The Healthcare Industry: Successful Hiring 

Part Two 

This article includes material sourced from Bersin & Associates.

To continue our healthcare conversation, we have established that attracting and retaining the very best people in the healthcare industry is never easy. In order to ensure the most successful hiring process, it is important to identify the essential qualities for success in each position of an organization. As we discussed in Part One of this series, the best way to accomplish this is to conduct a job study that takes a closer look at the top, middle and bottom performers in your organization.

One of the main reasons new hires fail is that companies don't recognize the qualities that are crucial to successful job performance and thus fail at selection. -Bersin & Associates.

The current state of selection assessments:  In such a competitive global market, it is critical that the healthcare industry identify the right job candidates at the earliest opportunity to improve productivity and reduce people problems. Traditionally, assessments were viewed as a tool only used by large Fortune 500 companies, but today, companies of all sizes are utilizing assessments throughout their organizations, from c-suite level to front-line workers. In the healthcare industry, many employees from housekeepers up to chief hospital administrators take assessments.

These healthcare organizations are smart; they know a "bad hire" can cost more than an employee's salary - an expense organizations can no longer afford to pay.

Value of assessments in healthcare:  Healthcare is one of few industries that assign the largest number of requisitions per recruiter. In this instance, assessments help recruiters identify candidates with the right skills and cultural fit. This is extremely beneficial when used as a first step in screening applicants. It allows recruiters to screen out good and bad candidates before referring them - allowing hiring managers to use their time more efficiently.

Another key value is the application of assessments for existing employees so that promotions, deployment to other departments, etc. will be made with information that will help determine the likelihood of success. This information can also be used in succession planning.

Case Study: MSHA uses selection assessments to improve recruiting:  Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA) is a managed healthcare system based in Tennessee. They have over 8,900 employees and in the first 8 months of their fiscal year, they onboarded 1,105 new hires. In preparation for this sudden large number of new hires, HR leaders conducted a detailed focus on their hiring process.  To reduce new-hire attrition, they implemented the ProfileXT® (PXT) and the Customer Service Profile™ (CSP). Using this system, HR staff at MSHA input job descriptions for every new hire. The new assessment tools saved HR staff and managers an immense amount of time and resources. The 12-month turnover was cut in half from 33% to 15% leading to substantial savings throughout the organization.

In Part Three of this series we will discuss the importance of implementing assessments in a safe manner and outline 8 best practices for using selection assessments in the healthcare industry.

If you missed Part One of this series, you can access it here: The Healthcare Industry: Successful Hiring - Part One

Let us hear from you! How do you ensure successful hiring in your organization?