By: Mitzi Kent, RN, BSN | mkent@barlowmccarthy.com
Like many of you, I was glued to my TV watching the US women’s gymnastics team compete on the largest stage in sports. I was amazed with their strength, resilience, and dedication to the sport. With every decision, they declared “we all made it together.” With Simone Biles taking care of her mental health, it wasn’t about a single teammate responsible for delivering the top score, but rather it was the synchronization of the entire team to reach the common goal. Every gymnast had prepared for this day, and with the world watching, they delivered an unbelievable performance, defying the odds to bring home the silver medal.
The lesson here can be applied to the in-house physician recruitment team. Synchronization is vital to attract desired physician prospects. There is internal synergy between the team and internal customers, and the candidates sense the commitment your organization has to the medical staff and the readiness to support a new practice.
Having solid internal synergy happens by focusing on three key elements
- Commitment to recruiting for the 3 C’s
When team members are clear on what elements Clinical, Cultural and Community fit “look” like, they can paint the picture for the candidate. The candidates look for message uniformity around clinical support and hospital/physician relationships. When the recruitment team is committed and in sync to recruiting for the 3 C’s, the mindset shifts from simply filling positions to a focus on recruiting for retention.
- Consistent Communication
Just as consistent communication is vital among team members, it’s equally important to consistently communicate with your internal customers. Internal customers benefit from knowing the status of their openings. Providing your hiring managers with biweekly updates on the number of candidates in the pipeline and the status of candidates in the process, will ensure you are working together for the sake of the overall candidate experience. If you desire a strategic relationship with your leadership, communication with this group is also key. Sharing progress reports, success factors, and answers to commonly- asked questions provide your leadership with information to share with their constituencies, including the medical staff and operations management.
- Continual Learning
For your team to remain in sync and balanced, as a leader think about how you can provide continual learning. The options are plentiful- from virtual recruiter training from an outside source to leveraging knowledge of the team. Examples of this can be discussing a challenging search and brainstorming options with your teammates. Providing opportunities to your team for ongoing learning fosters collaboration, satisfaction, and retention.
Bottom line, internal engagement, is the name of the game when it comes to creating a strong foundation for physician recruitment. A unified team that is bought into the common goal will create a palpable energy that prospects can sense. This is the first step in getting your ideal candidates to want to spend time with you.