The health care and medical sectors are in the midst of a major expansion. As the population continues to age, the percent of Americans over 65 is expected to nearly double from the 40 million in 2010 up to 73 million in 2030, according to Harris Williams & Co, a worldwide client services advisory firm. In addition, the numbers of insured individuals is also forecast to increase as the Affordable Care Act continues to expand coverage.
In an effort to keep pace with demand and job growth, recruiters at national staffing agencies need to ensure they're efficiently matching the best candidates with the available positions.
A surging health care sector
Due to the upcoming spike in the aging population, HealthLeaders Media reported that between 2012-2022, the health care sector is projected to experience a 26.5 percent growth rate, compared to the rather languid 8.9 percent rate forecast for the entire U.S. economy.
Speaking with HealthLeaders Media, Patricia Pittman, PhD, co-director of the GW Health Workforce Institute at George Washington University and associate professor of health policy and management, noted that demographics and technology will push much of this job growth in the sector.
"By 2022, nearly one in eight U.S. jobs is projected to be in the health care sector," explained Pittman.
With almost 12.5 percent of all jobs operating within health care, it's absolutely crucial that medical staff recruiters have the ability to quickly and effectively fill the roles needed to meet the expanding sector. As noted by the source, the positions with the largest projected job growth rate include, from highest to lowest:
- Personal care aides.
- Registered nurses.
- Nursing assistants.
- Medical secretaries.
- Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses.
- Medical assistants.
- Physicians and surgeons.
- Dental assistants.
- Physical therapists.
"Medical staffing services will be busy keeping pace with surging demand."
As demographics and technology continue to create more job opportunities in the health care sector, staffing recruiters will be busier than ever keeping pace with demand. In addition, as standards of care rise, it's imperative that medical staffing recruiters have tools necessary to match the most qualified individuals with the role.
Moving beyond credentials
In addition to the surging growth in the health care sector, patient expectations and demands are also on the rise. Simply having staff "go through the motions" to complete their jobs no longer suffices. This greater emphasis on quality of care means medical staff must not only be adept at the technical aspects of care and treatment, but they must also employ "soft skills" that boost patient satisfaction.
As noted by The Staffing Stream, these soft skills include other non-quantifiable traits such as:
- A comforting bedside manner.
- Good listening faculty.
- A pleasant communication ability.
- Even customer service experience.
Combined with solid technical mastery, these soft skills ensure medical staff provide a high-quality level of care for patients.
Using a best-in-class medical staffing solution
Without access to a medical staffing platform, identifying the perfect candidate for an open position at a health care organization can be a time-consuming endeavor. And even then, there's a chance that the best candidate might be overlooked.
In addition to soft skills, recruiters still need to find the best qualified nurse or medical secretary with the right credentials and availability for the job.
BlueSky, a workforce management platform designed specifically for the health care sector, makes the search effective and easy. With the simple click of a button, recruiters can find an ideal potential applicant and submit a candidate package to the health care facility. Then if the organization wants to hire the candidate, all the paperwork can be signed off on digitally all with BlueSky's tools. This streamlines and simplifies the search and ensures the right person gets hired for the right job.
Click here to learn more about BlueSky's health care staffing solution.
