Over my two-decade career of recruiting technology professionals for healthcare vendors and consultancies, I've observed resource management and talent acquisition practices ranging from some of the best in the industry to some of the worst.
Hospitals, particularly small- and medium-sized organizations, are at a disadvantage when competing for technical staff. Good, qualified candidates may not perceive them as the most progressive, attractive and desirable employers. In this respect, these providers are their own worst enemy — they've neglected to present a modern image, considered so vital in recruiting and retaining top IT talent.
To combat the healthcare industry's current talent shortage, further exacerbated by the need for skilled labor to sustain and optimize electronic health records and other system deployments, healthcare organizations should consider adopting the following 10 best practices. These guidelines can result in a dramatic shift by both improving the hiring of the right IT employees and supporting a comprehensive, long-term workforce growth strategy.
1. Establish a well-organized resource management function. Hospitals historically have performed an excellent job of retaining qualified nurses by rewarding and tracking their on-the-job skills, training and certification. However, they've failed to apply this same level of focus on their IT employees. This has resulted in many IT professionals feeling disconnected or that they have little influence in the organization's success. This, in turn, makes these team members more open and receptive to employment overtures from large health systems that recognize and play up this dynamic.
2. Identify highest risk areas in order to define hiring priorities. It's a fact employers lose staff as people retire, change careers or seek better job opportunities. To minimize employee turnover, facilities should proactively assess and identify areas most at risk or facing the greatest potential talent shortages. It is in these high risk areas that employees are most likely to exit. There are three primary reasons for this phenomenon: their expertise is in high market demand, their salaries are not in line with their peers or industry standards and/or the organization itself is underperforming. After completing this assessment, hospitals can prioritize positions and develop countermeasures to slow additional turnover.
3. Create compelling job descriptions and position listings. HIT positions often are devoid of important details that can attract worthy candidates, such as: relevant industry-focused job titles, compelling descriptions of responsibilities, an overview of the corporate culture and any organizational perks (e.g., telecommuting, casual dress codes, training benefits, or a four-day work week). Creating creative and inspiring messaging in the organization's job listings also helps entice job seekers. For example, consider: "Join XYZ Healthcare System in this ground floor opportunity providing hands-on experience in the implementation and installation of today's leading technologies. This position works closely with IT leadership and hospital clinicians to define technology's role in the transformation of care and how it helps our organization save lives and operate more efficiently."
4. Communicate IT hiring goals to hiring managers. Mandate that your HR department's hiring managers and screeners always discuss with your CIO/IT director the following: the hospital's resource management objectives, hiring priorities and processes including how the interview will be conducted, the names of those involved in managing the job search, the specific qualifications sought and the expected level of clinician collaboration in order to ensure system adoption success. Many times the HR and IT department find themselves at odds and with differing understanding of expectations. This only further delays hiring decisions and, in some cases, results in the loss of excellent candidates who are not willing to wait.
5. Make employee referral follow up a priority. An employee referral program is the most valuable and cost-effective way to hire today's top talent. But all it takes for a hospital to stop the flow of referrals is a failure on their part to communicate, follow up or drop the ball with one or two IT professionals referred by employees.
6. Employ a dedicated HIT recruiter. Hiring a specialist who understands and has experience in the complex healthcare industry, the nuances of behavioral interviewing and who can quickly identify the key attributes in IT candidates enables faster and more productive screening on the front end of the hiring process, and stronger hires overall. Investing in a high quality, experienced HIT recruiter also helps HR gain credibility with technology-savvy clinicians.
7. Keep tabs on the competitive landscape. Be aware of ongoing threats to your retention strategy. For instance, hospital IT professionals field dozens of calls weekly from recruiters who paint a "grass is greener" picture of the ideal job. By closely tracking industry recruiters' activities in addition to local job openings and community competitors' IT plans, you can help preemptively identify what is happening in your local and regional market. Keeping up with such events will help initiate appropriate steps to circumvent resources leaving because they perceive their needs will be met elsewhere, e.g., being better appreciated and part of a stronger hospital-IT department communication network, or exposure to more opportunities for career advancement.
8. Verify applicant credentials and references. Aware that many hospitals are desperate to hire IT experts, some applicants will embellish and even outright lie about their experience, skills and qualifications on their resumes. Hospitals must be diligent in their candidate investigation and background checks.
9. Attend HIT conferences. Networking is a big part of successful recruiting. CIOs and recruiters should attend select national and local HIT conferences to build and expand their contacts in the industry and in their community. Take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to trumpet your organization and its many fine attributes. Events sponsored by HIMSS and CHIME are excellent IT networking outlets.
10. Retain a solid and reputable professional services organization. Vendor-neutral third parties can support, supplement and serve as an extension of a hospital's IT staff, offering access to in-depth knowledge, experience, services and talent. They bring valuable perspective, best practices and experience that can keep IT projects on track and on budget. Personnel from an EHR vendor typically are much less experienced compared to the subject matter experts employed by consulting firms. Reputable consulting firms are prepared to immediately advise clients as to whether a vendor's suggested strategy is the most efficient and effective way to execute and complete the organization's projects successfully.
