Human Resources

An entire healthcare organization can benefit when medical staff services and HR align.

A medical staff services office comprises medical staff professionals (MSPs) and credentialing specialists. They are responsible for credentialing and privileging medical staff members, keeping up with medical staff bylaws, and more.

In contrast, HR managers and employees are often responsible for promoting employee hiring and retention initiatives, managing financial matters such as payroll, and making sure healthcare regulations are followed.

The year 2021 saw significant disruptions in the labor market, as a record number of workers quit or changed jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.7 million workers quit their jobs in March 2021, rising to a historic 4.5 million in November 2021. This trend, dubbed the “Great Resignation,” has continued well into 2022. Preliminary numbers suggest another 4.5 million quit in March 2022.

Different types of bias, whether intentional or unintentional, have been a concern among HR departments for decades. In fact, psychologists have defined more than 180 human biases.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) programs have been promoted as a more objective, less biased way to screen, hire, and train job candidates. Unfortunately, humans may program biased information into algorithms, skewing results. AI programs also may exhibit bias when they lack sufficient, representative data.

Two years into a global pandemic, with several stops and starts, many employers are planning a return to an in-person or hybrid work model (in-person blended with remote work). Companies that postponed returning to office due to COVID-19 variants are now beginning to develop a model of what work will look like, at least for the next couple of years. This is an opportunity for workplace leaders to review stopgap policies for remote work and translate them into forward-thinking engagement and retention strategies that can support them during an uncertain economy.

With so many employers struggling to hire and keep talented workers, employers might be looking for shortcuts to hire faster. Some employers have lowered job requirements, such as college degrees, and others have walked a risky line by eliminating or postponing background screening and using conditional offers of employment.

Organizations across industries are dealing with change and disruption, but the stressors in healthcare are at another level. Healthcare needs never stop—the work is ongoing and requires a high level of personal investment from the workforce. That creates additional strain on an already burnt-out population.

After more than two years spent in a global pandemic, healthcare employers have had to adapt how they attract, hire, screen, and onboard new talent.

Cisive, PreCheck’s parent company, conducted an industry benchmark study that asked human resources, talent acquisition, compliance, recruitment, and operations professionals in the healthcare industry how their policies and procedures changed as a result.

As the talent marketplace gets more challenging, employers are expanding into new locations and territories where complexity has increased due to both global expansion and sourcing international talent. With the surge in remote work following a global pandemic, companies are no longer as reliant on work visa programs and immigration laws to fill talent needs.

While employers are evaluating background screening services or making policy decisions about employment background checks, there are multiple references to “seven years.” This can create confusion for employers using background checks in hiring, as not all background checks are created equal. Depending on the context, this common window of time may refer to:

Human resource leaders in healthcare have already faced countless challenges over the past two years. But many of these challenges remain unsolved and will follow us throughout 2022.