By: Mitzi Kent, RN, BSN | mkent@barlowmccarthy.com
Like many of you, I was glued to my TV watching the Super Bowl teams compete for the ultimate Vince Lombardi trophy. I was amazed with both teams – their determination, resilience and dedication to the sport was palpable.
In every interview, post-win, Patrick Mahomes declared it was a “team effort,” downplaying his incredible job as the quarterback. Both teams had something in common that led to a close-scoring game. It wasn’t about a single player’s responsibility to deliver the winning touchdown, but rather, it was the collaboration of the entire team to reach the common goal. Every player on the Forty-Niners and the Chiefs prepared for this day, and with the world watching, both teams delivered an unbelievable performance, defying odds that left one team with the winning touchdown in overtime.
The lesson here can be applied to the in-house physician recruitment team. Collaboration is vital to attracting desired candidates. 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 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 recruit for the 3 Cs, the mindset shifts from simply filling positions to focusing on recruiting for retention.
- Consistent Communication
Consistent communication is vital among team members and it’s equally important to communicate with your internal customers consistently. 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. Communication with this group is also crucial if you desire a strategic relationship with your leadership. Sharing progress reports, success factors, and answers to commonly asked questions provides 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, a leader should think about how you can provide continual learning. The options are plentiful, from virtual recruiter training from an outside source to leveraging the team’s knowledge. For example, we could include discussing a challenging search and brainstorming options with your teammates or providing opportunities to your team for ongoing learning that fosters collaboration, satisfaction, and retention.
The bottom line is that internal team collaboration is the name of the game when it comes to creating a solid foundation for physician recruitment. A unified team bought in to the common goal will make create an energy that prospects can sense. This is the first step in getting your ideal candidates to want to spend time with you.