How to Hire a Healthcare Professional

What is a health professional?

A healthcare professional is a person who works in the field of healthcare. Roles vary widely and can include:

Doctors
Nurses
Social workers
Occupational therapists
Physical therapists
Psychologists
Counselors
Pharmacists
Dietitians
Speech pathologists

Healthcare workers all have a singular goal — to help their patients maintain excellent health. Healthcare workers can practice in a variety of environments, including private offices, hospitals, outpatient care centers, schools, and other locations. Many healthcare professionals require state licenses to practice besides extensive education and training.

Healthcare professional main roles, responsibilities and duties

The specific duties for healthcare professionals depend on a number of factors including role, license and workplace. Consider the main job responsibilities for common healthcare professional positions.

Doctor

Doctors are typically in charge of patient well-being in a care facility. Job duties include:

Taking medical histories, diagnosing, treating and counseling patients
Ordering tests, reviewing results and making healthcare decisions based on the tests
Acting in a professional manner, including impartiality towards patients
Performing procedures and minor surgeries
Communicating with others on the patient’s care team
Continuing education through professional development
Overseeing medical students and new doctors

Nurse

Nurses assist doctors and other healthcare professionals with patient care and communication. Additionally, their role includes:

Administering medications
Carrying out physician-recommended treatment
Communicating with other healthcare professionals
Updating and maintaining patient medical charts
Discussing patient care with the patient and their family
Offering counseling as needed to patients and families

Therapist

Therapists can assist patients with physical or mental ailments. Common job duties include:

Creating and maintaining patient medical records
Researching potential exercises for patient recovery
Providing treatment through talk or physical therapy
Advocating for the patient’s needs
Providing at-home wellness plans for patients

Counselor

Counselors help patients overcome hardship or mental health challenges. Most do not have prescribing abilities and instead rely on other means for patient recovery. Job duties include:

Interviewing patients to learn more about them
Diagnosing emotional and mental disorders
Creating treatment plans
Educating patients on effective coping mechanisms
Keeping records of patient sessions and symptom improvement

Pharmacist

Pharmacists dispense medications, as prescribed by doctors. Job responsibilities include:

Preparing medications
Educating patients on potential side effects or drug interactions
Dispensing medications to patients
Managing technicians and other support staff
Ensuring patient privacy

Benefits of hiring an experienced healthcare professional

Consider these advantages of bringing on an experienced healthcare professional to your company:

They are prepared: Healthcare professionals with experience are prepared to handle just about any situation they come across on the job calmly and professionally.
They are competent: With years of experience and continuing education, healthcare professionals who have spent substantial time in the industry know-how to perform their jobs.
They are knowledgeable: Experienced healthcare professionals have extensive knowledge from working in the field.

How to hire a healthcare professional

If you’re hiring a healthcare professional for your business, follow these steps to ensure you recruit the best possible candidates for your company.

1. Consider using a healthcare staffing agency

If you want to find excellent candidates to fill your healthcare positions, consider using the services of a healthcare staffing agency. Many ensure the potential employees in their databases have active medical licenses, the appropriate continuing education credits and other important qualifications. Using a healthcare staffing agency saves you time and resources during the hiring process.

2. Create a thorough job description

If you prefer to create your own job posting, ensure you write an informative and thorough job description that includes the following information:

The job title
The key details of the job
Logistics like number of hours and work environment
Required education, licenses and skills
Desired education, licenses and skills
Company description
What to include in the application
How to submit the application
Contact information

Use our job description builder to get started. Simply select a job title to load an example job description you can customize to fit your needs.

3. Improve your brand recognition

The healthcare industry often has more open positions than it does suitable applicants. You may have some competition when working to hire experienced and reputable healthcare professionals. Making sure your company has excellent brand recognition can help you get noticed by potential employees and improve your chances of making a great hire.

4. Offer benefits

Provide outstanding benefits as part of your overall compensation package. Thoughtful and effective benefits options for healthcare professionals might include:

Health benefits
Paid time off
Flextime
Telecommuting
Professional development
Student debt assistance

An enticing benefits package could help you attract superior candidates.

5. Ask thoughtful interview questions

During the job interview, ask interview questions that help you and your potential employee get to know each other. The job interview is the best time to see if the candidate is a good fit for both the position and the company. Consider questions like these:

“Why are you interested in working for our company?”
“What kinds of professional development do you like to attend?”
“How do you stay aware of changes in the industry?”
“What are your long-term career goals?”
“What excites you the most about this role?”
“How do you handle conflict with patients or clients?”
“Do you prefer to work on your own or with a team?”
“What do you feel qualifies you for this position?”

Healthcare professionals perform important jobs in myriad work environments. Consider what specific role you need to fill and the best way to hire healthcare professionals to ensure the best fit for the candidates and your company.

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