It's hard to find any part of society that hasn't been revolutionized by cutting-edge new technology in the last few decades. That includes the healthcare field, mainly how hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities do their staffing.
From quickly identifying and hiring key new staff members to helping to roam medical professionals find travel nurse jobs, there are few things tech can't do these days. So let's take a closer look at five of the most significant ways tech benefits healthcare recruitment.
1. Automated Candidate Screening
Sifting through a massive stack of resumes and job applications can be daunting for medical administrators and HR departments. But the power of technology is taking some of the load off thanks to features like automated candidate screening. In the simplest form, it can scan applications for must-have credentials or other factors, while more advanced services can review and analyze resume data to provide more holistic screening.
Without wasting valuable time on candidates who clearly won't fit the role, decision-makers can dedicate more time to the ones who will. While artificial intelligence has only recently begun to go mainstream, it's clear that this vital and fast-developing technology will continue to improve automated screening processes in the future. AI also promises to eliminate some biases that can arise in the hiring and recruitment process.
2. Online Recruitment Software and Services
Not too long ago, finding applicants for medical jobs relied on newspaper job listings, specialized trade publications, and other informal networks. It may have been impossible for a qualified, willing candidate to find out about a position due to distance or other factors. Those days are over, with the technology boost provided by online recruitment software and services.
Employers can post positions on general job sites and ones that focus on medical positions like doctors and nurses, exposing their opportunities to a massive audience around the country and the world in just minutes. Many of these sites allow users to apply directly through them, providing convenience and standardization for both sides of the hiring process. Employers can often customize their application questions, while candidates can save time by avoiding the need to enter biographical or resume data repeatedly.
3. Telemedicine Interviews
Unless you're a hiring manager or a current job seeker, it's easy to forget how time-consuming the traditional interview process can be. For candidates, this can take up significant portions of the day in preparing and traveling. This is particularly true for those applying from a distance. For employers, coordinating and holding in-person interviews can also take up huge parts of their workday.
Virtual video-chat interviews allow both sides to meet "face-to-face" and explore whether the position would be a good fit without many of the negative impacts of in-person ones. In addition, a candidate's familiarity and comfort with telemedicine are vital in a world where many basic appointments are increasingly digital. One day, this may become the standard, making it ideal for new hires to be ready for this.
4. Digital Credential Verification
There are few fields where background, experience, and education are as necessary as medicine. Verifying a prospective hire's credentials in the past could take days or weeks, requiring letters, phone calls, and other outreach to confirm vital details.
Fortunately, the internet has made this process far more accessible and faster. Hiring managers can reach out directly to former employers via email and receive recommendations in hours or minutes, and confirming licensing, education, and other background details are nearly as easy. Even better, employers can be confident that they're receiving an accurate and complete record, allowing them to continue the hiring process confidently.
5. Improved Quality of Hires
What's the overall impact of these various tech-related improvements? In nearly all cases, it's better quality candidates who are more prepared for the job, stay longer, and contribute more to the team. Getting a hire right is vital in the modern medical landscape, where organizations incur high costs in the search and hiring, along with, unfortunately, the termination process as well. Naturally, this is also better for applicants, who can be sure they're a good fit before committing the time, money, and effort to starting a new job.
Tech and Recruitment: Changing the Healthcare Landscape
While younger or newer entrants to the medical field may take the amazing advantages of technology for granted, experienced medical professionals and hiring managers know this wasn't always the case. Over the past decade, these incredible advances have helped revolutionize finding and hiring candidates. And with exciting improvements in artificial intelligence and other systems debuting every day, you can be sure this tech-fueled progress will continue for many years. After all, spending less time in the recruitment and application process leaves more time for everyone to get back to the main mission - running an efficient medical facility and caring for patients in the best way possible.
