The future of healthcare staffing and how leaders are making it happen now
The pressures faced by healthcare staffing firms today have been years in the making. Even before the pandemic began in 2020, healthcare staffing leaders were faced with rising talent expectations, increasing client demands, and the rapidly evolving world of staffing technology.
With so many forces converging in such a short space of time, it’s up to staffing leaders to navigate these uncharted waters while continuing to deliver superior provider, client, and employee experiences. And with economic uncertainty at the top of everyone’s mind, healthcare staffing firms need to do all of this with a focus on efficiency and cost savings.
At this year’s Engage Boston conference, we heard from several leaders in the healthcare staffing space on how they approach change and uncertainty, increase efficiency while finding top talent, and stand out against the competition.
Missed this year’s event? We’ve got you covered! Check out a recap of top insights for healthcare staffing pros below, and visit the Engage Boston Content Hub for everything else you might have missed.
Trends, tech, and opportunities: How healthcare staffing leaders are making it happen
While the future of healthcare staffing may look slightly different for each firm, one thing is clear: firms must embrace technology to do more with less, navigate change, and build superior provider experiences.
Throughout Engage Boston, healthcare staffing leaders shared their strategies for increasing efficiency, navigating change, and making it happen in 2023 and beyond.
For more insights from Engage Boston, check out our Content Hub.
Embracing technology and digital transformation
Technology can help firms streamline operations and attract talent more efficiently. Digitizing data and automating processes are a game-changer, and healthcare staffing firms employing both strategies are already seeing benefits, including a big uptick in redeployment rates.
“We talk a lot about digital transformation, and this year, we’re expanding on that. We’re moving beyond just digitizing to being able to report on all aspects of your business so you can focus on the moments that matter.” – Jason Niad, VP of Product, Healthcare, Bullhorn
“I believe that a big part of why we have been so successful with growth is because of technology and being young adopters of it. It helps us scale without hiring more people.” – Bridget Weber, CEO, CrossMed Healthcare Staffing Solutions
“Why are we paying attention to SEO? Because that’s where the decision-making starts. With SEO, it’s all contingent on content… ultimately, what we’re trying to do here is to help people to make a decision.” – Christina Bottis, CMO, Medix
“My biggest thing is I don’t want to create a problem when there isn’t one. You need to make sure the tech is solving a problem before you choose to implement it.” – Bridget Weber, CEO, CrossMed Healthcare Staffing Solutions
“We’re trying to automate as much as we can and basically take any of the manual work possible from our recruiters. Anything that can be done manually right now… if we can replace it with technology, that’s pretty much our goal.” – Bridget Weber, CEO, CrossMed Healthcare Staffing Solutions
Navigating change management
Implementing new technology or exploring a new service offering can be exciting for a healthcare staffing firm; but, it can also bring uncertainty and growing pains to end users. It’s crucial for staffing leaders to effectively communicate with their teams, get buy-in, and employ a test-and-learn approach to stay agile.
“The best experience we’ve had is when we bring the end users in to help us test new tools and show them what’s in it for them. Make sure the loudest ones in your organization are brought in for testing.” – Bridget Weber, CEO, CrossMed Healthcare Staffing Solutions
“Just show ’em one success. Give them one win, show them how it works, and they’ll buy in.” – Rich Smith, Co-Founder, Chief Marketing Officer, Atlas MedStaff
Building a brand that providers want to work with
To continue to meet and exceed client expectations and win new business, healthcare staffing firms need a robust pool of qualified providers. Not only do firms need to attract talent; they also need to nurture and redeploy providers to fully maximize ROI of their tech stack.
Where should firms start? Automation expedites the matching process, allowing for quick identification of suitable candidates for new assignments. It also speeds up candidate matching, ensuring quicker placements and a better fit for healthcare facilities.
Compliance and credential management, a key component of the recruitment process, is often cumbersome and manual. Firms that are streamlining these components are able to provide a more efficient process for their providers and clients, helping them focus on profitability in a time of economic uncertainty.
“If you want secrets of stuff to do on the candidate side, go talk to Sales.” – Christina Bottis, CMO, Medix
“People want to work for and with a company that cares about them, that understands who they are, and one they can relate to. We all buy from companies like that.“ – Rich Smith, Co-Founder, Chief Marketing Officer, Atlas MedStaff
“Our travel nurses love to go to breweries and wineries, so we started a beer podcast. You have to meet your providers where they are.” – Rich Smith, Co-Founder, Chief Marketing Officer, Atlas MedStaff
“You have to understand your candidate. What are their pain points? What are their goals? What information do they need? What channels are they on? You need to establish a baseline, figure out where to start, and then leverage your understanding of those candidates so that you can build something that enables them to say, I’m interested in this job, that was easy, and now I look forward to hearing back from you.” – Christina Bottis, CMO, Medix
Looking for more insights from Engage Boston 2023? Check out our Content Hub for recaps, videos, and more from this year’s event.