Lack of Training Support May Inhibit EHR Implementation, Survey Finds
Hospitals, particularly small- and medium-sized organizations, are at a disadvantage when competing for technical staff. Good, qualified candidates may not perceive them as the most progressive, attractive and desirable employers. In this respect, these providers are their own worst enemy — they've neglected to present a modern image, considered so vital in recruiting and retaining top IT talent.
To combat the healthcare industry's current talent shortage, further exacerbated by the need for skilled labor to sustain and optimize electronic health records and other system deployments, healthcare organizations should consider adopting the following 10 best practices. These guidelines can result in a dramatic shift by both improving the hiring of the right IT employees and supporting a comprehensive, long-term workforce growth strategy.
1. Establish a well-organized resource management function. Hospitals historically have performed an excellent job of retaining qualified nurses by rewarding and tracking their on-the-job skills, training and certification. However, they've failed to apply this same level of focus on their IT employees. This has resulted in many IT professionals feeling disconnected or that they have little influence in the organization's success. This, in turn, makes these team members more open and receptive to employment overtures from large health systems that recognize and play up this dynamic.
2. Identify highest risk areas in order to define hiring priorities. It's a fact employers lose staff as people retire, change careers or seek better job opportunities. To minimize employee turnover, facilities should proactively assess and identify areas most at risk or facing the greatest potential talent shortages. It is in these high risk areas that employees are most likely to exit. There are three primary reasons for this phenomenon: their expertise is in high market demand, their salaries are not in line with their peers or industry standards and/or the organization itself is underperforming. After completing this assessment, hospitals can prioritize positions and develop countermeasures to slow additional turnover.
3. Create compelling job descriptions and position listings. HIT positions often are devoid of important details that can attract worthy candidates, such as: relevant industry-focused job titles, compelling descriptions of responsibilities, an overview of the corporate culture and any organizational perks (e.g., telecommuting, casual dress codes, training benefits, or a four-day work week). Creating creative and inspiring messaging in the organization's job listings also helps entice job seekers. For example, consider: "Join XYZ Healthcare System in this ground floor opportunity providing hands-on experience in the implementation and installation of today's leading technologies. This position works closely with IT leadership and hospital clinicians to define technology's role in the transformation of care and how it helps our organization save lives and operate more efficiently."
4. Communicate IT hiring goals to hiring managers. Mandate that your HR department's hiring managers and screeners always discuss with your CIO/IT director the following: the hospital's resource management objectives, hiring priorities and processes including how the interview will be conducted, the names of those involved in managing the job search, the specific qualifications sought and the expected level of clinician collaboration in order to ensure system adoption success. Many times the HR and IT department find themselves at odds and with differing understanding of expectations. This only further delays hiring decisions and, in some cases, results in the loss of excellent candidates who are not willing to wait.
5. Make employee referral follow up a priority. An employee referral program is the most valuable and cost-effective way to hire today's top talent. But all it takes for a hospital to stop the flow of referrals is a failure on their part to communicate, follow up or drop the ball with one or two IT professionals referred by employees.
6. Employ a dedicated HIT recruiter. Hiring a specialist who understands and has experience in the complex healthcare industry, the nuances of behavioral interviewing and who can quickly identify the key attributes in IT candidates enables faster and more productive screening on the front end of the hiring process, and stronger hires overall. Investing in a high quality, experienced HIT recruiter also helps HR gain credibility with technology-savvy clinicians.
7. Keep tabs on the competitive landscape. Be aware of ongoing threats to your retention strategy. For instance, hospital IT professionals field dozens of calls weekly from recruiters who paint a "grass is greener" picture of the ideal job. By closely tracking industry recruiters' activities in addition to local job openings and community competitors' IT plans, you can help preemptively identify what is happening in your local and regional market. Keeping up with such events will help initiate appropriate steps to circumvent resources leaving because they perceive their needs will be met elsewhere, e.g., being better appreciated and part of a stronger hospital-IT department communication network, or exposure to more opportunities for career advancement.
8. Verify applicant credentials and references. Aware that many hospitals are desperate to hire IT experts, some applicants will embellish and even outright lie about their experience, skills and qualifications on their resumes. Hospitals must be diligent in their candidate investigation and background checks.
9. Attend HIT conferences. Networking is a big part of successful recruiting. CIOs and recruiters should attend select national and local HIT conferences to build and expand their contacts in the industry and in their community. Take advantage of as many opportunities as possible to trumpet your organization and its many fine attributes. Events sponsored by HIMSS and CHIME are excellent IT networking outlets.
10. Retain a solid and reputable professional services organization. Vendor-neutral third parties can support, supplement and serve as an extension of a hospital's IT staff, offering access to in-depth knowledge, experience, services and talent. They bring valuable perspective, best practices and experience that can keep IT projects on track and on budget. Personnel from an EHR vendor typically are much less experienced compared to the subject matter experts employed by consulting firms. Reputable consulting firms are prepared to immediately advise clients as to whether a vendor's suggested strategy is the most efficient and effective way to execute and complete the organization's projects successfully.
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