6 key takeaways for healthcare staffing firms we learned at Engage Boston
The last few years have been tumultuous for healthcare staffing. While jobs are increasing, the nurse and physician shortage continues, making for a tight talent pool for healthcare staffing firms. And as with the rest of the recruitment industry, macroeconomic conditions continue to pose a challenge.
How can healthcare staffing firms invest in their talent experience, differentiate their business, and help their business not just survive, but thrive?
We caught up with several healthcare staffing leaders at Engage Boston, including:
- Catherine Pearson, EVP and General Manager, Fastaff and Springboard
- Cecilia Merrill, Director of Operations, CrossMed Healthcare
- Genine Wilson, President, Travel Nurse and Allied, Ingenovis
- Bill Halnon, Chief Information Officer, GHR Healthcare
- Son Trinh, Director, Sales & Strategy, Bullhorn
During their sessions, our speakers covered a range of topics, from building a data-driven tech stack to mastering the compliance process.
Below, check out a few key takeaways from their conversations – and check out the Engage Content Hub for even more recaps, videos, and insights.
1. Streamlining the candidate and provider experience is critical.
In our recent survey of over 1,000 contingent workers, 62% of respondents stopped working with a firm because the process took too long. Temporary healthcare providers are no exception: “I think there’s a tremendous amount of fatigue after Covid for our talent, just for how much they went through over the years and any inefficient process,” said Pearson.
“We don’t want to bounce from system to system internally. Neither do travelers,” added Merrill. “They just want to be able to ask, ‘Where do I go? How many things do I have left?’ and then check them off.”
Ensuring that your providers have a streamlined experience is vital to ensuring a positive experience – and preventing them from dropping out of the process altogether.
2. Compliance requires constant maintenance.
Given the number of credentials that need to be collected, expiration dates that need to be monitored, and more, ensuring compliance requires close attention. Pearson said, “Compliance isn’t a one-time event. It’s ongoing during the candidate’s lifecycle on assignment at each placement.”
3. And compliance is critical to the health of your business.
Although compliance is one of the biggest headaches for many healthcare staffing professionals, it’s important to get it right. Pearson said, “There’s not always that understanding, from the recruiter level down to the candidate, that credentialing specialist isn’t trying to make your life difficult. If we don’t do it right, it will impact everything.”
4. Self-service credentialing solutions unlock efficiencies and help to create a single source of truth.
Having providers take charge of their own recruitment process with modern credentialing can help make placement smoother for both your team and your talent. When asked about Bullhorn’s Healthcare solution Pearson said, “It helps us have more confidence, all the way down to that recruiter level. We know what we’re doing, and we’re doing it well. And you don’t have to worry if you say we need something; we need it so you can focus on recruiting somebody else. We’re going to have a high deliverable on our end and increase compliance.”
Plus, these solutions – like Bullhorn’s latest addition to our solutions, Compliance Manager – offer full visibility into the compliance status of the entire workforce. Merrill added, “[Credential documents] go right into Bullhorn where we need it. Everyone still has access to it, so if sales need it for a profile, they can use it. Compliance has it, and we can track it through the whole process.”
5. As you implement new technologies, make sure to keep the candidate experience top of mind.
What are your common provider pain points, and what can help them get placed faster and easier? “Don’t underestimate your user experience and communication,” said Wilson. “Ensure that they have a seat at the table for full buy-in.”
Halnon added, “We’ve taken a candidate-centric approach to start looking at intelligent chatbots, AI-assisted job matching, and things that resonate with candidates and candidate engagement.”
6. Clarity and transparency are key.
No matter what new tech or processes you adopt, work to ensure clarity with every stakeholder in the recruitment process. Trinh said, “Transparency and communication are going to be critical for you in helping to manage the chasm that is being caused by rapidly changing regulatory requirements, and what your candidates are expecting from you.”
Looking for more top takeaways and proven playbooks? Head over to the Bullhorn Engage Content Hub.
