According to HR thought leader SHRM, there’s a shortage of qualified healthcare professionals (i.e., doctors, nurses, specialists, and support staff) across the US.
For further context, the medical professional talent shortage is weighing on the minds of 90% of healthcare leaders. Moreover, the national deficit of doctors is expected to jump from 40,800 to 104,900 doctors by 2030.
This lack of talent means the future medical needs of citizens might not be met.
But what about C-Suite-level talent in healthcare? After all, these leaders are the decision-makers who will help drive change and fill those gaps in the medical industry.
These executives have a massive problem on their hands and need to look for innovative solutions to bridge these gaps.
Most importantly, chairpeople of the board – who govern healthcare entities – must find C-Suite talent to solve the industry’s shortage problems. Given the numbers discussed above, it’s fair to state that the current crop of executives hasn’t conjured a solution.
Therefore, it might be time to look elsewhere for leadership talent:
It’s Time to Shift the Mentality of Healthcare Organizations
The focus of healthcare has changed over the past few decades, says the Harvard Business Review. A bygone era of medicine saw doctors and nurses with elite training, whose success relied on content expertise.
In the current era, the landscape has transformed. Healthcare now revolves around social, behavioral, and relational factors (e.g., diet, lifestyle, patient relationships, social support).
What does this shift mean for the healthcare industry? Biomedical knowledge isn’t enough anymore–specifically for C-Suite talent.
This type of empathetic philosophy comes from the top. Executives need to possess these more modern skillsets. From there, those methods will be reflected by doctors, nurses, and support staff.
Unfortunately, key decision-makers continue to hire first, then train people on crucial traits like teamwork and cultural sensitivity, hoping the lesson sticks.
As a result, the healthcare workforce hasn’t been optimized to the current landscape, leading to sky-high turnover rates.
What Are Hospitals Doing to Find Executives Who Can Drive Change?
It can’t be overstated that great leaders drive change.
Unfortunately for healthcare leaders charged with hiring C-suite talent, finding those high-impact players gets more challenging by the day.
What solutions are hiring managers and other higher-level decision-makers using to solve this growing problem?
One expert source claims organizations have begun recruiting executives from other companies. These strategies also include employee referral programs.
Furthermore, that same source points to hospitals hiring C-suite talent without a medical background. While that might sound counterintuitive, the article points out how many doctors get promoted to executive roles, and it turns into a blunder.
At the end of the day, doctors, nurses, and support staff are the ones who need the medical expertise. Whereas the C-suite executives must be business-minded. They tend to be experts at learning the industry’s nuances on the job while applying their already-honed administrative skillset to those standards.
Lastly, branding is everything. Executive-level talent who can impact change and fill the employment gaps in healthcare want to be associated with successful brands.
Branding strategies include social networking and ensuring your organization’s greatest strengths are communicated to candidates.
There is one more way to enhance your executive hiring initiatives: partnering with QLK to handle recruitment. This way, you can let us keep our thumb on the shifting trends. Then, we can connect the best talent with your healthcare company.
Get in touch with QLK today for access to top executive talent in healthcare.
