The healthcare sector has seen some significant changes in recent years due to the pandemic. Hiring in the healthcare sector also has evolved due to these rapid changes. Recruiters need help finding the right candidate and sometimes require more technical skills to evaluate their qualifications. The country is slowly rolling towards an acute shortage, and recruiters are sadly losing the battle against this tidal wave.
A study by the University of Regina revealed that there are ten nurses per 1000 inhabitants in Canada as of 2020. The already stretched sector is now spread thin. Recruiters and talent acquisition specialists need to understand and overcome this situation to equip themselves properly.
How can you, as a recruiter, overcome the healthcare shortage?
1. Retention
The key to overcoming this shortage of healthcare professionals is retention. Even before you think of hiring more professionals, you need to focus on retention. Creating a safer work environment will take a long way to keep your employees happy. This will not only help you in your recruiting strategy but will also strengthen your long-term business objectives.
2. Legal Barriers
Another way to overcome this challenge is to widen your net and look at other provinces and territories. Yes, it comes with bureaucratic delays and legal barriers as the province must recognise the health care professional’s credentials. But the laws have recently been loosened to accommodate the healthcare shortage, and you need to take full advantage of this situation.
3. Incentives
Salary or monetary compensation is no longer the deciding factor for employees. The hiring power has slowly shifted towards the employee, and they desire more than the base pay. You need to ensure not only to improve the working condition but also to foster a better work culture. Attractive incentives coupled with a safe and secure work environment will strengthen the candidate’s resolve to work for your company.
4. Educational Institution
Addressing the specific skill gap is necessary to mitigate the issue. Partnering with academic institutions and developing curriculums and training programs aligned with the required skills will help you create opportunities. It can not only help your existing employees by providing them with the necessary skills to cope with specific skill gaps but will also help gain new talent.
5. Social Media
Albeit a new hiring practice, social media recruiting is one of the most effective methods to attract a diverse pool of candidates. Leveraging the right platform organically and through paid advertising will help you target and engage with the right candidate.
6. Diversity
Inclusion is a crucial factor in the hiring process of any sector. But in the healthcare sector is a necessity. Fostering a diverse and inclusive team will help you improve your recruitment and hiring practices. It will also enable you to appeal to a more significant demographic, thus increasing your chances of finding the right candidate.
7. Outside Resources
Attracting, Identifying, and retaining candidates can be exhausting and requires much effort. You can reduce hiring costs and save time by delegating this task to an external recruitment agency. With its massive database of healthcare professionals, Merit Services can help you with your staffing from the start to the end. We encourage innovation and creativity, which allows us to approach your issues with unique solutions.
Our team has successfully helped several companies attract and retain the best talent. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.
