Tips for hiring staff at your new independent practice
The right team can make all the difference in your independent practice, so it’s important to make appropriate hires from the first day. In today’s tight labor market, that can be challenging. Here are some tips for hiring staff at your new independent practice, that will help make the process a little less intimidating.
Your first concern may be where to find qualified candidates for your staff positions. Networking is a valuable tool in this initial step. Establishing your practice’s brand and identity in a positive light to attract new patients can also be effective in attracting job applicants. Use your contacts to spread the word that you are hiring, making sure to clarify what types of positions you need to fill as well as the qualifications needed for those positions.
Hiring staff at your new independent practice, however, starts with defining the available position in clear, detailed terms. For example, you may need a receptionist to answer the phones and greet patients but how much more will that position be required to do beyond speaking in a pleasant tone? Will the individual need computer skills or any level of healthcare experience to do that job properly?
Once you have detailed descriptions of the positions you need to fill, you will need to prepare your practice to be attractive to potential new hires. Review your budget to ensure you can offer a competitive salary and benefits. Your total compensation package can be creative, including bonuses and opportunities for professional development. Consider offering:
- Flexible paid time off, for vacation, sick time, and for bereavement
- Bonuses for meeting certain goals
- Opportunities for training to learn new skills
- Regularly scheduled reviews that include the potential for pay increases and promotions
- Individualized benefits such as flexible hours.
When recruiting, it is important to be seen as a caring and supportive employer as well as a quality healthcare provider.
Elation Health has the electronic health record (EHR) solution you need to offer phenomenal in-person and virtual care from day one in your new independent practice. Learn more here.
Once you have candidates who are interested in the position, you will need to screen and interview them. Background checks may need to include credentials and licensing checks, depending on the position. When interviewing, ask questions that help you learn more about the person, such as:
- Why did you choose to work in healthcare?
- What is an example of how you have handled a challenging patient situation?
- How would you streamline our practice workflows, including scheduling?
- What were the best and worst parts of your most recent position?
When hiring staff at your new independent practice, you will also want to look for the right cultural fit with your brand and your goals as a healthcare provider. Use your interview to get a sense of how the candidate will interact with you, your team, and your patients. Adaptability, motivation, character, and work ethic are particularly important for an independent practice.
You can incorporate a non-traditional approach to the interviewing process by setting up a role-playing exercise to gauge the individual’s people skills. Giving the candidate a real-life situation and seeing how they respond can tell you a lot about whether they will be the right fit for your practice.
Make sure that everyone is aware of the expectations. That includes your expectations of what the candidate will do for your new independent practice. The potential employee should have a clear understanding of the expectations of the position as well as the goals of the practice as a whole.
