Dec 04 2023
The healthcare industry plays a pivotal role in our society, with an always-present demand for skilled professionals to provide quality patient care. Hiring the right talent in healthcare is not without its challenges—from a shortage of qualified candidates to the high rates of turnover, healthcare organizations are facing unique obstacles in their quest to build strong, capable teams.
In this blog post, we’ll explore hiring challenges in the healthcare industry and explain how a high volume applicant tracking system (ATSes) can serve as a game changer in streamlining the recruitment process.
Major challenges in healthcare hiring today
- Talent shortage. The demand for healthcare professionals continues to outpace the supply of qualified candidates. According to U.S. News & World Report, by 2025 the United States is expected to see a shortage of approximately 446,000 home health aides, 95,000 nursing assistants, 98,700 medical and lab technologists and technicians, and more than 29,000 nurse practitioners.
- High turnover. High turnover rates are a persistent challenge in the healthcare industry. The demanding nature of the job, long working hours, and, sometimes, the emotional and mental toll can result in healthcare professionals seeking new opportunities or moving to new industries altogether. According to Oracle, turnover rates in 2022 ranged from 19.5% in hospitals to 65% for at-home care providers to 94% at nursing homes.
- Time-sensitive nature. In healthcare, time is of the essence. The average time-to-hire for healthcare roles is 48.3 days, which can stifle operational efficiency and have a direct effect on patient care. The need for a quick turnaround in the hiring process is essential.
- Volume of applications. Healthcare organizations often receive a high volume of applications for open positions. Qualifying and moving applicants through the funnel manually can be overwhelming, leading to delays in the hiring process and potential oversights in identifying top candidates.
How healthcare HR teams manage to thrive
Despite the challenges mentioned above, healthcare teams rely on carefully crafted structural solutions to overcome each of these. See below for some of these solutions.
- The healthcare talent shortage is a real and persistent threat. Instead of sourcing job candidates from outside the organizations, recruiters might consider hiring from within. They also would benefit from maintaining relationships with qualified candidates who weren’t hired in case similar openings become available in the future.
- Time-sensitive hiring needs can be solved by an efficient recruitment process, including quality vetting capabilities and speedy interviews and workflows.
- To solve the problem of high turnover, healthcare hiring teams need a recruiting process that is always on, delivering high-quality candidates who can fill empty roles without having to dig into resources.
- To manage a high volume of applications, hiring teams would benefit from giving candidates more autonomy and visibility into the recruiting process. This allows candidates to check their application status, complete assessments, and sign documents electronically.
What does success look like in modern healthcare recruiting?
In this section, we’ll reveal what a successful recruiting process can look like for a healthcare hiring team facing the challenges mentioned above.
- Efficient candidate screening. A screening process that allows recruiters to delegate tasks such as interview scheduling and background checks helps free up time so recruiters can focus on more meaningful aspects of hiring.
- Faster time-to-hire. A faster time-to-hire enables healthcare workers to get up and running and meet the quality standards of patient care. It also can result in fewer empty roles and less worker burnout.
- Enhanced candidate experience. When candidates are enthusiastic about their new role thanks to a seamless and pleasant hiring process, they’re more likely to stay on staff for longer, reducing the high turnover rates often associated with healthcare positions.
Why healthcare HR teams use hiring software
How do healthcare teams actually apply these solutions to optimize recruiting? See below.
- Tech-enabled screening to save time. High volume ATSes leverage advanced artificial intelligence and automation to sift through large pools of applicants quickly. Recruiters can streamline the screening process and identify candidates who meet the essential qualifications, saving valuable time and resources.
- Automation enables swift and smooth process enhancement. By automating routine tasks, providing data-driven insights into the recruitment pipeline, and integrating with your existing tech stack, healthcare organizations can expedite the selection of qualified candidates down to two weeks—minimizing the impact of staffing shortages.
- An application experience tailored to candidates. A positive candidate experience is crucial to attracting top talent. This may look like making alterations to the application process to cater to the ideal candidate’s preferences, technology adeptness, and communication style.
The Fountain approach to healthcare hiring
In the face of ongoing challenges in healthcare hiring, a high volume ATS is a valuable tool for organizations seeking to build efficient and skilled teams. As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, adopting innovative solutions like Fountain Hire can make a substantial difference in how healthcare organizations deliver care.
Fountain Hire is a mobile-first solution that offers centralized candidate management and customizable workflows that help recruiters get the best candidates hired and meet their demands for quality patient care. With advanced AI and automation, Fountain users can reach their ideal applicants more easily and save staff time and resources.
