The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the ongoing threat of a physician shortage have led one major health system to rethink its training and recruitment techniques, according to Forbes.
Healthcare's employment landscape is also changing due to anxiety over the outcome of the King v. Burwell Supreme Court case, aging employees, shifting payer practices, the rise of for-profit providers and more interest in hospital consolidation. As healthcare shifts from fee-for-service to a value-based model, patients increasingly see themselves as customers, which means staff shortages can be a competitive disadvantage, according to Elaine Page, chief talent officer at New York-based North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System.
North Shore, the nation's 14th-largest health system, employs more than 54,000 people and receives more than 15,000 job applications a month, Page said. The organization uses analytics technology to process the applications efficiently and determine the best possible candidate-position match. North Shore's recruitment needs are not limited to clinicians, particularly as patient convenience becomes more important. Part of the system's strategy is to emphasize recruitment of non-clinician, service-oriented positions such as front desk workers, meeters and greeters, and patient transporters, according to Page.
"We can't have roles like that open very long," she said. "Oftentimes, we've gone through a laborious hiring process. We've not been able to get people to interview quickly."
After two years of flatlining, the healthcare job market surged in recent months, particularly for physicians and nurse practitioners (NPs). However, experts project a nursing shortage is on the horizon, according to Healthcare Global, as nursing schools turned away more than 78,000 qualified applicants in 2013. These shortages make it that much more difficult for employers to fill these positions with qualified nurses, according to the article.
Shortages for specific positions tend to be cyclical, FierceHealthcare previously reported, and recruiters should plan accordingly by creating succession plans before they need them. Recruiters can also take steps such as extending the chain of command, hiring providers such as NPs and physician assistants to fill gaps.
To learn more:
- here's the Forbes article
- read the Healthcare Global article