strong talent pool and reduce time-to-fill, including for niche roles.

Another option to ensure your talent pool is filled with top talent is to partner with a recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) provider that has experience in the medical field, like Hueman RPO. Our hospital recruiters leverage advanced technology and tailored marketing strategies to proactively source talent for immediate and long-term needs. 

2. Engage Healthcare Professionals With a Positive Candidate Experience

Talented healthcare professionals have many job options, including roles in unrelated industries. It’s crucial to create a positive candidate experience to keep these individuals engaged and excited to apply for a position.

There are many ways to make a great impression on potential hires. Here are a few:

• Ensure your job descriptions are clear and comprehensive.
• Promote your hospital's culture, values, and mission.
• Maintain regular and personalized communication with candidates.
• Leverage technology to streamline the application and interviewing process.

At Hueman RPO, we can help you transform the candidate experience by conducting a free audit of your online application process and determining how well it performs. 

3. Showcase Your Hospital's Emphasis on Staff Well-Being

High burnout and on-the-job stress are common in the healthcare industry, so it's essential to integrate staff well-being into your organization's culture. Offering wellness programs that include mental health or stress management support can make candidates feel valued from the start and help you attract and retain top talent. 

Once you build a culture that emphasizes staff well-being, ensure that it is shown in your employee value proposition (EVP). Your EVP should concisely reflect your organization's culture and values, and ideally appeal to the wellness needs of healthcare professionals.

4. Ensure Competitive Compensation Packages 

Has it been tough attracting qualified candidates? It may be time to review and revise your compensation program. Inadequate compensation is one of the top reasons healthcare workers quit.

To attract top-tier talent in a highly competitive market, hospitals must ensure that their salary and benefits packages are not only attractive but also align with industry standards.

The first step is to conduct market research and to understand the expectations of healthcare professionals and see what competitors offer. If you adjust your pay structure, be sure to advertise your updated salary information in job postings to draw attention.

It's also important to consider benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans. Does your organization offer various benefits to address the diverse needs of hospital staff? Other attractive fringe benefits that today's employees and job seekers want include:

• Parental leave
• The option to work remotely
• Relocation assistance
• Commuter benefits
• Unlimited time off

Offering and promoting desirable benefits and fair compensation can be game-changing in attracting and retaining healthcare talent.

Partner With a People-First RPO

Overall, today's healthcare professionals need to feel valued, supported, and fairly compensated for their work. As a people-first RPO provider, we understand the importance of acknowledging the needs of healthcare staff and combining compassion, personalization, and professionalism into a tailored approach.

With over 27 years of experience in healthcare recruiting, you can count on our dedicated recruiters to solve your greatest staffing challenges. Contact us today to develop and implement transformative and results-driven hospital recruitment strategies.