Office Hours: When it Comes to Hiring, Healthcare Recruiters Should Think Outside the Box

When it comes to recruiting, the healthcare industry is particularly hard-pressed. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the U.S. will have almost 122,000 fewer doctors than it needs to support growing patient demand by 2032. Hiring can also be difficult on the business side of healthcare organizations, as unemployment remains low and healthcare companies must compete for talent.

But it doesn't need to be that way. To overcome recruiting challenges, hiring managers should think outside the box and consider applicants from different industries. These "outside" candidates can contribute diverse perspectives and breathe new life into an organization by employing their varied experiences to solve business problems.

Jan Ritter, VP of Workforce Systems for the Good Samaritan Society, is a big supporter of hiring outside your industry. After 20 years in banking, Ritter decided to make the switch to healthcare. "Certainly it involved a whole lot of learning," she said. "But it has been wonderful." Her passion for healthcare, she says, has led to her success at the Good Samaritan Society. And, using the HR skills she built in banking, she was able to apply herself in a new space.

In this video, Ritter explains how this practice of hiring outside of the healthcare industry can give healthcare organizations a competitive advantage.

Photo: Creative Commons