How to Select an Agency in the Healthcare Staffing Industry

Recruiting competent midwives, nurses, and doctors is the vision of every medical facility. But sometimes, this may prove difficult. Where do you get healthcare professionals that are skilled, experienced, and have the right qualifications?

This is where healthcare staffing industries come in. Healthcare staffing agencies can remove your worries when it comes to getting your healthcare facility properly staffed. But several of these agencies are everywhere. This means you can easily get carried away by an impressive website or well-rehearsed sales pitch and then end up choosing an agency that will give you issues.

So, how do you choose the right one for your facility? Luckily, we are here to help with that. Below are some very important questions that should be carefully considered before any healthcare staffing agency is selected.

1. Does this Agency Have an Area of Specialization?

Some agencies are more focused on some specific type of healthcare staff. For instance, the firm may specialize in filling mental health doctor vacancies. Sometimes, they may not even specialize in these areas but are just better at these specific areas.

Knowing this is useful as it will help you determine if they can meet your needs. You can even look for a firm that has proved to be better at filling the vacancies you are looking to fill in your hospital or clinic.

2. Is the Agency International and do they understand the Global Market Trends?

Nowadays, recruitment companies in this industry operate internationally. So, you need to find out how experienced the company you are considering is when it comes to your country’s medical system and filling vacancies there.

Due to the staffing shortage, is not uncommon for medical facilities to demand foreign professionals; read this article to learn more about this. So, if your facility prefers to recruit workers from a certain foreign country, you need to be sure that the agency operates internationally and that they are experienced at recruiting medical workers from that particular country.

The company also needs to be well versed in the market trends of the industry. Certain medical services costs (this includes professionals’ salary levels) can go up or down. A company that has a proper grasp of the market trends can offer their client important advice in this aspect. This way, you would be able to offer inviting packages that will help you attract highly qualified candidates without having to pay more than what is needed.

3. How Else Can They Help You?

Competent medical staffing firms often go an extra mile for their clients. They do this to ensure that the entire recruitment process is as simple as possible.

Find out if the agency offers not just a friendly service but a personal one where all your calls and/or emails will be timely responded to. Ask questions such as “Will all my concerns be addressed when I reach out to the agency?” “Will I be updated during each recruitment stage?”

Working with a robotic firm that only provides an automated reply to your questions can be quite frustrating. You need to choose a company that will offer you a human representative that is not just accessible but also listens to what you have to say and take necessary actions when needed.

Find out if the company takes its time to assess the candidates and their CVs.

4. What’s the Agency’s Experience?

The agency’s experience and even that of its consultants is another key factor to consider. When we say the agency’s experience, we are not talking about asking them the period they have been operating the business. Sometimes, the consultant may have worked in related positions, gathered enough knowledge, and even build an impressive network of people without spending long years in the field.

Hence, when considering experience, instead of asking how long they have been in the business, ask for facilities with which they have worked. When you know a couple of their past clients, contact them, and ask them questions about the firm.

One important question to ask when speaking to them is whether they will patronize the firm again whenever they have new vacancies to be filled.

If they say yes, then you can take it as an indication that the firm is dependable. That they are efficient, easy to relate with, client-oriented, and focused on meeting their client’s needs.

Check their website and find out all you can about the company from the site. You may decide to read reviews of past clients while you are at this but be careful as you do this because some sites may have fake reviews to make the company look good when they are not. Visit https://www.makeuseof.com/ to learn how to spot fake customer reviews online.

Conclusion

A staffing agency can help you fill vacancies in your healthcare facility. You just need to make sure that the company you choose is reputable and experienced enough to provide only competent and qualified candidates. Getting answers to the questions shared in this article will help you in your quest of finding a reputable healthcare staffing firm.