by Dixie Somers

Quality medical staff can be difficult to find. Scouring resumes for good employees, interviewing, and checking references is also a time-consuming process. You want to be certain you’re hiring dedicated professionals. The following suggestions can make it easier to find and recruit caregivers you can rely on.

1. Write Effective Job Descriptions

Craft job descriptions carefully. This is important from both a legal and employee retention perspective. Be certain you’re clear on duties and credentials. To get quality employees, you want both those that meet your standards and those that are willing to go the extra mile. Setting higher expectations will tend to weed out applicants at the lower end of the scale.

2. Find a Recruiter

You can also partner with respected staffing agencies that specialize in medical professionals. They do all the hard work of finding and vetting candidates. This can save you some time and money over handling the entire process yourself. Just be clear about your criteria. For these staffing agencies their own professional reputation is dependent on finding you the employees you’re looking for.

3. Ask the Right Questions

Make the most of the job interview to learn about the candidate. Let them know honestly what your work environment is like. Emphasize how important your own reputation is to you. Come up with in-depth questions about how the candidate reacted in past situations to challenges like pressure, long hours, demanding patients, emergencies, and other things that give you real insight into applicant character and commitment.

4. Create a Recruitment Strategy

In addition to exacting job descriptions, you might consider a software system that allows you to track aspects of recruiting, rate applicants, and organize files to make searches and reporting easier. Put together a list of alternative resources like job fairs and jobs websites, such as HealthJobsNationwide.com and HealthJobs.com. Network with medical schools, and visit healthcare blogs or forums to identify top talent. Use social media to find and connect with prime candidates.

5. Background and License Checks

Medical background checks are often performed by outside services to ensure you’re getting employees who are properly credentialed. You want to avoid high-risk candidates like those with criminal records and licenses that have expired or been suspended or revoked for misbehavior. Verifying the medical practitioners’ licensing status of your candidates allows you to have more confidence in your new hires and the reputation of your practice.

In a demanding field, high-quality candidates can be hard to find and retain. But finding the best employees is worth the effort for you and your patients.

Dixie Somers is a freelance writer and blogger for business, home, and family niches. Dixie lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and is the proud mother of three beautiful girls and wife to a wonderful husband.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.